Castles and Heritage

Viking settlers came to Teesdale from Denmark in the 9th century AD and from Norway and Ireland in the 10th century. The two fought a battle on Stainmore which led to the death of the mighty Erik Bloodaxe. Scandinavian words still survive in the Teesdale dialect.

Once on the border with Scotland, Teesdale has a turbulent history. Almost every village is built around a ruined castle.

Raby Castle, the home of Lord Barnard is still lived in today. In 1569 the nobility met here to plot to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I in favour of Mary Queen of Scots. Their plans failed and Mary was beheaded.

Today members of the Royal Family often visit Teesdale to shoot and fish.

The Bowes Museum, founded by local businessman John Bowes and his wife Josephine, opened in 1892. The museum contains the greatest collection of Eurpoean fine and decorative art in the North East of England including works by Goya, El Greco and Caneletto. It curates its own acclaimed exhibition programme, often built around highlights from its own collections; takes touring exhibitions from other institutions, stages fun-filled family events; offers scholarly lectures and runs a significant education programme.

Rokeby Park was designed by and built for the gifted amateur architect, Sir Thomas Robinson. Designed in the 1720s, it is an important early example of the Palladian style. Great attention was paid to relating the heights and details of the elevations to give maximum emphasis to the central block and so create the striking and noble "North Italian" villa, which you see today.

Rokeby was acquired by J S Morritt in 1769 and remains in the ownership of the Morritt family. While the internal layout and decorative schemes have evolved over the intervening years, the house has not much altered in its essentials. The interior comprises a series of handsome rooms, including an unusual Print Room. There are family portraits, period furniture and a unique collection of needlework pictures by Anne Morritt (1726-1797). From 1809-1995 the Salon was home to the "Rokeby Venus".

The house is romantically set close to the confluence of the rivers Tees and Greta, a setting which inspired Sir Walter Scott to dedicate his epic poem "Rokeby" to his friend, the then owner, JBS Morritt.