Sir Walter Scott's Grotto, in Bank of River Greta South West of Mortham Tower is a Grade II listed building in the County Durham local planning authority area, England. First listed on 12 January 1967. A C18 Grotto.

Sir Walter Scott's Grotto, in Bank of River Greta South West of Mortham Tower

WRENN ID
vast-doorway-khaki
Grade
II
Local Planning Authority
County Durham
Constituency
Bishop Auckland MP: Dr Sam Rushworth (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
12 January 1967
Type
Grotto
Address
Sir Walter Scott's Grotto, in Bank of River Greta South West of Mortham Tower, Rokeby
OS grid reference
NZ 085 141
Coordinates
54.5222, -1.86923
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Sir Walter Scott's Grotto is an artificial cave located on the bank of the River Greta, southwest of Mortham Tower. It dates from the 18th century or early 19th century. The grotto features a rectangular recess that measures 2.5 metres wide and 2 metres deep, with a stone bench and upright slabs at each corner supporting the roof. Sir Walter Scott often visited Rokeby and would sit and write in this cave, enjoying its romantic setting on a ledge that overlooks the river.

Local climate

Sir Walter Scott's Grotto, in Bank of River Greta South West of Mortham Tower receives an average of 950 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 73% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 53% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 54 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 95% of listed buildings. Of these, 34 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

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