27th November 2021

Following the storm, many parts of the Raby Estate in County Durham are still without power or connectivity.

Our team have been working tirelessly to assess the damage and to prioritise the reinstatement of water supplies, along with identifying vulnerable people within our community.

We will liaise closely with Northern PowerGrid and post any updates we receive.

Please note The High Force Hotel & Waterfall are now back open as normal.

Thank you for your cooperation.

2nd December 2021

The power supply has thankfully been restored at High Force Hotel. We are delighted to be able to offer a warm space for the local community and visitors during this challenging time.

Our fires will be lit offering a toasty space, a limited food offer, (until we can fill our fridges again!) and free WIFI. For any local residents who are still without power, we have a guest room available for you to take a hot shower. Please just bring towels and toiletries and ask our friendly staff at the bar who will be happy to help.

Thank you for your cooperation whilst we’ve been closed. We wish everyone well and hope that our usual service will resume next week.

Considering the hotel was working hard to manage after a big storm which had taken out all power we were given the warmest of welcomes. A roaring fire was the perfect tonic to the nippy weather and the homemade soup was delicious. Next time we would like to stay as a hotel guest. A lovely place with a big heart. – Jill Clarke

This Christmas our mince pies are inspired by a recipe that has been enjoyed at Raby Castle for almost 250 years.

Hidden in the Raby Castle archives, a handwritten ‘receipt’ book, dating back to the late 18th century, features a recipe for Lady Hewitt’s Mince Pies. Although we have yet to discover Lady Hewitt’s connection to Raby, her recipe was clearly a favourite that was passed on to the Countess of Darlington, who like many modern foodies, carefully copied the recipe into her own notebook for posterity. Lady Hewitt’s mince pies feature all of the traditional ingredients of a good mince pie: from mixed peel to currants, apples and of course a hearty slug of brandy!

Our Raby Castle Christmas Mince Pies will be on sale throughout December at the Stables Cafe and Refreshment Kiosk.

Here’s the recipe for you to try at home.

Raby Castle Christmas Mince Pies

Preparation time: Less than 30 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Serves: Makes 12 deep mince pies

Ingredients

For the pastry
375g Plain Flour
250g Butter, Softened
125g Caster Sugar, Plus 20g for dusting
1 Medium Free-Range Egg

For the filling
170g Bramley Apple, Peel, core and finely dice
1 Large orange (use zest and juice)
1 Lemon unwaxed, Cut rind with no pith, juice Half
100g Caster Sugar
120g Vegetable Suet
Pinch Sea Salt
225g Currants
75ml Brandy

You will need a deep muffin mould with 12 holes, a large round pastry cutter, and a medium pastry
cutter.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. To make the sweet pastry, rub the flour, butter, sugar and egg together with a splash of cold water until it just comes together as a dough. Do not over work the dough. Wrap the pastry in cling film and set aside to chill in the fridge while you make the filling.
3. To make the filling,  boil the lemon rind in water until soft. Discard the water and fine chop the lemon rind.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients, allow to soak for 30 min, or overnight if possible to let the flavours develop. The mincemeat filling will last for up to 2 weeks in sealed jar.
5. Roll out the pastry to a 3mm/1/8in thickness. With the large round pastry cutter, cut out 6 x 9cm/3½in discs of pastry. Press the pastry into the muffin cups and fill each one with a good helping of the mincemeat mixture, so that it reaches three-quarters of the way up the side of the pastry-lined cup.
6. With the medium pastry cutter, cut out 6 x 8cm/3¼ in pastry circles for the lids (slightly bigger than the top of the muffin cups). Place a lid on top of each pie and gently push down. Brush with cold water and sprinkle with caster sugar.
7. Bake for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
8. Lightly dust with sugar.

Download our Raby Castle Christmas Mince Pies Recipe

As the nights draw in and the autumn colours begin to give way to winter, thoughts turn towards Christmas and for the forestry team, Christmas trees.

The tradition of bringing a tree into the home for the festive period started in 16th Century Germany, however in Britain it became fashionable in the mid 1840s when Queen Victoria & Prince Albert were pictured with their children around a decorated Christmas tree. Decorations may have moved on from candles and treats to the glass baubles and fairy lights of today, but for many of us Christmas is not the same without a real tree.

Here at Raby, we grow 5 species of Christmas tree.

In recent years Nordman fir has become the most popular choice with its dense green foliage and excellent needle retention. Fraser fir offers a more compact tree where space in the home is more limited but still with great needle holding ability. Norway spruce, seen by many as a traditional Christmas tree, offers a cost-effective option with trees sheared to give a well-shaped, bushy appearance and the smell many of us associate with a good, fresh tree. We also grow a small number of noble fir and blue spruce, both of which offer something a little different, with a blue-green tinge to the foliage.

Whilst the Christmas tree harvesting will get underway in late November, as we present trees for the Christmas Shop and to decorate Raby Castle and the gardens trail, the work to grow these trees began several years ago.

It can take 8-12 years to grow a good quality tree during which time regular weeding, pruning and shearing is required.

The trees are typically 20-40cm in height when planted and can be 4-14 feet in height when cut, offering a significant choice for our customers, to find a tree that will fit in most homes or gardens. Having a wide range of trees for people to select adds to the overall Christmas experience and it is great to see so many customers return year on year to choose their tree, often making it a day out with family and friends.

This year we are offering a recycling service in 2nd – 9th January, by which trees purchased from the Estate can be returned for chipping to be used on the paths or as a mulch. Whilst we are looking forward to the buzz of the Christmas period, we are also thinking ahead to the new year when we will begin to prepare the plantations and plant new stock to start the cycle once again.

Geoff Turnbull
Head Forester

The Raby Forestry Team

Brian Teasdale, Kevin Todd, Peter Archer and Trevor Slack

Forestry Team with Head Forester, Geoff Turnbull

An important building of huge historical interest to the area has this week been launched onto the rental market. Restoration work to the structure and exterior is currently taking place which will remove the Hall from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register.

Grade one listed Gainford Hall, a Jacobean manor which sits on the Raby Estate, is part of a key redevelopment plan, The Rising, that will breathe new life into several historic buildings, including several heritage structures within the grounds of Raby Castle itself.

In a move that sees a renaissance of the iconic local gem for residential use, national agents Savills have been retained to market the home, which has the potential to include eight bedrooms, two large reception rooms, kitchen, pantry, attic, and basement space.

Gainford Hall was built in the early 17^th Century for John Cradock, Vicar of Gainford and retains many of its original features, including a full height porch, split-level interior, original fireplaces, central chimney stacks and plasterwork.

Raby Estate’s CEO, Duncan Peake, said: “Our plans for Gainford Hall represent a number of significant improvements across the Estate which will help to stimulate economic regeneration and new employment throughout the local area.

“The hall hasn’t been touched for well over 100 years, so the current project will play an important part in its history.

“There is huge scope for the right tenant to take Gainford Hall and work with us to create a bespoke space that is tailored to their needs. Key renovations to the hall are well underway but we have kept the internal space flexible, in order for the new tenant to make their own mark.”

Working with historical buildings architects Donald Insall, renovation work is due to be completed by the end of this year and includes extensive restoration of external features such as the lead windows and repairs to the stonework, as well as several outbuildings which served the hall in the 18^th and 19^th centuries and are now being repurposed for modern day use.

These buildings, together with an area of land adjacent to the site could also be available to interested tenants.

Duncan continues: “Gainford Hall presents a unique opportunity to live within a piece of local history, but also to redefine the building for the modern age. There is so much scope for this site – I am very excited to work with its eventual tenant to realise its full potential.”

Gainford Hall is being marketed by Savills York and director Matthew Watson, said: “The Raby Estate is currently undergoing a renaissance, so this presents a unique opportunity for the future long-term tenant to work alongside the estate to create a bespoke home, to fulfil their needs.

As part of the estate’s renovation work, there will also be scope for a multitude of businesses to be located on the site which we anticipate will generate wide-ranging interest amongst those looking to redress their work-life balance.”

For further details, https://search.savills.com/property-detail/uk006537841

Work has started on a significant development at Raby Castle, that promises to attract new visitors to the area and create outstanding recreation for the local community.

Known as The Rising, the work will include the significant restoration and rejuvenation of several historical buildings on the estate, the creation of a new café and events space as well as a bespoke children’s adventure playground, which will be in the first phase of the two-year construction programme.

Lord and Lady Barnard welcomed local stakeholders and special guests eight-year-old Ryan Chidzey from Gainford CE Primary and Preschool and eight-year-old Charlotte Hawke from the Federation of Abbey Schools in Darlington, who are the joint winners of a competition to find young local heroes to break the ground and open the site to construction workers.

Ryan, nominated by his headteacher Chris Riley, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a rare condition that causes chronic fatigue in his muscles. Following a local fundraising campaign spearheaded by Ryan’s parents, £50,000 has been raised for the research breakthrough fund, to try to find a cure for the condition. Ryan has spent a lot of time in hospital over the past year but as his headteacher says, always has a smile on his face.

Charlotte was nominated by her mother Sarah Hawke, for her kindness and thoughtfulness to her community during lockdown, particularly her grandad Edward (84), who until lockdown, she spent time with every day. Teaching him how to FaceTime by donating an old iPhone to him, Sarah says, turned out to be a lifeline for both of them.

Speaking at the breaking ground ceremony this morning, Lord Barnard said: “Today marks the start of the construction phase of this ambitious project, which will deliver wonderful spaces for families to enjoy and to further establish Raby Castle as a must-see visitor destination.

“I am thrilled to be joined today by our deserving local heroes Ryan and Charlotte, both of whom are inspirational young people, and who will be invited to keep a close eye on the building work as it progresses. They will be invited back to test our new children’s adventure playground, before it opens to the public next spring.

“We have spent the last four years planning the development, which promises to put Raby Castle on the map for visitors to the area, as well as providing a beautiful place for the local community to enjoy, all year round.”

The playground has been exclusively designed for Raby by CAP.Co – a specialist company which designs and builds innovative play spaces and has worked on high profile installations across the globe.

The bespoke and inclusive playground features a fully accessible boardwalk through Raby’s Christmas Tree Plantation, opening up a previously inaccessible part of the grounds, as well as three-storey play towers, high-level walkways, tunnels and climbing walls, along with a number of ground-level play trails and slides.

The new attraction also has a purpose-built area for toddlers, with mini turrets and lookout decks – conveniently located next to the brand-new split-level café area.

Construction to the playground has also been carefully designed to cause minimal disruption to the natural surroundings of the Christmas Tree plantation, in order to preserve habitats and ensure no trees are damaged.

CAP.Co’s site manager, Chris Moore, attended the event and said: “Designed in collaboration with the wider team at Raby, the adventure play area has been in development for more than two years. This carefully considered, bespoke new addition to the Raby Castle offering has been inspired by architectural elements within the castle such as The Neville Gateway, but also the many stories associated with the estate, particularly the great story of the Rising of The North.

“Nestled in a stunning woodland within the grounds of Raby Castle, this new adventure play area will be an exciting mix of challenge, discovery and intrigue for all its visitors, both the young and the young at heart.

“The design also ensures that visitors can sample the stunning views of the castle and grounds from the upper seating deck, while adventurers of all ages wind their way through the wonderful world of woodland play at Raby.”

Chairman of Visit County Durham Ltd, Ivor Stolliday commented: “We are thrilled to see work start on The Rising development, which will undoubtedly play a significant role in the county delivering a visitor experience that matches or exceeds the best offered by England’s premier county-based destinations.

“With work getting underway during Durham’s bid to become the UK City of Culture 2025, it further illustrates the incredible cultural experiences that residents and visitors alike can enjoy across the county.”

The new adventure playground’s build schedule is expected to last five months, with doors opening at Easter 2022.