An adventure from the archives because a certain dinosaur forgot to write about their adventure at the time (let’s blame my photographer for this mistake). One day I will manage to post about my adventures in a timely manner, but for now that remains a pipe dream (where can I find an assistant?).
Visiting places close to home is always an eye opener for me because a lot of people don’t even know the exist, that also includes myself and my photographer. My photographer had never heard of Seaton Deleval prior to our visit, even though they have drove past the hall several times. Seaton Deleval Hall is a national trust site located near Whitley Bay and is one of the smaller estates open for visiting in the North East of England. Unlike the other National Trust sites, the house has not been turned into an exact replica of the 19th century. Instead evidence of a fire which once ravaged the building is still available to be seen, making it a really unique place to explore. Check before visiting to see if it is open (I used the Facebook page because it was closed to the public on my first visit). I was really surprised to see how close Seaton Deleval Hall is to the coast and town, all of the other National Trust sites I visited were out in the countryside.
Upon entering the site, I found the area to be quite quiet considering it was a sunny Saturday morning. I had several options of paths to follow, so I headed straight across the crossroads to see if I could find the house (it’s not visible from the car park). From the outside, the building looks to be relatively well kept and rather modern. However, the inside of the building is a different story. The site has been occupied since Norman times and the original chapel still stands. Though the main house was built in 1719 and has had a rather traumatic and unfortunate history. From completion in 1728 the estate changed hands several times, but we sadly cannot see the hall in all of it’s former glory.
A fire ravaged through the south-east wing of the house in 1822, leaving the house badly damaged and little more than a shell in certain parts. Though I find the lack of restoration to add to the character of the building and allows an imaginative take on what the building once possibly looked like. I personally think it was opulent, very colourful place that hosted a lot of parties. The entrance up the grand stairs gives a false sense of visiting a fancy building (or at least it did to me) and the first room is nothing more than a shell with an oven in.
The grand hall is so beautiful and the mirrored ball art installation made me think of a 1970’s disco, but don’t worry I didn’t try to recreate Night Fever (this time …). I had the hall to myself for a while and was fully able to enjoy the charred muses, don’t be fooled it isn’t a bad restaurant dish they’re slightly burned statues. A corridor leading in each direction to a spiral staircase on either side of the building. Where the staircase leads to differs considerably depending on if you chose right or left. I began with the left staircase which took me to the basement through a maze of different corridors and doorways.
The basement was a really cold space which gave light to the Hall’s past links with the shipbuilding heritage of the area. I really enjoyed climbing up the ropes and giant anchors, one led me right up a huge chimney! My photographer didn’t like the basement area, which is a shame because this part of the building was steeped in history. Once again we got lost and managed to end up in the stables, no idea how I got there but directions and dinosaurs don’t go together. I loved reading all of the names of the horses because they all sounded like Greek Gods! Upon leaving the stables, I found a spot for lunch in the summer sunshine, next to a building which turned out to be an old brewhouse. I bravely ventured into the icehouse which was a really scary building mainly because of the drop into a bottomless pit if you walked too far. The main use was to store ice and water for the house and other buildings but has since fallen into disrepair.
I managed to find my way back into the opposite side of the house, to explore some of the more well preserved rooms. One of which was upside down, I’m not sure how comfortable sitting on the ceiling is though. I also found a new pair of shoes that were in my size, I tried them on but the room started to make scary animal noises. I have a feeling the room may have been haunted by a woman with great shoes. Another wall further down the corridor was filled with paintings of eyes, and one round mirror in the centre, it was as though the wall was saying “eye can see you” (no pun intended).
The Deleval family was huge and their portraits line most of the corridors and rooms, sadly only a select few have stories to tell you about the lives of these people. My favourite area was hidden in another part of the basement. All of the stored items are on show in two small rooms, the pieces date back to the 1600’s and are from all corners of the world. A single uniform from a war many years ago is preserved and if a human had to wear it nowadays, the clothes would be best suited for a small child. I could have stayed amongst the house’s treasures all day.
But, the gardens were calling me as it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the entire estate was still tranquil from the lack of humans. Curated gardens are dotted around the estate, each with a different artistic theme. I headed in the direction of the Norman chapel and found the formal garden enjoying the sunshine in front of the house. The long lawn and flower beds give a distinct feeling of Downton Abbey, I kept expecting to see Victorian era ladies walking around the grounds. Hidden towards the main road is the tiny Norman Chapel which has stunning stained glass windows. I was lucky it was open on the day I visited, this isn’t always the case as it is still a working place of worship. The local community volunteer here and it is clear they are very proud of the heritage of the area and they all had a wealth of knowledge about Seaton Deleval.
All the paths are linked so you can’t really get lost (even though I did, twice), you can just loop back on yourself, then retrace your steps. It is how I found the mirror rooms which are hidden in an orchard. I had so much fun hiding from my photographer and turning myself into 9 dinosaurs. One day I would like to try a house of mirrors in a funfair. This small area was my favourite and I had a lot of fun, unlike some of the visiting humans. I won’t spoil all of the surprises in the area but it is worth doing a couple of loops so you can find everything. My trip ended with a visit from some of the local horses as I was walking back to the car park but the surprises didn’t end there, I was gifted some free seeds to grow a few of Seaton Deleval’s beautiful flowers in my garden at home. The only downside is that my photographer says I am not allowed to eat them.
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