Manage Cookie Preferences

To understand how people use our site and improve your experience on our website, we use cookies. Please choose which types of cookies you’re happy with – you can change your selection at any time. To learn more, read our Cookie Policy.

Strictly necessary cookies.

Always active

These are cookies that are essential in providing specific services you have requested from us. For example: Remembering information, you have entered on online application forms when you navigate to different pages in a single web browsing session.

Analytical or performance cookies.

These improve our website by collecting information about how you use our website. For example: Understanding what interests our users so that we can deliver the content and level of service you expect from us.

Functionality cookies.

Always active

These are used to recognise you when you return to our website. These enable us to remember your preferences. It is not currently possible to turn these cookies off.

Targeting cookies.

These cookies are used to understand how you use our website and to provide you with more relevant advertising and promotions as well as help measure the effectiveness. We may also share this information with third parties for this purpose.

(+44)1661 886 500 Book Now
Scroll

HISTORY OF THE ESTATE

Tucked away in the heartland of ancient Northumberland and just minutes from Hadrian’s wall, the Matfen Hall estate has its own remarkable history dating back to the 1200s.

Northumberland is a place of peace and ancient beauty. Of big skies and wild history. And, secluded in 300 acres of unspoilt countryside, this Grade-II listed hall brings tranquil opulence and rich heritage to lands once ruled by Romans and Reivers.

ORIGINS

Established in the 13th century by Sheriff of Northumberland, Philip de Ulcotes, the manor of West Matfen was purchased first by Lancelot Fenwick in 1625 and then by John Douglas in 1680. Both men are descendants of notorious Border Reiver clans, wild riders who ruled and battled over our border region. In the 1700s, the Blackett Family took on the estate, moving into the manor of West Matfen in 1752.

1832 – 1836

In 1832, architect Thomas Rickman began work on Matfen Hall – built on the site of the manor of West Matfen for Sir Edward Blackett, 3rd Baronet. After a disagreement over architectural style, Sir Edward dismissed Rickman, taking on the designs himself. Finished in 1836, the impressive Jacobean-style mansion boasted a Gothic-style entrance and full-height Great Hall.

Matfen Hall was also home to a fireplace originally commissioned for Buckingham Palace. Naked forms in the design were deemed too risqué for royalty, so the fireplace was installed in the Drawing Room of Matfen Hall instead, where it remains today.

1965 – 1999

Remaining in the Blackett family, the magnificent hall was used as a residential nursing home on behalf of health and welfare charity, the Leonard Cheshire Foundation, from 1965 to 1994. And in 1999, Sir Hugh and Lady Blackett, opened the hall as a country house hotel for the first time – beginning a new journey for the historic building.

2020 – PRESENT DAY

In 2020, the estate was purchased by the Walwick Estate Group who began a programme of refurbishment, elevating and enhancing the guest experience whilst carefully preserving the history of the hall. Today, original features are thoughtfully illuminated alongside modern luxuries to create a 5-star experience for guests and a sustainable future for one of Northumberland’s historic assets.

WILD COUNTRY –
NORTHUMBERLAND’S BORDER REIVERS

Today, Northumberland is England’s least populated and most peaceful county – a tranquil landscape of open skies and rolling moorland. But centuries ago, it was a wild and lawless border land – ruled over by warring clans of Border Reivers.

Click below to journey through Northumberland’s wild history, discover the lawless legacy of warring clans and trace your own Border Reiver ancestry.

FIND OUT MORE

Discover the History of Ancient Northumbria

The Ancient Frontier - Walking Hadrian's Wall

Find Out More

Christianity At The Edge: Lindisfarne and St Cuthbert

Find Out More

The Golden Age Of Northumbria: Bede, Saints and Learning

Find Out More

Stay up to date

To be kept up to date with offers, events and news from the Matfen Hall Estate, sign up to our email newsletter below.

Sign up
Book a Room Book a Table
Book a Tee Book at The Retreat

Our website uses cookies to help personalise your experience. By clicking "Accept all", you consent to our use of cookies. You can choose to control which cookies we use at any time, by clicking "Manage Preferences". If you choose not to accept some cookies, please note you may experience more limited functionality on our website. To learn more, read our Cookie Policy.

Accept all Manage Preferences