Walworth Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walworth Castle is a 16th century mansion house, built in the style of a medieval castle, which is now occupied as an hotel, situated at Walworth, near Darlington, Co. Durham. It is a Grade 1 listed building[1].
The Manor of High Walworth was acquired by Thomas Jennison, Auditor General of Ireland in about 1579 by purchase from the Ascough family.[2]. The Jennisons were a strongly Catholic family[3].
Jennison (who died in 1589) built the present mansion on the site of an early castle and later manor house [1]. The south front of five bays and three storeys, is flanked by two four storey round angle towers, the most westerly of which probably has medieval origins [1]. In 1769 Francis Jennison sold the estate and emigrated to Europe[2]
The house passed to the Harrison family and then, by marriage, to General Arthur Aylmer, whose son John Harrison Aylmer ( who succeeded in 1831) was High Sheriff of Durham in 1864.[4]
The Aylmers sold the estate in the 1930s. During World War II it was used as a Prisoner of War Camp and in 1950 it became a Girls' School. More recently it was renovated and converted for use as an hotel
[edit] References
- ^ a b c English Heritage: Images of England, listing and architectural details
- ^ a b An Historical ,Topographical and Descriptive View of the County of Durham McKenzie and Ross (1834) p171 Google Books
- ^ Dictionary of National Biography Editor Sidney Lee (2001) p293 Google Books
- ^ A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland Vol I, John Burke (1835) p177 Google Books
|
|||||||||||
Coordinates: 54°33′27″N 1°38′56″W / 54.557630°N 1.648966°W
