Lumley Castle

Coordinates: 54°51′17″N 1°33′11″W / 54.85472°N 1.55293°W / 54.85472; -1.55293
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Lumley Castle
Lumley Castle is located in County Durham
Lumley Castle
Location within County Durham
Hotel chainNo Ordinary Hotels
General information
StatusHotel
TypeCastle
Architectural styleQuadrangular castle
Town or cityChester-le-Street
OwnerEarl of Scarbrough
Other information
Number of rooms73

Lumley Castle is a 14th-century

Grade I listed building.[1]
It is currently a hotel.

History

Lumley Castle on a copperplate print in the 18th century
Lumley Castle in 2005

It is named after its original creator,

Earl of Somerset
. In 1421 the ownership of the castle reverted to Sir Ralph Lumley's grandson, Thomas.

During the time of John Lumley, 1st Baron Lumley, he altered the windows of the castle to let more light in, installed a new fireplace in the great hall along with a lavabo of black and white marble, adorned by a pelican, which is the crest of the Lumley coat of the arms.[2] On the accession of James VI and I as King of England in 1603, he journeyed from Edinburgh to London to take his new throne. On 13 April, en route from Newcastle upon Tyne to Durham, he stopped briefly at the castle as a guest of Lord Lumley. The King James Suite hotel room commemorates this connection with the king. However, the suite was previously the chapel; the king did not stay at Lumley overnight, instead travelling later that day and staying at Durham Castle.[3]

Although there are no documents to prove it, the Georgian alterations to the castle are attributed to Sir John Vanbrugh, particularly the library, which is now the Black Knight Restaurant.[4]

By the nineteenth century, the castle had become the residence of the

hall of residence for University College, Durham. Castlemen, as the students of University College are known, spent their first year at Lumley Castle and subsequent years in the Castle at Durham. Lumley Castle was sold in the 1960s by University College to fund the building of the 'Moatside' residential halls in central Durham, in order to keep all students on the same site.[5]
The role of Lumley Castle in University College's history is still commemorated by students in the biannual 'Lumley Run'.

Today

In 1976, management of the castle was handed over to No Ordinary Hotels, which had the castle turned into the 73-bedroomed hotel it is today, but it is still in the possession of the present

St Valentine's Day 2019.[6]

Hauntings

The castle is believed to be one of the most

2005 Australian tour party recounted the strong effect its reputation and setting had had on them.[14]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ N. Pevsner revised E. Williamson (1983). "Little Lumley/Lumley Park listing detail and architectural description". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  2. ^ Pevsner: The Complete Broadcast Talks, p. 180.
  3. ^ The Progresses, Processions, and Magnificent Festivities, of King James the First, His Royal Consort, Family, and Court: Volume 1 (1828), pp. 71–73.
  4. ^ Pevsner: The Complete Broadcast Talks, p. 181.
  5. ^
    telegraph.co.uk
    .
  6. ^ "Welcome to Lumley Castle Hotel and Restaurant". Sunderland Echo. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Enough to send a chill down your spine". Durham Times. 9 April 2010. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  8. ^ "County Durham's haunted history". BBC. 2 March 2010.
  9. ^ a b Milner, E. (1904). Records of the Lumleys of Lumley Castle (p. 11). G. Bell. Google Books.
  10. ^ "Ghosts & Legends". thisisdurham.com.
  11. ^ "Haunted Castles - Lumley Castle". ncl.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013.
  12. telegraph.co.uk
    . 13 May 2009.
  13. ^ "Aussies spooked". BBC Sport. 22 June 2005.
  14. ESPN Cricinfo
    . Retrieved 26 June 2013.

References

  • Margot Johnson. "Lumley Castle" in Durham: Historic and University City and surrounding area. Sixth Edition. Turnstone Ventures. 1992.
    ISBN 094610509X
    . Page 40.
  • "Fortress Britain". The Guardian. 9 December 2000.
  • Pevsner: The Complete Broadcast Talks: Architecture and Art on Radio and Television, 1945-1977 (2014).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lumley Castle.

54°51′17″N 1°33′11″W / 54.85472°N 1.55293°W / 54.85472; -1.55293

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