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The hall is a 17th Century country house in the Grand Palladian style, originally built in 1688, although there have been many subsequent changes.

The building was commissioned by William Blackett, a well-known local man with a considerable fortune made from his industrial and mining ventures.

Initially, the building was built in a block with four sides surrounding an open area. This was later covered and made to represent an Italian courtyard, decorated with Pre-Raphaelite style pictorial panels by William Bell Scott depicting scenes from Northumbrian history ranging from the Roman occupation to the exploits of Grace Darling.

Standing guard on the approach to the hall from the south are four huge stone griffin heads. These were brought from Bishopsgate in London and are undoubtedly the ancestors of the modern day griffins which still stand watch over all roads leading into the City of London. Moving these effigies all those years ago was a major task and they were actually shipped to Amble as ballast in returning colliers.

Living in the nearby village of Kirkharle was a young boy by the name of Lancelot Brown and he passed the estate daily on his way to school. In 1765 he had become known as Capability Brown and he designed the extensive east gardens which have changed very little since then.

The interior of the house was lavishly decorated and there is fine rococo plasterwork in many of the main rooms. This work was executed by two Italian brothers who were paid £23 for their labours!

In 1777 the hall passed to the Trevelyan family, but as they were comfortably settled in Somerset they showed little interest in Wallington. However, in 1840 William Trevelyan and his wife Pauline moved in and the house enjoyed a new lease of life.

It was visited by many celebrities of the day, including Ruskin and Turner. Lord Macaulay wrote his History of England there and the desk at which he sat is now an exhibit.

The last Trevelyan to live there was Charles, who, strangely enough, was a zealous communist and is known to have visited Russia. A number of prominent Labour politicians visited the hall, particularly around the times of the Durham galas.

In 1929 the hall was opened to visitors, free of charge. Inevitably the cost of maintaining such a large estate proved too much and the property, comprising the hall and grounds, 17 farms and the village of Cambo, was bequeathed to the National Trust.

Under the stewardship of the National Trust, the hall has become a major tourist attraction for thousands of visitors every year and also plays host to many cultural and other events such as concerts, craft fairs, veteran car rallies and dog shows. It is also in great demand as a very spectacular and impressive location for weddings!

The hall contains an impressive collection of dolls’ houses and also Lady Wilson’s 'cabinet of curiosities' a rather eccentric collection of period bric-a-brac.

Wikipedia: Wallington Hall Link
National Trust: Wallington Link

Created: Fri, 6 Mar 2020, Updated: Fri, 6 Mar 2020