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Belsay
Belsay is a village in Northumberland, England. It is situated about 5 miles from Ponteland on the A696 which links the village with Newcastle upon Tyne and Jedburgh. The population of the civil parish was 436 at the 2001 census, increasing to 518 at the 2011 Census.
Scottish nobleman and doctor John de Strivelyn was granted the manor around 1340 by Edward III. On his death, the estate passed to his daughter, who was married to Sir John Middleton, and has remained with the Middleton family since.
Belsay is home to Belsay Castle, a fine medieval castle, and to Belsay Hall.
Landmarks
Belsay Castle is a 14th-century medieval castle situated at Belsay. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building.
The main structure, a three storey rectangular pele tower with rounded turrets and battlements, was constructed about 1370, and was the home of the Middleton family. In 1614 Thomas Middleton built a new manor house attached to the tower. A west wing was added in 1711 but was later largely demolished in 1872 by Sir Arthur Middleton when the remainder of the house was considerably altered.
The castle was abandoned as a residence by the family in the early 19th century when Sir Charles Monck built Belsay Hall close by. It is administered by English Heritage and is open the public.
Belsay Hall is a 19th-century country mansion and a Grade I listed building. The house was built between 1810 and 1817 for Sir Charles Monck (then of Belsay Castle close by).Sir Charles himself was the designer of the building .It is a notable and early classical building. The house measures square with a lower kitchen wing attached to the north side. It is in two storeys.
The hall was the residence of the Middleton family until 1962.
Aruna Ratanagiri Buddhist Monastery lies on a hilltop 3 miles to the north-west of Belsay, in the hamlet of Harnham.
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Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens
- Overview Map Street View The Belsay estate on the main route from Newcastle to Jedburgh was owned by the Middleton family from 1270, when it belonged to Sir John Middleton, …
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Bolam
- Overview Map Bolam in Northumberland is in the civil parish of Belsay. It was once a thriving village with its own market and the permission to hold fairs.[1] However, it …
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Nun Hill, Belsay
- Overview Map Street View Nun Hill (aka Nunhill) is a farm, located off the A696 road, about 3½ miles north-west of Ponteland and 1½ miles south-east of Belsay. Just north …
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Belsay Hall, Castle & Gardens
- Overview Map Street View The Belsay estate on the main route from Newcastle to Jedburgh was owned by the Middleton family from 1270, when it belonged to Sir John Middleton, …
Co-Curate Page
Bolam
- Overview Map Bolam in Northumberland is in the civil parish of Belsay. It was once a thriving village with its own market and the permission to hold fairs.[1] However, it …
