Fallodon Hall

Fallodon Hall is a country house of early 18th-century date, built for Thomas Wood. The property underwent significant development over subsequent centuries: a service wing was extended to the rear in the later 18th century; an early 19th-century rear wing was added by John Dobson; and following a severe fire, the main block underwent remodelling with removal of the 2nd floor around 1920 by the architects Reavell and Cahill of Alnwick.

The main part of the building is constructed in brick laid in English Garden Wall bond (1 & 3), with sandstone ashlar dressings. The rear wing is of squared stone, while the return and rear elevation of the service wing are of squared rubble. Roofs are finished in graduated Lakeland slate, except for Welsh slates on the rear parts of the service wing.

The plan comprises a 7 by 3 bay main block with a single-storey entrance lobby extension on the north side, a central rear wing, and a double-span service wing on the north.

The west front presents the main 2-storey elevation, which is 3 plus 1 plus 3 bays and symmetrical. It features rusticated quoins, a chamfered plinth, and a 1st floor band. A slightly projecting centre contains glazed double doors within a round arch with imposts and keystone, set in a surround with attached columns, metope frieze and cornice. Twelve-pane sash windows are set in stone surrounds with stepped segmental heads, triple keystones and projecting moulded sills. A moulded string runs below the parapet with moulded coping. The hipped roof has panelled stepped-and-banded stacks at the left end and on the ridge. Set forward to the left is a single-storey entrance lobby of circa 1920 with a 12-pane sash in a keyed architrave. Set back to the far left is a 2-storey 4-bay service wing with rusticated quoins; it has a half-glazed door in a stone surround with a corbelled-out canted bay to the left (dating from the 19th century) and paired 12-pane sashes to the right. Above are 4-pane casements in early 18th-century recessed and chamfered surrounds. The roof is hipped to the left, with two stepped-and-corniced old brick lateral stacks on the left return.

The north (entrance) front shows two 12-pane 1st-floor sashes on the main block in surrounds matching the west front, and a rainwater head dated 1796 with initials C.G. (Sir Charles Grey) above a flat-roofed single-storey extension. This extension contains three 12-pane sashes in keyed architraves. To the right is a projection with a flush-panelled door in an eared architrave within a pedimented porch with banded piers and metope frieze.

The south front of the main block displays a central 3-window bow with glazed double doors and radial overlight. The fenestration otherwise matches the west front, except that the windows in the bow are square-headed.

The rear (east) elevation has a basement to the centre and right. Set back to the left are 2 bays similar to the front, with another rainwater head dated 1796. A central 3-bay projecting wing contains 12-pane sashes beneath a hipped roof with early 20th-century flat-topped dormers. To the right is a 3-bay rear part of the service wing.

The interior dates largely from circa 1920, with the exception of the service wing. The early 18th-century front part retains 2-panel doors, some on L hinges, and old close-spaced transverse ceiling beams. The former kitchen in the rear parts contains three chamfered segmental-arched fireplaces, some of which are partly blocked.

Since the mid-18th century, Fallodon has been the seat of a branch of the Grey family, several members of which were prominent nationally. Earl Grey (1767-1828) was famous for the Reform Bill; Sir Edward Grey (1862-1933), known as 'Grey of Fallodon', served as Foreign Secretary.