Raby

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.

Staff in Coal Yard

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.

Jack Armstrong, Head Gardener 1950s onwards (award for growing sweet peas at Raby Castle)

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

Raby Cricket Club 1951- Arthur Galilee and his father Jack Galilee (pictured). Both worked at Raby where Jack was a Groom.

Our new highly anticipated adventure playground, The Plotters’ Forest, opened to the public on Friday 15th April 2022, in time for the Easter weekend.

Towering amongst the trees in our Christmas tree plantation, the playground offers an exciting mix of challenge, discovery and intrigue for local visitors, including the young and the young at heart.

Inspired by our past and the part the castle played in The Rising of the North in 1569, the playground will hopefully bring out some modern day ‘Raby Rebels’ as visitors take in the panoramic views of the parkland, experience sky-high turrets and treetop tunnels in the Plotters’ Spire, before slipping down the slides and interacting with the ground-level games that surround the structure.

The playground has also been designed with inspiration from some of Raby Castle’s architectural history, including the famous Neville Gateway.

For the plotters requiring a pitstop, the new catering kiosk, The Plotters’ Pantry, serves takeaway hot and cold drinks, freshly made sandwiches, snacks, cake and ice cream and conveniently overlooks the toddlers’ play area, which includes mini turrets, climbing equipment and chalkboards.

Speaking of the motivation behind the project, Raby Estate’s owners, Lord and Lady Barnard, said:

“Creating The Plotters’ Forest has been a dream of ours for years and is inspired by our own experiences as a family, when our own children were young.

“We’ve taken special care to ensure the playground blends into the forested area where it’s located, by using complementary textures, colours and sustainable materials. We believe that building a relationship with the outdoors inspires children to be resilient, curious and courageous – all qualities found in Raby Castle’s plotters of the past.”

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

“The opening of The Plotters’ Forest is a huge step for Raby Castle, marking a new chapter in the much-loved attraction’s history. It is also the first important milestone in The Rising development, which will attract new visitors to the area and create outstanding recreation for the local community.”

The Rising project will include the significant restoration and renovation of several historical buildings on the estate, the creation of a new café and events space, as well as a new visitor hub and landscaped areas. The wider site will launch in Summer 2023.

“With visitors able to purchase tickets that include The Plotters’ Forest, the deer park and castle, we hope it’s a well-rounded offering with something for all family members to enjoy” Claire continues.

 

The wooden boardwalk through the playground is accessible by wheelchair and pushchair, creating a fun and inclusive space for all of our visitors.

For further information, please visit our Play Page.

We are delighted to hear that our application to the Castle Studies Trust has been successful, for funding to support the creation of a digital model of our 14th century Neville stronghold, Raby Castle. The actual survey to create the model will not take place until May, but preparation is well underway including extensive documentary research by volunteers. Our Castle Curator, Julie Biddlecombe-Brown, who will oversee the project during 2022, reflects here on what the project will entail and what we hope to achieve.

Raby Castle is one of the most impressive intact castles in the North of England. Built in the 14th century by the powerful Neville family, it has a fascinating history. The castle was seized by the Crown in 1569 after the failed ‘Rising of the North’. In 1626 the castle was purchased by courtier Henry Vane the Elder and has remained in the family ever since. Over the last 300 years, successive generations have altered, updated and modernised parts of the building and although from the exterior, the 14th-century core is still evident, internal reworkings of the spaces mean that it is sometimes difficult to imagine and interpret the castle’s medieval past.

In 2016, the castle was inherited by Harry Vane, Twelfth Baron Barnard. Under his stewardship, ambitious development plans were passed to enhance the visitor journey at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens. The dynamic scheme known as The Rising will restore and preserve historic buildings which have been without purpose for decades, providing contemporary event and exhibition spaces, retail and dining experiences and a visitor’s hub.  The transformation of our visitor offer at the castle, park and gardens includes improved interpretation of the castle building. An important part of this for the Raby team is increasing our understanding of how the castle functioned during its medieval heyday. In 1378 Bishop Hatfield granted John Neville a licence to crenellate, reflecting a building that was changing from a fortified manor house to the castle we see today. Less than 50 years later, John’s son Ralph arranged the betrothal of his daughter Cecily to his young ward, Richard Duke of York; a marriage that would play a central role in the Wars of the Roses and ultimately in shaping British history.

View from the inner-courtyard, showing The Keep and Clifford’s Tower ©Daniel Casson

With no significant collections in the castle to reflect this period, Raby’s greatest medieval asset is the castle itself. Alterations over the past 400 years have reshaped the building, modernising it for residents as tastes and technologies changed. Whilst it is still medieval in appearance, key features of the 14th century building have been lost. In order to explore how the castle may have looked before these alterations, the Castle Studies Trust’s 2022 project will create a digital model of the castle that allows visitors to view the castle’s past appearance based on their ongoing research.

The creation of the digital model will be carried out by Durham University’s Archaeological Services, using a DJI S900 drone or equivalent. Photographs will be taken utilising a 14mm lens and 36 megapixel sensor, supported by RTK GNSS positioning. The data captured will then be uploaded and processed through Agisoft Metashape Professional and output as a 3D model utilising AutoCad Map 3D and giving the team the opportunity to ‘strip back’ known later additions and ‘rebuild’ known, lost features, such as the Barbican. The resulting model will be used in new interpretation at the castle, sharing these findings with our visitors.

View through the Neville Gateway to the inner-courtyard and door to the Entrance Hall © Daniel Casson

Instrumental to the success of this project will be a team of our dedicated Raby volunteers. A group of our regular volunteers formed a research group to work with Curator, Julie to pull together all known sources for the castle’s architectural changes to support this project. They have researched documentary sources including primary and secondary accounts, topographical pictures, maps and plans and, in advance of the project, will be surveying the castle walls. Their findings will be brought together in a portfolio of evidence which can then be reviewed by specialists from Durham University Archaeological Services who will be carrying out further research and eventually creating the model itself.

There has never been a full archaeological survey of Raby Castle and opportunities for research have been limited in the past. This project reflects the ambitions and vision of Lord and Lady Barnard, the castle’s owners who firmly believe that it is by understanding and sharing the castle’s past that we will secure its future. This project is part of that important story.


To find out more about the Castle Studies Trust please visit their website.

To complete our March celebrations of inspirational women, we’d like to share with you a recent blog by We Are The City who spoke to Claire Jones about her fascinating career, constructions projects and leading role at Raby.

With a background rooted in the luxury leisure and tourism industry, Claire Jones has overseen the project management of many ambitious construction and renovation projects in Northern England, from concept and design, to build.  

With an eye for detail, yet consistently focussed on the wider vision of delivering a first-class customer experience for the attractions she works with, Claire works closely with business owners to overhaul their offering, increase revenue streams and achieve long-term commercial success for future generations.   

Claire is Head of Leisure and Tourism for Raby Estates and is currently Project Director for the ambitious new development at Raby Castle, known as The Rising.

We explore a little more about Claire’s previous experience and why The Rising is such a fantastic opportunity.

How did you become involved in development projects?

Even as a child I always had a project on the go, and nothing has changed in later life. My first house was a renovation project and when I started my career, I looked for a role that would provide all of the excitement and buzz that comes with a big project.

My first job was with a very progressive leisure and hospitality company, who at the time were introducing café bars (quite a new concept in the late nineties!) to the North West. They looked for interesting historic buildings, which would give their venues an edge, often breathing life into old banks and other landmark properties. I was involved in everything from the acquisition of buildings, through to design, construction and finally overseeing the operation of the business. We spent lots of time on research trips to London and further afield, to understand new trends and how we might introduce these to the North West.

How did your career progress?

From here I moved into the luxury hotel sector where I was able to mix my operational management skills with design and development work. I was again incredibly fortunate to work for entrepreneurial owners, keen to think outside the box, developing their properties to meet the needs of emerging markets, which included outdoor wedding venues, holiday cottages and spa retreats. In these roles, my experience operating leisure and tourism businesses was able to influence the design, working with architects and construction teams to ensure the venues we created would run efficiently, as well as look beautiful.

From here I branched out into country estate work, helping owners diversify their portfolio of land and property to include hospitality and leisure businesses. I also worked freelance, advising owners with limited sector knowledge, on how to design their buildings to become five-star hospitality venues.

Recent projects included the restoration of a beautiful manor house in West Yorkshire, derelict for many years, which the owners have successfully brought back to life as one of the most elegant and luxury hotels in the North. My last project before joining Raby was the development of a beautiful spa, swimming pool, gym and restaurant, to complement the existing hotel and grounds within a country estate.

What are the keys to success with new developments?

I think developers often focus on the specific design of a building but fail to look beyond the bricks and mortar, to the wider experience of guests arriving at a venue. Customers and guests need to feel that the design flows from the moment they turn into the grounds or estate; the arrival experience and surrounding landscape is just as important to the design process as the new building.

I think the other key factor is to listen to the experts who will be running the future business. Staff within a company usually have much more insight into how the building design might actually work in practice (or not) than the designers, therefore it is really important to get everyone involved at an early stage. It’s amazing how many times designers forget to add in a simple yet essential item such as a staff room or cleaning cupboard!


Why is The Rising such an exciting proposition?

Raby is one of those “once in a lifetime” projects. The opportunity here is mind-blowing. It truly is a blank canvas and I know what we are going to create will be exceptional.

My second interview with Lord and Lady Barnard was standing in a very overgrown, untouched part of the estate next to the Dutch Barn, a hidden heritage gem and them asking me “what would you do?”. What an opportunity! I knew I wanted the job there and then.

Lord and Lady Barnard have the perfect balance of being respectful of the history and heritage at Raby but progressive enough to see how sharing it with others in a new, innovative way, will preserve these buildings for the enjoyment of future generations.

What is the best part of your job?

Working within this fantastic setting with such a wonderful team who are thoroughly excited about our plans, is a delight.

Developments are hard work and stressful at times, but I get a real adrenalin rush from the tough deadlines and coordinating so many elements to come together all at once. I also think that working for independent businesses means you have the added joy of making the personal aspirations of a family or individual come together. It really is a case of delivering someone’s dreams, and there is a huge sense of satisfaction when you achieve this.


Read full blog on We Are The City
WeAreTheCity is a leading website based in the UK that aims to empower women by sharing professional advice, events and female support networks.

County Durham is now a step closer to being named UK City of Culture 2025 and securing the colossal social and economic benefits this would bring.

On Friday 18th March, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced the county was one of just four locations from across the UK to be shortlisted for the prestigious title out of the 20 places that originally applied.

The impact of securing UK City of Culture 2025 cannot be overestimated. As well as creating thousands of jobs and boosting the county’s creative and visitor economies by millions of pounds, it would empower residents and help to improve community wellbeing.

And these benefits would spread beyond County Durham to the wider region, with the title supporting levelling up aspirations by acting as a catalyst for further government and private sector investment across the North East.

Following the announcement, Durham County Council, Durham University and Culture Durham – the partners spearheading the Durham 2025 campaign – expressed their thanks to the thousands of individuals, businesses and organisations that have not only backed the campaign, but helped to shape the bid itself.

They also issued a rallying cry to the entire region, urging people to continue to support the campaign as it moves into the crucial final stage.

Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council, said:

“We are absolutely thrilled County Durham has been shortlisted for UK City of Culture 2025. Our success at making it this far is of course testament to our county’s incredible heritage, landscapes and vibrant cultural offer. However, I think it is our ambition, and our tradition of coming together to achieve something incredible, that really set us apart.

“Securing this title would place our extraordinary people and places at the heart of an unforgettable and inclusive programme of events and activities. It would attract more visitors, boost our economy and strengthen our reputation nationally and internationally as a place to live, work, visit and invest – all of which are crucial for levelling up.

“County Durham’s bid recognises all of this, and we are proud it incorporates the ideas and ambitions of hundreds of residents, creative practitioners and cultural organisations. It is thanks to them that we have made it this far and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has backed the Durham 2025 campaign. Together, we can bring this title home to County Durham.”

The council submitted the bid, with principal partner Durham University, last month, on behalf of Culture Durham, a partnership of more than 20 cultural organisations from across the county including Durham Cathedral, Beamish and Locomotion. The shortlisted locations will be visited by the judging panel in May ahead of the winner announcement later that month.

Tony Harrington, chair of Culture Durham, said:

“All of our partners are delighted County Durham is a step closer to being crowned UK City of Culture 2025.

“If successful, we will make history as the first county to secure the title – a title we truly deserve. County Durham is no ordinary county and there is a strong feeling across the region that the time is right for the UK’s City of Culture to be in the North East. It truly is our time to shine.

“As we move into this critical final stage, it’s vital we keep the momentum going and shout from the rooftops about the talent and ambition that exists in all corners of our county.”

Professor Karen O’Brien, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University, said:

“We are thrilled Durham has been shortlisted for UK City of Culture 2025. Gaining City of Culture status would be transformative for the County and open up new opportunities for us to foster and build relationships between the university and communities across County Durham.

“Being shortlisted is a wonderful achievement which recognises the wealth of cultural opportunities Durham has to offer. As a principal partner on the bid we are proud that the university’s museums, collections, visitor attractions and cultural activities form an important part.

“We are excited to continue our work with Culture Durham Partnership, Durham County Council and other partners over the coming weeks as the judges visit the shortlisted cities and make their final decision. We look forward to welcoming them to see everything that County Durham has to offer.”

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:

“I’m delighted that County Durham is on the shortlist for UK City of Culture 2025. This has been a tough competition with a record 20 initial applications and eight outstanding longlist candidates, so this accolade is a real tribute to the quality of creativity on display in the region. I look forward to seeing what County Durham’s bid has in store next!”

Durham 2025 will centre around themes that will illuminate and energise the county and inspire people to congregate. It will build on Durham’s track record for major events such as Lumiere, the UK’s leading light festival, which will be bigger than ever in 2025.

At the heart of County Durham’s bid is a year-long programme of arts, culture, sport, science and economics, including: spectacular opening and closing events; an international celebration of the bicentenary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway with events at Locomotion in Shildon and other locations across the region; and a travelling fair that asks big questions about the local economy.

Lightyear, a 12-month space programme, will celebrate the region’s 1,300-year history of astronomy and space science. And a series of broadcast and digital programmes will bring the county and its stories into front rooms and festivals across the whole of the UK.

The impact on the region’s economy would be significant and long lasting. This includes the creation of an additional 2,500 jobs in Durham’s creative industries and an extra 200 creative enterprises in the county by 2029; directly supporting almost 1,000 businesses and organisations; and creating a £41.5 million spend with at least 50 per cent of contracts going to local suppliers.

It would attract more than 15 million visitors to the region, many of whom would stay overnight, helping to bring an additional visitor spend of £700 million and supporting the creation a further 1,800 jobs in the tourism sector.

And with the county’s profile and appeal raised nationally and internationally, the benefits of being UK City of Culture 2025 would be felt for years to follow.

A rich and vibrant cultural scene is also a key factor in the council’s inclusive approach to the economy. The authority is asking more than half a million residents to join its big econ-versation on issues which matter to them most, helping to create a new and ambitious economic strategy for the future that provides opportunities for everyone. To take part, visit www.durhamecon-versation.co.uk/

To find out more about the bid, visit www.durham2025.co.uk or follow the Durham 2025 social media accounts at www.facebook.com/Durham2025, www.twitter.com/durham_2025 or www.instagram.com/Durham2025_

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