Biddlestone RC Chapel
Encyclopedia
Biddlestone RC Chapel is a Roman Catholic chapel at Biddlestone
, near Netherton, Northumberland
. It is a Grade II* listed building, and is one of the few remains of the former mansion known as Biddlestone Hall.
The Selby family
were granted the manor of Biddlestone in 1272 and lived there for over 600 years. In the 14th century they built a pele tower which was reported to in 'good reparations' by a survey of 1541 and which was incorporated into a tower house
in the 17th century. In 1715 it was described as a freestone structure in the form of a cross with four wings ' the middlemost towerlike with battlements'
A Georgian style mansion was built about 1796 on the site of the old house, and in about 1820 Walter Selby commissioned architect John Dobson
to design a private family chapel to be incorporated into the Hall on the site of the old pele tower. The arms of the Selby family are represented in a stained glass window. The basement of the surviving building is the tunnel-vaulted ground floor of the medieval tower, with massive masonry and walls 6 feet thick. Medieval masonry survives to eaves level on the north wall.
The Selbys left Biddlestone in about 1914 and the Hall deteriorated to such an extent that it was demolished in about 1960, leaving only the chapel standing. The chapel, which is still in occasional use, is now in the custody of the Historic Chapels Trust.
Biddlestone
Biddlestone is a village in Northumberland, England. It is about to the west of Alnwick.- Governance :Biddlestone is in the parliamentary constituency of Berwick-upon-Tweed.- Landmarks :...
, near Netherton, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. It is a Grade II* listed building, and is one of the few remains of the former mansion known as Biddlestone Hall.
The Selby family
Selby family
The Selby family was a prolific and widespread English family that originated in Selby, Yorkshire, but largely settled in Northumberland.The following are some of the more important branches of the family, several of which are interconnected by marriage between cousins:-Selby of...
were granted the manor of Biddlestone in 1272 and lived there for over 600 years. In the 14th century they built a pele tower which was reported to in 'good reparations' by a survey of 1541 and which was incorporated into a tower house
Tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...
in the 17th century. In 1715 it was described as a freestone structure in the form of a cross with four wings ' the middlemost towerlike with battlements'
A Georgian style mansion was built about 1796 on the site of the old house, and in about 1820 Walter Selby commissioned architect John Dobson
John Dobson (architect)
John Dobson was a 19th-century English architect in the neoclassical tradition. He became the most noted architect in the North of England. Churches and houses by him dot the North East - Nunnykirk Hall, Meldon Park, Mitford Hall, Lilburn Tower, St John the Baptist Church in Otterburn,...
to design a private family chapel to be incorporated into the Hall on the site of the old pele tower. The arms of the Selby family are represented in a stained glass window. The basement of the surviving building is the tunnel-vaulted ground floor of the medieval tower, with massive masonry and walls 6 feet thick. Medieval masonry survives to eaves level on the north wall.
The Selbys left Biddlestone in about 1914 and the Hall deteriorated to such an extent that it was demolished in about 1960, leaving only the chapel standing. The chapel, which is still in occasional use, is now in the custody of the Historic Chapels Trust.