Unthank Hall
Encyclopedia
Unthank Hall is a Grade II listed mansion house, situated on the southern bank of the River South Tyne
east of Plenmeller
, near Haltwhistle
, Northumberland
.
In the 16th century the manor was owned by the Ridley family and it is possible that Bishop Nicholas Ridley
was born there.
The house, which was built in the 16th century, incorporating an ancient pele tower, was substantially remodelled and extended in 1815.
The Hall came into the ownership of the Dixon family and then by marriage to the Browns.
Dixon Brown (1776–1852) changed his name in 1825 to Dixon Dixon, and his nephew Rev Dixon Dixon Brown rebuilt the Hall between 1862 and 1865.
The house was substantially remodelled in 1815 and again in 1865 in a neo-Tudor style, both times by Newcastle architect John Dobson
. Much of the 1865 house has since between demolished by further alterations in 1900 and a significant reduction in size in 1965. Only the central gables and entrance porch that can be seen in this photograph of 1890 remain. The two bays on the left and the three-storey medieval Pele Tower
on the right are no longer extant. The only surviving pre-19th century evidence is a section of 4 ft-thick wall where the Pele Tower ajoined the modern house.
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
east of Plenmeller
Plenmeller
Plenmeller is a village in Northumberland, England about a mile southeast of Haltwhistle.- Governance : is in the parliamentary constituency of Hexham.- Landmarks :...
, near Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle
Haltwhistle is a small town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, situated east of Brampton, near Hadrian's Wall, and the villages of Plenmeller, Rowfoot and Melkridge...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
.
In the 16th century the manor was owned by the Ridley family and it is possible that Bishop Nicholas Ridley
Nicholas Ridley (martyr)
Nicholas Ridley was an English Bishop of London. Ridley was burned at the stake, as one of the Oxford Martyrs, during the Marian Persecutions, for his teachings and his support of Lady Jane Grey...
was born there.
The house, which was built in the 16th century, incorporating an ancient pele tower, was substantially remodelled and extended in 1815.
The Hall came into the ownership of the Dixon family and then by marriage to the Browns.
Dixon Brown (1776–1852) changed his name in 1825 to Dixon Dixon, and his nephew Rev Dixon Dixon Brown rebuilt the Hall between 1862 and 1865.
The house was substantially remodelled in 1815 and again in 1865 in a neo-Tudor style, both times by Newcastle architect John Dobson
John Dobson (architect)
John Dobson was a 19th-century English architect in the neoclassical tradition. He became the most noted architect in the North of England. Churches and houses by him dot the North East - Nunnykirk Hall, Meldon Park, Mitford Hall, Lilburn Tower, St John the Baptist Church in Otterburn,...
. Much of the 1865 house has since between demolished by further alterations in 1900 and a significant reduction in size in 1965. Only the central gables and entrance porch that can be seen in this photograph of 1890 remain. The two bays on the left and the three-storey medieval Pele Tower
Peel tower
Peel towers are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, intended as watch towers where signal fires could be lit by the garrison to warn of approaching danger...
on the right are no longer extant. The only surviving pre-19th century evidence is a section of 4 ft-thick wall where the Pele Tower ajoined the modern house.