The Castle at Castle Eden, County Durham, England, is an 18th-century,

Palladian style Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

, mansion house and a

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 ...

. No trace remains of the medieval castle of

Robert the Bruce Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventuall ...

. The historic listing states that "by 1678, Sir William Bromley owned the manor" and that in 1758, "William Throckmorton Bromley, sold the property to Rowland Burdon". At that time, "the estate was in poor condition and unenclosed, the chapel was in ruins and the mansion house had gone". Burdon enclosed the land, erected a church and built the manor house. The Burdon family of Castle Eden had their origins in Stockton on Tees, where the first Rowland Burdon was mayor nine times in the 17th century. His great-grandson Rowland Burdon III, a merchant banker, purchased the manor of Castle Eden in 1758, and in about 1765, with the assistance of architect William Newton, built the house which came to be known as ''The Castle''. The house has three storeys and a seven-bay entrance front, and encompasses . The central three bays are canted and the whole carries a castellated parapet. His grandson, Rowland Burdon V, was

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

from 1790 to 1806, and his son Rowland VI was resident in 1861 and recorded in the census of that year as a farmer of . In 1881 the census records the resident as Rev John Burdon, a widower with two children and ten servants. In about 1863 the entrance frontage was enhanced by the addition of a single-storey six-bayed palmhouse, and in 1893 a north wing was added. Later Rowland Burdens served as

High Sheriff of Durham This is a list of the High Sheriffs of County Durham, England. In most counties the High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. In the Palatinate of Durham the officeholder was appointed by and was accountable to the Bishop of D ...

in 1872 and 1907. The property was for sale in late 2020, with 14 acres of land; the castle then included 11 bedrooms and 15,102 square feet of space. Extensive restoration had been completed over the previous two decades. An article about the castle stated that "the dungeon is accessed via stone steps from the ground floor and includes many different rooms that span the entire footprint of the Castle".https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/gallery/englishmans-home-castle-heres-your-19453393 An Englishman's home is his castle and here's your chance to own your own in County Durham]

References

Heritage Gateway: architectural description of Eden Castle Castle
* '' A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland'' Vol I John Burke (1835) p360. Burdon of Castle Eden. Google Books {{DEFAULTSORT:Castle, Castle Eden Grade II* listed buildings in County Durham Country houses in County Durham History of County Durham Castle Eden Peterlee