A trip to Crook Hall Gardans in Durham

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To a short walk from the city center of Durham, there is a small secret garden and medieval living room. Now a National Trust property, I will guide him through a trip to Crook Hall Gardens

Crook Hall Gardens has been a favorite of visitors visitors for many years, so it was a shock for all when it was announced that the Hall & Gardens will close during COVID-19. Fortunately, in May 2022, National Trust kept the site and reopened it for everyone to enjoy.

Less than ten minutes walk from the city’s heart, Crook Hall Gardens is undoubtedly one of the best things to do in Durham with the beautiful Georgian house, the Jacobean hall of the fourteenth century and the perfectly formed gardens. While my wife had regularly visited before closing, even drinking the afternoon tea at home, I had never visited and, in mid -2010, with our National Trust membership in your hand, we got into Durham to enjoy a vagabond and a bite.

My guide to visit Crook Hall Gardans

The story of Crook Hall Gardens

The origins of Crook Hall Gardens date back to at least at the beginning of the fourteenth century, when the medieval hall was built by Peter del Croke. Billingham family was possessed in 1372 and remained in his family for almost 300 years. Subsequently, it was sold through several different families that made additions over time to create the Crook Hall gardens that we see today. It is said that there have been many famous visitors for Crook Hall, including William Wordsworth, Walter Scott and John Ruskin.

Things to do at Crook Hall Gardens

As soon as the Jardines del Crook Hall, you will see how impressive this location is considering that we are just a stone shot of the bustling center of Durham. There is a hedge labyrinth almost immediately at the beginning before finding beautiful walled gardens full of wild flowers, orchards, picnic areas, a pond and a little reading corner for the little ones. We visited Evelyn and loved to walk around the land.

At the moment, only the medieval hall is open to visitors, while the house is renewed. It is worth taking a few moments to appreciate its greatness and how life should have been hundreds of years ago. You can also see the living room from the top floor where you will need to get away from the second -hand bookstore. Evelyn made us look for that perfect children’s book to add to his constant expansion collection; I could probably open a library soon.

The best views can be found in the garden in front of the house and you can see Durham’s cathedral from certain places around the entire Crook Hall Gardens. A good reminder of how close you are from the city.

If you are hungry, go to Garden Gate Café, where you can sit inside or in the patio (you don’t have to pay to visit here so that anyone can visit) and enjoy buns, paninis, hot drinks and ice cream. The National Trust’s food agreement is always a winner with many options for the little ones.

Are Crook Hall Gardans dogs?

I know that the National Trust sites generally serve our four -legged friends, but I did not expect them to happily welcome Crook Hall Gardens. While your dog is in the short term, dogs are certainly welcome in gardens and coffee, so there is no excuse for not visiting. There are also many water bowls. We leave our Cockopoo at home (honestly, it is sometimes easier when it comes to dealing with a small child at the same time!) But now that we know that Crook Hall Gardens is friendly for dogs, we will definitely return with him.

Opening hours

Crook Hall Gardens and coffee are open from 10 am to 5 pm throughout the week until October 5, 2023. The second -hand bookstore also closes at 3:30 pm after October 5, 2023, everything is open from Friday to Sunday, although the times are the same.

Prices

The entrance to Crook Hall Gardens is free for members of National Trust or £ 8 for adults and £ 4 for children. Parking on the site costs £ 3 for up to 3 hours (free for members of NT).

Get here

It can park just outside Crook Hall Gardens for £ 3 (or free) and there were many spaces when we visited shortly after opening. If you want to incorporate a visit when you see Durham, there are many parking lots throughout the city or you can easily walk the ten minutes or so along the river from the center if you have arrived by train. There are many parking lots in downtown Durham from where you can walk. A small advice is that parking on the street in Durham is mostly free on a Sunday and it must be my favorite day for a quiet vagabond through the city and can also easily incorporate a trip here.

Where else visit in the Northeast?

Crook Hall Gardens is just an example of how beautiful is the northeast of England. I promise you that it is certainly not bleak in the north and there is much more to see that it will easily dissipate that myth. Here are some ideas of places to visit in Northeast:

Weekend in Durham
The best coffees in Durham
Priory of clamp
Marsden Rock
Ouseburn

I hope you enjoyed this Crook Hall Gardens guide and I would love to know what you think if you have the opportunity to visit!