Shildon House

Shildon House is a house that dates from the 17th century or earlier and was remodeled in the early 19th century. It is constructed of coursed rubble with some areas featuring very large stones, topped by a 20th-century grey tile roof. The building has two storeys and four slightly irregular bays. The central entrance has a renewed door that shares a timber lintel with a 16-pane sash window to the right; the other windows are mostly 12-pane sashes, also with timber lintels. There are end stacks, with the left stack rebuilt on an older brick base and the right stack made of 18th-century brick, complete with a cornice. Both side elevations show signs of former attached houses. At the rear, there is an outshut. The western two bays have walls that are 0.9 meters thick, suggesting they may have been part of a bastle. In the 19th century, the enlarged house served as the residence for the mine manager. Shildon House, along with the nearby Cottage and the later keeper's house, are remnants of what was once a significant mining settlement in the 19th century. The Shildon Mines were operational as early as the 15th century.