Wallington Hall

Wallington Hall stands in rolling parkland about nineteen kilometres west of Morpeth in Northumberland. The Grade I listed country house and its gardens occupy one hundred acres of wooded dene, ornamental lakes and lawns. A walled garden has been recently refurbished to complement the wider estate. The house itself was rebuilt several times, first for the Blackett family in the 17th century and then in Palladian style by architect Daniel Garret for Sir Walter Calverley-Blackett in the 18th century. Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan donated the entire estate to the National Trust in 1942, the first gift of its kind. The house contains notable interiors such as rococo ceilings in the dining and drawing rooms painted by Pietro Lafranchini. Visitors find the desk where Thomas Babington Macaulay wrote his History of England and a collection of antique dolls’ houses. Eight large murals in the central hall depict the history of Northumberland, painted by William Bell Scott. A hoard of twenty-six objects was discovered on the estate in 1870, adding to the layers of history preserved here. Beyond the house, the wider estate supports wildlife initiatives. Beavers were released in a fifty-nine-acre enclosure in 2023 as part of the Wilder Wallington project. Pine marten recovery is also encouraged through a partnership with the Vincent Wildlife Trust. Plans include planting one million trees by 2030, with over one hundred thousand already in the ground. Visitors walk through parkland and wooded valleys while learning about ongoing nature recovery across the estate.