Kirkley Hall is a 17th-century historic country mansion and
Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
in
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
, England. The estate is over and adjoins the
River Blyth at
Kirkley
Kirkley is a district within the town of Lowestoft in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located south of the centre of Lowestoft and the town's harbour and Lake Lothing. Kirkley was originally an independent vill ...
, three miles north of
Ponteland
Ponteland ( ) is a large village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, north of Newcastle upon Tyne. The name means "island in the Pont", after the River Pont which flows from west to east and joins the River Blyth further downstream, be ...
in the heart of the Northumberland countryside, which is now a
Horticultural
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
and
Agricultural
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...
training centre.
History
The manor of Kirkley was granted to the de Eure family in 1267 and Sir William Eure was recorded as in occupation of a
tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...
there in 1415.
In the early 17th century the manor came into the ownership of the
Ogle family
The Ogle family were prominent landed gentry in Northumberland, England. The earliest appearances of the family name were written Hoggel, Oggehill, Ogille and Oghill.Burke, B. & Burke, J. B. (1863). ''A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of th ...
, and in 1632 Cuthbert Ogle built a new
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
close to the site of the old house. A stone lintel preserved over a doorway in the present house bears this date, and the initials and arms of Cuthbert Ogle and his wife, Dorothy Fenwick.
Substantial alterations were made to the structure in 1764 by
Newton Ogle
Newton Ogle (1726 – 1804) was a Church of England clergyman and member of the landowning Ogle family. The son of Nathaniel Ogle and Elizabeth Newton, he served as a prebendary of Durham Cathedral and from 1769 to 1804 as Dean of Winchester. His ...
(1726–1804),
Dean of Winchester
The Dean of Winchester is the head of the Chapter of Winchester Cathedral in the city of Winchester, England, in the Diocese of Winchester. Appointment is by the Crown. The first incumbent was the last Prior, William Kingsmill, Catherine Ogl ...
, who also in 1788 erected an
obelisk
An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by Anc ...
in the grounds commemorating the accession of
William III and
Mary II in 1689.
[Interpretative board on site, pub. ''Friends of Kirkley Hall'']
The Reverend John Saville Ogle substantially rebuilt the house in about 1832.
Notable members of the Ogle family connected with Kirkley include
Admiral Sir Chaloner Ogle and
Sir Chaloner Ogle, 1st Baronet
Sir Chaloner Ogle, 1st Baronet (1726 – 27 August 1816) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the Seven Years' War, American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
Life
He was the son of Nathanie ...
. See also
Baron Ogle
Baron Ogle is an abeyant title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1461 for Robert Ogle. It fell into abeyance in 1691. The Ogles were a prominent Northumbrian family from before the time of the Norman Conquest. They settled at Ogle, Nort ...
and
Ogle Baronets.
The Ogles disposed of their Kirkley estates in 1922. The Hall was bought by the local shipowner Sir William Noble (later
William Noble, 1st Baron Kirkley
William Joseph Noble, 1st Baron Kirkley, (13 January 1863 – 11 September 1935), known as Sir William Noble, Bt, between 1921 and 1930, was a British shipowner.
Background
Noble was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, the son of John Noble and Mary, ...
). It was damaged by fire in 1929 and rebuilt by him on a somewhat reduced scale from the designs of the architects
Robert Burns Dick
Robert Burns Dick (1868–1954) was a British architect, city planner and artist. Mainly working in the Newcastle upon Tyne area, he designed municipal buildings, churches and over one hundred houses and housing schemes in the North East of Engl ...
and Robert MacKellar.
Features
Zoological gardens
A menagerie opened to the public each weekend, and at other times to school parties. This has been expanded into a tourist attraction in its own right known as ''Kirkley Hall Zoological Gardens''. In 2020, it changed its name to Northumberland College Zoo.
Usage
In 1946 the estate was acquired by the Northumberland County Council and in 1951 Kirkley Hall Farm Institute was established. In 1999 the estate became the land studies campus of
Northumberland College
Northumberland College is a further education college based in Ashington, Northumberland, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Iri ...
in
Ashington
Ashington is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 27,864 at the 2011 Census. It was once a centre of the coal mining industry. The town is north of Newcastle upon Tyne, west of the A189 and bordered to the ...
.
The Hall is available for Corporate and Social events.
Weddings are also performed here because of the attractive surroundings which include ornamental gardens and grounds with all plants labelled, wall-trained fruit trees and greenhouse plants.
References
* ''A History of Northumberland'' (1929) Miss MH Dodds. Vol XII pp 493–509. Kirkley and Ogles of Kirkley.
External links
{{Commons category, Kirkley Hall
Official website of Zoo
Grade II listed buildings in Northumberland
Country houses in Northumberland