Belsay Hall

Over het museum

Belsay is the ancestral home of the Middleton family, who are first recorded on the estate in 1270 and have lived in the area almost continuously since. The oldest building is the castle, whose pele tower dates from the late 14th century and was built as a stronghold in the unsettled border country between England and Scotland. Traces of medieval wall paintings survive in its great chamber. In 1614 a comfortable mansion wing was added, turning the fortress into a gentleman's residence.

In the early 19th century Sir Charles Monck, who had developed a passion for Greek architecture, built a new house nearby. After a honeymoon in Greece he designed a Greek Revival hall without professional architectural training. Work began in 1807 and the family moved in at Christmas 1817. The hall is a 100-foot square block of fine sandstone with two Doric columns at its entrance, arranged around a top-lit central Pillar Hall.

The stone for the hall came from quarries on the estate. Sir Charles shaped the abandoned quarries into a sheltered garden with ravines, cliffs and exotic plants, and linked the hall and castle by a path through them. The gardens are listed Grade I, and a recent project by English Heritage, called Belsay Awakes, restored the hall, re-planted the gardens under the designer Dan Pearson and added visitor facilities.

Today the hall is empty of furniture and is explained through interpretation panels about the Middleton family, their children and servants. The castle has an animated film told by the Wild Man, a mythical figure from the family crest.

Hoogtepunten

• Greek Revival hall with its top-lit Pillar Hall
• Medieval castle with a late 14th-century pele tower
• Quarry Garden with ravines and exotic plants
• Wild Man play area and trail
• Second-hand bookshop run by volunteers

Vaste collectie

• Belsay Hall – The empty Greek Revival mansion, explained by interpretation panels that show how the Middleton family, their children and servants used the rooms.
• Belsay Castle – The medieval castle and 17th-century manor wing, with traces of wall paintings and an animated film about the history of Belsay.

Beheerder

English Heritage

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices shown are advance online tickets without the voluntary donation, booked until midnight the day before the visit; tickets bought on the day cost more. With the donation an advance adult ticket costs £15.30 and an on-the-day adult ticket £18.00. Ticket prices vary with the season and the day. Entry is free for English Heritage members, who can bring up to six children free. Visitors arriving by bus, train or bicycle can get 20% off a ticket bought on the day by showing their travel ticket or bike.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie

The castle and hall are reached by a 700 metre path through the gardens, with ramped access to the ground floor of the castle and the hall; there are stairs to the first floor of the hall and a steep spiral staircase to the upper levels of the castle. Paths are gravelled and the gardens have no steep gradients. A step-free route is marked on the map at the welcome point. Wheelchairs and a mobility scooter can be borrowed, and an all-terrain Tramper can be hired. Fourteen Blue Badge bays are in the main car park. A hand-held audio-described tour, tactile map booklets and large-print booklets are available from the admissions desk. A Changing Places toilet is next to the car park, with the key available from admissions. Assistance dogs are welcome.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

The Wild Man play area has climbing frames, a slide and rope nets, with a separate area for toddlers next to the Coach House cafe. A Wild Man trail leads to the castle and a World Builder fort trail is available. Baby changing is in the accessible toilet and highchairs are at the stables courtyard catering trailer. Pushchairs are allowed, and the garden paths are suitable for them.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Belsay is 14 miles north-west of Newcastle on the A696; follow the brown signs. Satellite navigation may work better with NE20 0DU.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Museumwinkel

The Tea Room in the old kitchen and the Coach House cafe by the castle serve hot and cold food and drinks, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. There is a gift shop and a volunteer-run second-hand bookshop in the old stable block. Picnic tables are in the stables courtyard. Toilets are near the car park and by the Coach House cafe.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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