Brancepeth Village, Castle & Church - County Durham

Brancepeth Village is situated five miles west of Durham City and it was probably founded during the Roman occupation of Britain. Cropping up around the Roman road that once ran through the village, an fortified house & church would create the foundations of the current village.

Brancepeth Castle was once the residence of the 'Great Barons of Durham, The Neville family', who at that time were also the owners of Raby Castle, near Staindrop. The Nevilles were of Norman origin & they married into a Saxon family of Brancepeth, 'The Bulmers'.

In 1817 Willam Russell of Newbottle' a coal owner, one of the richest and most powerful men in the North of England, creates much of the romantic folly that we see today.

St. Brandon's Church is of Anglo Saxon origin and the Nave is probably 8th century.


Brancepeth Castle Timeline.


1215 Henry Neville present at the signing of 'The Magna Carta'.

1498 John Elys of Brancepeth volunteered to fight in 'The Crusades'.

1513 Sir William Bulmer of Brancepeth 'The Defender of The North' fought at the Battle of Flodden.

1569 The family participated in 'The Rising of The North', a plot to oust Queen Elizabeth I.

1635 '1400 Oak trees from Brancepeth West Wood' were transported to Woolwich to help build ships for the British Navy.

1817 'William Russell of Newbottle' purchase's the castle and spends £250,000 on restoration.

1914 - 1918 Brancepeth Castle became a war hospital.

1918 - 1962 The Castle became the 'The Durham Light Infantry Regimental Head Quarters' with an army camp being built to the west of the castle towards Willington.

1965 Brancepeth Castle sold to 'Pyrex' and used for research & development.

1978 Margaret Dobson & her late husband purchase Brancepeth Castle, despite rumours of interest from the actor Telly Savalas 'Kojak' & Oil Sheikhs.

2011 The 240 room Brancepeth Castle is a private residence and now provides accommodation to students, small businesses, antique & craft fairs and concerts.

Mrs Dobson's love affair with Brancepeth Castle continues to this day, through a gradual restoration program, it has been a real labour of love, perhaps a genuine case of 'Who loves ya, baby".

"I can research and write also, give the man a lollipop!"


Music by Kevin MacLeod -- Under Creative Commons License.

www.incompetech.com

Track 1. 'Earnest'
Genre: Contempary

Track 2. 'Wizardtorium'
Genre: Soundtrack

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[jagafoto]

Great video!

[DurhamTelly]

@jagafoto Thankys for the positive comment.!

[MrJinarang]

Wow! very beautiful senery.

Thank you for your efforts.

[DurhamTelly]

@MrJinarang No problem, Brancepeth is on my door step & generally over looked by everyone, even in this area, due to the castles of Durham & Raby etc.

[missgreasedlightning]

Oh I look always forward to your uploads Al, and I am never disappointed. Beautiful video. Thanks. 

[DurhamTelly]

@missgreasedlightning Always appreciated Jules...

[DurhamTelly]

@noushitaisa Pagebank was cleared in 1968? the post office which was on the flood plain, remained open until perhaps1990? virtually all alone, except for a few homes further up the bank & The Shafto Arms on the opposite side of the river near the bridge. The football field is still there, although over grown, most inhabitants were rehoused in Spennymoor. I did have a cine film from that time of the fire brigade evacuating the village and other footage of the area but it is lost. at the mo ?

[noushitaisa]

Nice video, very slick. You mentioned Pagebank, isn't that the village that had to give up due to constant flooding from the Wear?

[DurhamTelly]

@ged8802 Thanks Ged!

[ged8802]

Nice little video.