Crook Hall, Durham (must see)
Crook Hall is what happens when 800 years of home improvements get wildly out of hand. It started out in the 1200s as a simple medieval house-just one big hall and a draft-blocking hallway. Over time, owners kept adding bits and pieces. By the 1600s, it looked more like a fancy country manor, and in the 1700s, someone added a brick front to keep up with the fashion of the day. Now it鈥檚 an 11-room mashup of old styles, surrounded by gardens that switch themes faster than a costume party.
The name comes from its original owner, Peter del Croke-whose ancestor Aimery was handed the manor of 鈥淪ydgate鈥� in 1217. Somewhere along the line, 鈥淪ydgate鈥� took a left turn and became Crook Hall. These days, the house overlooks the River Wear, with a frame-worthy view all the way up to Durham Cathedral.
But the real scene-stealer is the garden. Spanning five acres, it鈥檚 less of a backyard and more of a floral choose-your-own-adventure. There鈥檚 a Shakespeare garden, a fruit tree orchard, a silver-and-white garden, a walled hideaway, and even a Cathedral lawn. Add a proper greenhouse, a kitchen garden, and a hedge maze designed to test both your memory and your patience.
And just to keep things interesting, there鈥檚 a ghost. The White Lady has been known to ring bells and rearrange dinner plans-literally. Consider it your reminder that no house this old gets to be quiet for long.
The name comes from its original owner, Peter del Croke-whose ancestor Aimery was handed the manor of 鈥淪ydgate鈥� in 1217. Somewhere along the line, 鈥淪ydgate鈥� took a left turn and became Crook Hall. These days, the house overlooks the River Wear, with a frame-worthy view all the way up to Durham Cathedral.
But the real scene-stealer is the garden. Spanning five acres, it鈥檚 less of a backyard and more of a floral choose-your-own-adventure. There鈥檚 a Shakespeare garden, a fruit tree orchard, a silver-and-white garden, a walled hideaway, and even a Cathedral lawn. Add a proper greenhouse, a kitchen garden, and a hedge maze designed to test both your memory and your patience.
And just to keep things interesting, there鈥檚 a ghost. The White Lady has been known to ring bells and rearrange dinner plans-literally. Consider it your reminder that no house this old gets to be quiet for long.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Durham. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "911爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Crook Hall on Map
Sight Name: Crook Hall
Sight Location: Durham, England (See walking tours in Durham)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Durham, England (See walking tours in Durham)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Durham, England
Create Your Own Walk in Durham
Creating your own self-guided walk in Durham is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Durham Introduction Walking Tour
According to the legend, it all started with a missing cow. Back in 995, a group of monks fleeing Viking raiders were hauling around the remains of Saint Cuthbert when their saintly cargo decided to stop moving. No matter how hard they tried, the bier wouldn鈥檛 budge-until a milkmaid chasing her lost dun cow wandered past. ("Dun" is a dull shade of brownish grey. ) The monks took the... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles