Brancepeth Castle

Brancepeth Castle stands in the village of Brancepeth, five miles south-west of Durham in County Durham. It is a Grade I listed building, built originally by the Bulmers in Norman times and rebuilt by the Nevilles in the late 14th century. The castle passed through many hands after the Nevilles lost it in 1569 for their part in the Rising of the North. Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, held it briefly in the early 17th century before it was taken back by the Crown. Later owners included Ralph Cole and Sir Henry Belaysyse, whose daughter inspired the song about Bobby Shafto. William Russell, a wealthy banker and mine owner, bought the castle in 1796. His son Matthew spent lavishly on reconstruction in the 1820s, employing the architect John Paterson. Anthony Salvin later improved the building in the mid-19th century for William Russell, then High Sheriff of Durham. During the First World War the castle served as a hospital for convalescents from Newcastle General Hospital. The Durham Light Infantry used it as their regimental headquarters from 1939 until 1962. Today the castle belongs to the Dobson family, who restored both fabric and interior after buying it in 1978. Margaret Dobson refurbished function rooms for auctions and craft fairs, and staged Shakespearean plays in the main courtyard. She also rented rooms to visitors. Original French political posters from 1968 were discovered in the cellar and featured on BBC television in 2019. The castle remains a venue for events while preserving its layered history.