Bessie Surtees House

Over het museum

Bessie Surtees House is a pair of merchants' houses on Sandhill, close to the River Tyne in Newcastle upon Tyne, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. The timber-framed frontage with its overhanging upper storeys is a rare surviving example of Jacobean town architecture in the city, and the buildings are Grade I listed. The earliest record of the site is a sale in 1465. Next door, the former timber-framed Milbank House was given a brick Georgian front in 1741 and served as a coffee house for some years.

The house is named after Bessie Surtees, who eloped from the house in 1772 with John Scott, later Lord Chancellor of England. During the 18th and 19th centuries the buildings were divided and sublet, and John Clayton bought them in 1880. They were restored in 1930, when 17th-century fittings salvaged from demolished buildings were installed.

Newcastle City Council bought the property in 1978 and leased it to English Heritage in 1989, and Historic England took over the lease in 2015. The buildings now house Historic England's North East regional office, and a first-floor exhibition tells the story of the houses. The public can see them on selected dates through booked guided tours.

Hoogtepunten

• Grade I listed Jacobean merchants' houses with a timber-framed frontage
• Setting of the 1772 elopement of Bessie Surtees and John Scott
• Exhibition on the history of the buildings
• Free guided tours on selected dates, with donations welcome

Vaste collectie

• History of Bessie Surtees House – A first-floor exhibition explains the history of the two merchants' houses and the people who lived in them.

Beheerder

Historic England

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

De toegang is gratis.

Guided tours are free, but visitors are asked to make a donation towards the care of the building. A booking is still required.

Toegankelijkheid

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

Assistance dogs are welcome. The access page lists no accessible toilets, wheelchair or scooter loan, handrails, Braille guides or BSL tours at this site. Information about steps and step-free routes is not published, so visitors who need step-free access should contact English Heritage before booking.

Kinderen & gezin

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The house is on Sandhill, off the B1600 in central Newcastle.

Service & horeca

• Café: niet aanwezig
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig

Male and female toilets are available on site.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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