Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens, Northumberland – English Heritage

Tucked away from view on a sharp bend, you’d be forgiven for missing Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens as you travel out of Ponteland. Venture in to the grounds and you will be rewarded with a day full of history, nature and beauty in this local English Heritage property.

Famous for it’s Rhododendrons, Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens has a lot more to offer than flowers.

Taking inspiration from Greece, the Greek Revival mansion  that forms Belsay Hall has been sympathetically maintained in it’s current state for some years.

There’s no period furniture or tableaus of how life used to be. Every now and then you can catch a glimpse of the former glory of Belsay Hall. Wallpaper dating back to the 1800s is still on the wall and the east wing of the Hall shows evidence of the grand living, with high ceilings, multiple floors and cellars.

Crafted from local quarried stone, the greek mansion at Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens served as main living accomodation the Middleton family once they moved out of Belsay Castle.

You can take a walk from the Hall through the beautiful terraced gardens down to the Castle. The mature gardens are a pleasure to visit and really are a labour of love. People flock to Belsay Gardens to see the incredible Rhododendron’s each year, be sure to time your visit with their blooming as you’ll not be disappointed! The picture below is me on my Dad’s shoulders about 30+yr ago when we visited to see the flowers.

What I love most about Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens is the condition of the main hall. Mocked up sitting rooms are all fine and well but the history buff and adventurer in me just loves the derelict vibes from the rooms. The out of bounds areas are the most interesting to me, I would kill for a look around there. Dear English Heritage…. I can bring my own hard hat if you let me in!

Time your visit and you can take some incredible pictures in the empty rooms. We like to visit as soon as the doors open for some guaranteed peaceful time in the hall and gardens.

There’s a full calendar of events for Belsay so be sure to head along this Spring and Summer!