Peace reigns – but for how long? (From Durham Times)

Peace reigns – but for how long?

6:09pm Friday 28th May 2010

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A northern relief road for Durham may yet come to pass. Sarah Foster talks to the couple who may have to fight once more to save the tranquilty of their home.

STEPPING into the gardens of Crook Hall, on the banks of the River Wear a short distance from Durham Cathedral, the first thing that strikes you is the tranquillity – that and the waist-height maze that dominates the entrance. A tourist attraction whose popularity continues to grow, it has managed to retain its sense of peace – a rare thing in the world of Blackberries and iPhones. It’s as if the aura of magic it exudes, palpable as you enter the gate, demands that visitors show respect.

The small, but impressive stately home has been the residence of the Bell family for the past 15 years. Going through the main front door, you find yourself in a spacious kitchen complete with Aga and it is here that, along with baking scones and other treats for hungry guests, the Bells prepare their own family meals.

The sound of harpsichord music hangs in the air, instantly transporting you to the pages of a Jane Austen novel, and as you progress through the house, you feel the past envelop you.

This is not, however, the sort of stuffy ancient pile in which you’re afraid to blow your nose. Keith and Maggie Bell take pride in its cosy ambience and as Maggie laughingly points out, she once found a visitor asleep in one of the chairs.

An architectural jewel, Crook Hall encompasses three different eras – Georgian, Jacobean, and medieval – and it is perhaps the medieval hall, a rare survivor of the destructive forces of history, that is most impressive. This has recently had heating installed, making it much more welcoming for family dinners and for the weddings which Crook Hall began hosting a couple of years ago. The newly-restored attic room provides stunning views across the gardens and to the cathedral beyond – if you’re brave enough to take the chance of encountering a ghost.

On the subject of spooky goings- on, Maggie once had a chilling experience on the minstrel’s gallery beneath this room when she was tapped on the shoulder by an invisible hand. It may possibly have been The White Lady, said to have haunted the hall for many years, but Maggie retains a certain amount of scepticism.

Once a mere appendage to the house, the gardens are now a real tourist draw in themselves, with plenty of variety to interest any horticulturalist.

From the neatly manicured cathedral garden to the wildly beautiful secret garden, there really is anything and everything, including a pond brimming with fish and a verdant vegetable patch – ideal for supplying the kitchen’s needs.

Keith and Maggie invite local artists to exhibit their work, so don’t be surprised to find sometimes odd-looking installations lurking among the greenery, but it all seems to add to the gardens’ overall appeal by giving them a modern feel.

Keith and Maggie (and formerly their two children, Amanda and Ian, now in their 20s) inhabit mainly the Georgian part of the hall, and upstairs the family living room is more modern than elsewhere, decorated in cool blue and with a glorious sense of light and space.

Maggie explains why the ancient dwelling first attracted them. “We used to live on Western Hill and we liked combining home and work. I was working at the hospital in Sunderland and when Keith (who runs a human resources and training consultancy) started to employ people and needed premises for his business we looked for somewhere that could be a family home as well. We still use the coach house as an office for the business.”

Like any potential house buyers, the couple made a judgment on the feel of the hall to them. They fell in love with its sense of history – and paid little heed to the practicalities of living there. “We thought it would be a lovely place to bring up our children and it has been a fabulous family home,” says Maggie. “But we didn’t realise what we were taking on and I think if we had we would have thought twice about it. It’s a massive place and it’s so intensive.”

While it has always been a family home – a significant part of Crook Hall’s charm – until the Bells took ownership, it had never really been open to the public. That changed because they felt a responsibility to let others enjoy it. “At first it was just the odd Sunday and we have just kept extending the seasons,”

says Maggie, 53. “We didn’t know what people would make of it because we are very different from a National Trust property but every year our visitor numbers have grown. We have people who visited the first year who still come now.”

As business increased, Maggie gave up her three days a week as a child psychiatrist to concentrate fully on the hall.

Running it is a mammoth task, with the house and gardens to maintain and every addition or repair to the grade I listed building costing a fortune, but it is also a labour of love. “I can honestly say that people do love it,”

says Maggie. “It’s fabulous at Christmas – we have Santa, Mr Frosty the Snowman, we do an elves’ treasure hunt round the garden. I think there’s a really magical feeling about it – it doesn’t feel quite real somehow – and children love that. They just use their imagination.”

From modest beginnings, the hall is now open for most of the year, with special events including a Hallowe’en experience and Fairy Tale Week.

which is held this week. Unusually for such a place, children are amply catered for, with thought and effort going into making a visit interesting for them. Every family has left its mark on both the building and the gardens, and what is special about Crook Hall is its irregularity – every room has a different feel and its very charm is in being haphazard. The Bells have no plans to move elsewhere and the hall is definitely where their heart is.

“We love living here and being open to the public and people coming and sharing it with us,” reflects Maggie. “At the moment, I can’t imagine not doing this and if we ever decided it was too much I would very much like it to continue in the same vein.”

● Crook Hall is open from May to September, daily except Fridays and Saturdays, from 11am to 5pm. For details ring 0191-3848028, email info@kbacrookhall.co.uk or visit crookhallgardens.co.uk.

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