# Langley Old Hall - County Durham



## Alchemist161 (Sep 5, 2014)

Hello everyone, I've been lurking on this site for ages now and am amazed at some of the incredible locations found. Anyway, thought it about time to start posting so I'll kick off with this little hidden gem from County Durham. As far as I can see it's not been covered in here yet.

The history...

Landed gentry and wealthy industrialists left their mark on the landscape of the area when they built grand halls and country houses, many now lying in ruins HALLS and country houses can take many forms. Some are quite ancient, developing from medieval manors as homes for local gentry.

Others were a product of the industrial age, being the home of industrialists and built on previously unoccupied sites.

One of the largest of the older halls in north Durham remains relatively unknown, because very little remains today.

Langley Hall, on a hillside overlooking the Browney Valley, between Langley Park and Burnhope, must have once been one of the most impressive domestic abodes in Durham in its time.

This was a fortified Tudor house, more like a castle than a hall, that was associated with members of the powerful Scrope family.

Back in the 1100s, Langley (from long-ley, the long clearing in the woodland) had belonged to Arco, a steward of the Bishop of Durham, but subsequent owners included the Lisles, Wynyards and Percys, before the land came into the hands of the Scropes (the name is pronounced Scroop) in the 1300s.

It was a Henry Scrope who built a huge fortified hall on the site, complete with a moat.

The Scropes remained in residence at Langley until the 1750s, by which time the hall had fallen into ruin.

Its site is inaccessible and its walls are in danger of falling to the ground, but it is all that remains of the Langley of long ago.

The neighbouring village of Langley Park, which takes its name from the Langley of times past, only came into being in the 1870s.

Langley is one of three houses of relatively early origin in the neighbourhood of the Browney Valley.


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## UrbanX (Sep 6, 2014)

Nice one, looks a lovely glimpse to how it would have been. 
Thanks for sharing


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## flyboys90 (Sep 7, 2014)

Still some really nice features remain.thanks for shring.


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