The Raby Castle’s Deer Park has undergone a significant extension.  

Lord Barnard, in consultation with the deer management team and a renowned deer vet and deer park historian, have undertaken the works with a view to providing more deer-friendly habitats within the Park. We have incorporated an area to the south-west of the main park encompassing the corner of Bath Wood and a small proportion of previously arable fields to the west.

This latest extension incorporates areas of the historic deer park which was once much larger than the area we know today. Crucially this area includes a parcel of mature woodland (conifer and broadleaves), a water course with areas of low-lying wet ground and two areas of newly sown, deer specific grassland.

The main reasons for the extension are to create a sanctuary area for the deer. This offers multiple benefits:

• Provides an area where deer can be kept safe when large events are held in the park.
• Provides a sanctuary during calving time for the deer to go into and give birth without contending with the pressures of the busy park.
• Provides year-round protection from the weather – shade from the summer sun and protection from the harsh winter winds.
• Both the fallow and the red deer really do love this type of wood pasture habitat and the wet wooded areas.
• There is an added benefit in that any escaped deer can hopefully be pushed back into the park via the extension – they like running from woodland to woodland. They don’t like running from woodland through a small gate back into the park.

For the deer management team, the extension will bring  additional benefits including:

• Reducing stress on the herds.
• Increase calving percentages and the performance of the herds.
• Maintain body weights and condition of the deer particularly during prolonged harsh weather and the winter.
• Provide an enriched environment for the deer to have access to.
• Offer visitors a different perspective of the herd in a different environment. In time it is intended that the deer can be viewed in a more relaxed and settled atmosphere. Whilst the public won’t be allowed access into the sanctuary and wooded area, they may get a great glimpse from a distance – so bring your binoculars next time you visit!
• For visitors to the park who love to see and photograph the deer, don’t worry they will still come out into the park and will still be visible in the areas they are now. Having been hefted (a strong natural affliction to a particular area of ground) to the existing areas of the park for the last few hundred years, the herds will still favour being out grazing in the open.

A new exploratory trail has been introduced at a local natural landmark to encourage children to engage with nature and see the benefits of outdoor play.

Situated within the North Pennines National Landscapes and UNESCO Global Geopark, the new woodland experience forms part of the circular waterfall route at High Force Waterfall.

Created by talented wood carvers, a series of intricately carved and thoughtfully designed woodland sculptures have been placed along the walking route for families to discover. From a moon-gazing hare and an observant owl to a beautiful fox and a giant caterpillar, the majestic woodland creatures have made their homes in the magical woods close by to the waterfall.

Children can also climb onto a giant’s chair, discover a living bug hotel – which has been created by Raby’s estate ranger, Andy Gibson – and spot a selection of bird boxes in the trees.

Families can pick up a complimentary activity sheet upon arrival which encourages children to engage their senses on this magical woodland adventure – listening to the sounds all around them and witnessing the delights of nature in this landmark location.

Claire Jones, head of leisure and tourism at Raby Estates, said: “High Force Waterfall is a spectacular natural landmark with a fascinating history and incredible setting, and we’re incredibly proud of the new experience we’ve incorporated.

“We hope the new trail provides families with an engaging and immersive way to experience this area, encouraging them to think about the important wildlife habitats it supports, and providing them with fun ways to interact with this stunning landscape.”

High Force Waterfall is open daily 10am till 4pm, online discounted tickets are available or you can simply arrive on the day.

A small entrance fee of £2.50 for adults (16+) and £1 for children (5-15) is required to access High Force Waterfall. Under 5s are free. For details, visit: www.raby.co.uk/events/high-force-waterfall/

For this month’s Feature Friday with Historic Houses, we caught up with Interpretation and Engagement Assistant, Lauren to uncover some facts you might not have known about Raby’s Ponds.

Raby’s High and Low ponds have found their way into many a photograph of the castle and surrounding parkland. The 4^th Duchess of Cleveland enjoyed seeing the castle from the south ‘doubled in the blue water mirror below.’ They were constructed in the mid-18^th century, and formed during a programme of landscaping scheduled by Gilbert the 2^nd Baron Barnard. High Pond (also known as Great Pond) was constructed around 1743, and Low Pond around 1748.

But did you know?

Raby once had a Moat Pond

In 1748, the moat which once surrounded Raby Castle was enlarged to form a moat pond. This can be seen in the plan of Raby estimated to be from around 1740-1760. This shows both High Pond and an expanse of water which circles the castle. The moat was later filled in- it no longer appears in an 1812 George Dixon plan of Raby, and the 4^th Duchess writing in 1870 says of the moat: ‘the greater part of which is now filled up.’ When this occurred, the remaining body of water became Low Pond.

There used to be more ponds to the south-west

During landscaping works in the late 1700s, two ponds were created to the south of Raby’s Home Farm and Lady Wood was planted along the south boundary of the Park. A body of water can be seen below the farm in this 1818 Map of Raby. These ponds have since disappeared (they are no longer present on an 1860 OS map,) and have been replaced with marshy ground. In 1870 the 4^th Duchess refers to the ponds:

‘To the south of the Home Farm there is some very pretty ground, falling into deep hollows where Langley Beck crosses it:  these were sheets of water in the last century, as Lord Darlington here made a succession of ponds, which subsequently got out of repair, and I am sorry to say have been filled up.’
– 4^th Duchesses’ Handbook

There used to be a boat house on the ponds

Historic plans from 1897 up until the 1950s show a Boat House located on the northern banks of the High Pond. This shows how the ponds were used for leisure over the years by the family and visitors to Raby.

The ponds were very useful during wintertime

Arthur Galilee, who lived and worked on the Raby Estate throughout his life from 1923 onwards, spoke fondly of winter times by the ponds:

‘Never a year went by without at least two sessions of skating, hundreds used to congregate on the top pond, especially at weekends. John Robert Meynell, a farmworker from Home Farm was a marvellous skater and enthralled everyone doing the figure of eight.’

Ice gathered from the ponds would also be stored in an Icehouse in Bath Wood. Men were hired to remove and transport the ice to the specially made Icehouse, which would keep ice frozen until around June. This helped with food preservation and the production of iced treats when they became popular in the 18^th century.

 

 There were once major plans to re-design Raby and add lots of water features

In 1774, Thomas White proposed an ambitious scheme for the park involving canals, islands and lakes while Raby was being re-developed by Henry, the 2^nd Earl of Darlington. Most of the plans remained unexecuted, except for the previously mentioned ponds near Raby Home Farm.

Castle Photography – David Dodds

To find out more about Raby’s fascinating history, you might be interested in these other blogs:

The Great Kitchen

Coats of Arms

Discover Raby’s Chapel

For today’s Historic Houses’ Medieval Monday we caught up with Interpretation and Engagement Assistant, Lauren to gain an insight into one of Raby’s oldest and most popular features – the Great Kitchen. Still a fully functioning kitchen up until the 1950s, many of the medieval features seen today have been adapted and modernised throughout the years. Understand how the space would have originally been used for serving 14th century noble families, such as the Nevilles, with the help of quotes from the 4th Duchesses’ Handbook.

‘A right ancient and singular relic of the genuine baronial time.’

‘The most curious part of the whole Castle, for it has been scarcely altered from what it was when the great banquets of the feudal ages were served from it.’

-4^th Duchesses’ Handbook

 

Architecture

Built in the 1360s, as part of the development of the castle likely to have been carried out by Master Mason John Lewyn, the Great Kitchen is a grand room which fills the Kitchen Tower. It was probably originally a separate structure from the rest of the Castle, to prevent the risk of fire spreading and avoid any kitchen smells reaching the house.

A passage is cut in the thickness of the walls encircling the kitchen, which served two purposes. Defensively, it allowed men-at-arms to keep watch through the original arrow slits, which were later widened into the current windows. It also provided access to the Barons’ Hall for serving food.

The high, arched ceiling and ventilation shaft in the centre of the roof allowed for smoke and heat to escape, while encouraging the circulation of cool air. A similar, more ornate ceiling in the Prior’s Kitchen at Durham Cathedral was also likely to be the work of John Lewyn.

 ‘An ox might easily be roasted whole at one of these vast furnaces, and I have no doubt many have been so roasted in the old days, when spits mighty enough for the purpose could be put into requisition.’

Use

Cooking was originally done on four open fires, with meat roasted on spits turned by small boys or dogs on tread wheels. Great kitchens in medieval households were principally staffed by men, due to the strength needed for larger-scale catering. The most junior servant in a medieval kitchen was the scullion. They washed cooking utensils and dishes, and cleaned and swept the service rooms and courtyards. In the later centuries, these jobs belonged to a scullery maid. Numbers of women servants began to grow from the fifteenth century, but whilst by the sixteenth century female servants were more common, this was not in positions of major responsibility.

During the Middle Ages, sides of meat were hung from the beams that run along the corners of the room, which protected them from vermin and helped with preservation, as they became lightly smoked hanging above the fires. Kitchen staff had access to many basic variations of cooking utensils available today, such as frying pans, pots and kettles. Other tools more specific to cooking over an open fire were the spits of various sizes and material to skewer different types of meat. There were also cranes with adjustable hooks, so cooks could move pots away from the open flame and prevent burning.

‘Having little or no communication with the neighbouring town, the lord and his vassals were forced to provide and keep in store for themselves the necessaries of life.’

Auxiliary Rooms

A medieval kitchen would be connected to several other service rooms needed for storing and producing food. This includes a larder for preserving food, a cellar for wine, and a variety of store-rooms. A buttery (originating from the same word as ‘bottle’) was a store for beer and wine, and a pantry (from the work ‘pain’ which is French for bread) was to keep bread and perishables. A butler would oversee the buttery, whose role in the medieval times was to see that cups were clean, people’s drinks were topped up and the table was laid.

Developments in technology throughout the centuries altered the roles of those working in kitchens, enhanced food preservation capabilities and increased cooking speed. In the 19^th century, one of the fires was replaced by a cast iron range which used heat convection to turn the spit: a spinning fan in the chimney drove a ratchet, which turned a spindle, which kept the spit rotating. In the 20^th century, a more modern stove-top range was installed, but the outline of the original medieval fireplace is still visible behind it.

‘It is, in fact, those old towers, those old courts, the great baronial hall, and the kitchen, that are the objects of real interest at Raby; remnants of its antiquity, the contemporaries of those who stamped them with the feeling of belonging to them and to their fortunes.’

Raby Castle’s latest exciting attraction, The Plotters’ Forest, is the perfect place to reap the many benefits of playing in nature for children.

Claire Jones, Head of Leisure and Tourism at Raby Estates, said:

“In the modern world, ‘immersive play experiences within nature can be hard to find – we’ve all heard the depressing statistics about children spending less time outdoors. But the benefits of outdoor play are so well-documented that we committed to this approach early on. It just seemed to fit perfectly with everything we believe here at Raby.”

So what exactly are the major benefits of playing outdoors? Read on to find out.

Outdoor play encourages a range of physical, mental and wellbeing benefits

Not only is outdoor play beneficial for children’s activity levels and physical health, it can also improve their mental focus. Countless studies have pointed out the connection between children’s exercise levels and their concentration span: one possible reason for the growing interest in Forest School approaches, particularly in Early Years settings.

And there are plenty of other physical, mental and wellbeing benefits to outdoor play, including helping children get their daily dose of vitamin D – vital for healthy bones – to maintaining a healthy sleep cycle – essential for growing bodies and brains.

There’s also the fact that playing in the sunshine has been found to increase serotonin levels, boosting energy and encouraging positive moods, while simultaneously reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol. One recent British study reported that children’s stress and anxiety could be reduced after just five minutes of playing outdoors!

Outdoor play engages the senses

Sensory play has long been recognised as the gold standard in the world of children’s development. It helps build nerve connections in the brain, encourages mastery of gross and fine motor skills, helps with language and cognitive development and can even support children in controlling their emotions.

Outdoor play tends to be a far more varied yet gentle sensory experience compared to indoor equivalents. In The Plotters’ Forest, children can smell and touch the pine trees, hear bird calls and buzzing insects and enjoy the rich and varied colours of the natural world. Getting close to tantrum territory? We recommend getting outside for some natural stimulation, and enjoying some sunlight on skin, a gentle breeze or collecting leaves to compare scents and textures.

Outdoor play encourages creativity and imagination

In The Plotters’ Forest, there’s plenty of fun equipment which youngsters can use to create mayhem and mischief: giant musical instruments, spinning signposts, Plotters’ Portraits, Talking Tubes and more. However, there’s also lots of open space designed to foster more inventive, creative play – tunnels, towers, stargazing decks – where little ones can let their imaginations run wild.

Claire Jones explained the decision-making process:

“After lots of research and discussion, we decided that the best kind of outdoor play strikes a fine balance between structured and unstructured activity.”

“We wanted to give children the best of both worlds: a stimulating environment, with plenty of freedom for wilder play. We thought back to our own childhoods, and felt the days we’d spent making up our own games and rules were amongst the best play experiences we’d had! We wanted to make sure our young visitors could feel something of that freedom, too.”

And beyond simply having fun, creative play is also another great way to help build neurological connections, develop language and more vital skills.

Outdoor play helps children engage with nature

The Plotters’ Forest was designed with the natural environment at its heart. Built as sustainably as possible, visitors will discover natural materials sourced from Raby’s sustainably managed woodland.

And instead of the plastic and garish colours found in many playgrounds, Raby Rebels will find natural shades of green and red inspired by nature’s palette.

Claire Jones added:

“We decided to weave  the play equipment through the existing trees and around natural clearings because we wanted to respect the forest and the wildlife it sustains.”

“We hope that The Plotters’ Forest will provoke thoughts and questions about the woodland environment and the life it supports, and foster the kind of curiosity about the world we love to see in young people.”

The Plotters’ Forest will also be available for exclusive hire, giving teachers, parents and other youth groups the opportunity to deepen youngsters’ connection with the great outdoors. Private visits can be tailored to particular interests or a curriculum focus – for example, minibeasts or the seasons – in an inspiring and engaging manner.

Claire added:

“Of course, play is our primary focus – we want children of all ages to enjoy our plotters’ paradise. But we also recognise that there’s also a valuable opportunity to use play as a gateway to a more profound appreciation and understanding of the world, our wildlife and woodland ecosystems.”

Tickets for The Plotters Forest are now available. To find out more and to book tickets please visit here. For private hire enquiries, contact admin@raby.co.uk

We need your help!

Every day we discover new fascinating stories about the family at Raby, as we establish our archives and collections. We want to invite visitors to share their stories and memories with us, to help us uncover more about the hard-working individuals who kept the castle and estate running. From those who kept Raby clean and the guests fed, to those who kept the gardens maintained and cared for the horses in the stables. We want to build an insight into how local, working people interacted with the castle and its family throughout its history.

If you’ve got a story to share, please get in touch and email admin@raby.co.uk

 

What are we looking for?

We are looking for anyone who might have stories about people who have worked at Raby Castle over time. Is there a relative, or someone you know, who worked at the castle? Were they a gardener, a tenant, a housekeeper or a scullery maid perhaps?

We are interested if you have been told about what they experienced day-to-day, or if you have any interesting stories about their time at the castle. Better still, if you have any pictures or mementos from their time here, such as diaries, letters, or other primary source material, this will help us to learn about their experiences first-hand.

How will my story be used?

We are hoping to increase our understanding and create an ever-growing catalogue of people who worked here throughout the years. We also aim to use some of these stories for an upcoming exhibit as part of The Rising developments, which will offer more detail about the workers at Raby Castle.

 

Why are you doing this project?

We want to tell the story of all the different kinds of people associated with Raby, helping us to offer new interpretations of the castle’s history. We have some basic archival sources available, such as wage slips from the late 18 and early 1900s. These tell us names and roles, but nothing about the people or their lives.

How can I help?

If you have any information you think might be of interest, please contact admin@raby.co.uk with brief details about you and your person of interest. You don’t need to have full story, any information about your person and their role will help us add to our existing knowledge, and help to remember everyone’s contribution to Raby.

We aim to respond to everyone throughout the summer and keep you informed as to how and when we will use your stories.

We understand that by providing any information, you are consenting for us to use it in future interpretation and projects, including The Rising. Please let us know if that is not the case.

 

We’re looking forward to hearing more stories such as Lucy Beattie’s, who was the Gatekeeper in the 1900s and a much-loved member of the Raby family.

Read Lucy’s Story