Ridley Hall, Northumberland

Ridley Hall is an 18th century country house, now a residential and conference centre, at Bardon Mill, Tynedale, Northumberland. It is a Grade II listed building [http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=239273&mode=quick English Heritage: Images of England] ]

A 16th century house on the site was owned by the Ridley family of Willimoteswick"A History of Northumberland" Pt 2 Vol 3 p 337 (1840) Rev John Hodgson. Google Books] . It was acquired by the Lowes family in the late 17th century and was replaced in 1743 with a new Georgian style mansion.

The death in 1795 of John Lowes (High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1790) was followed by that of his son William Cornforth Lowes in 1810 and of his brother in 1812 and in 1818 the house was sold to Thomas Bates of Halton Castle, Northumberland. [http://www.richard.jackson.cwc.net/Edwardian/Lilian_Bowes-Lyon/Ridley%20Hall.htm History of Ridley Hall] ] .

In 1830 John Davidson (High Sheriff in 1839) a cousin and beneficiary of the will of William Cornforth Lowes repurchased the house and made substantial improvements to the property. He married Susan Jessup a daughter of the 9th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, who on her death bequeathed the estate to John Bowes an illegitimate son of John Bowes, 10th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.

The house was rebuilt with a new main block in a neo Tudor style in 1891 by architect Horatio Adamson for Frances Bowes-Lyon [ [http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N13565 Keys to the Past] ] . The 18th century west wing became the domestic service wing.

The Bowes-Lyon family were not often resident and in the 20th century the house was sold to Rev EA Williams and was converted to a school. More recently the house has been operated by Northumberland County Council as a residential and conference centre [ [http://www.ridleyhall.com/joomla Northumberland CC Ridley Hall] ]

References