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Close House was built in 1779 for the private use of the Bewicke family on the site of an earlier monastic house. The mansion and estate were sold in 1953 and bought for the sum of £13,190 by James Rutherford and Sons who sold it on to Kings College, later the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, in 1960 who had it refurbished in 1994 for £1,000,000.

The University sold the whole Estate to local business man Graham Wylie in 2004 and it reopened as a hotel and golf venue in 2005. Link

In March 2014 it was reported that former computing millionaire, Graham Wylie, announced plans to convert Close House Hotel into a private home for his family. He is said to have invested an estimated £50m since buying it from Newcastle University 10 years ago. Link
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There is a brief history here Link
Description of house: Link Archive Link
Description of gardens: Link

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