Meldon Park is a privately owned country mansion situated at Meldon, Northumberland. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
Present building
editIn 1832, Isaac Cookson commissioned architect John Dobson to replace the old manor, which stood on the banks of the River Wansbeck, with a new mansion, which was completed in 1835.[1] During the 20th century, extensive internal improvements and embellishments were carried out by Edwin Lutyens.[1]
Historical ownership
editThe Manor of Meldon was anciently held by the Fenwick family from whom it passed by marriage to the Radclyffes.[2] James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater lost the estate to the Crown following his attainder for treason in the 1715 Jacobite rising.[2] The house was put on the market for sale in 2022.[3]
Cookson family
editThe Crown granted the estate to the Greenwich Hospital, by whom it was sold in 1832 for £55,000 to Isaac Cookson, a wealthy Newcastle upon Tyne merchant.[2] Cookson was Mayor of Newcastle in 1809 and High Sheriff of Northumberland in 1838. In 1881, the Cookson family lived in some style with eighteen servants.[4] The house and grounds were sold in Dec 2022. Meldon Park offers holiday accommodation (known as Meldon Cottage) which is available to book.[5]
Resources
editThe Cookson Family Papers are archived at Durham University Library Archives.[6]
References
edit
- ^ a b c Keys to the Past[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c History, Topography and Directory of Northumberland William Whellan (1855)
- ^ [1] Country Life
- ^ 1881 Census
- ^ "Meldon Cottage in Morpeth, Northumberland - Houses for Rent in Morpeth, Northumberland, United Kingdom". Airbnb. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
- ^ "Catalogue of the Cookson Family Papers".
- Country House Rescue; Channel 4; 12 July 2012