Rokeby Park

The following is from the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. For the most up-to-date Register entry, please visit The National Heritage List for England (NHLE):

Pleasure grounds and park of the mid to late 18th century with early 19th century entrance lodges.

Location, Area, Boundaries, Landform and Setting

Rokeby lies c 3k m south-east of Barnard Castle, immediately north of the hamlet of Greta Bridge. The site is in an angle formed by the River Greta running along the east side and the River Tees on the north side. The precincts of Mortham Tower and a band of woodland on the east side of the Greta is included within the boundary. A by-road from Barnard Castle to Greta Bridge forms the northern part of the west boundary, and the old course of the A66 the south-west and south boundary. Included in the boundary is a path leading west through a band of woodland called Church Plantation from the junction of the Barnard Castle road and the A66 to St Mary's church.

The A66 was diverted to bypass Greta Bridge during the late C20 and now cuts across the park north of the village. The c 48 ha site is on land which slopes down to the valley of the Greta to the east in a rural and agricultural setting.

Entrances and Approaches

The main entrance is from the Barnard Castle road where there is an early C19 neoclassical lodge and entrance screen with gate piers surmounted by sphinxes (listed grade II). A drive leads east and north-east before branching, with one route leading to the rear of the house and the other to the front (south side). An entrance with stone gate piers (formerly dated 1725, listed grade II) and a railed screen, probably of early C19 date, lies immediately north of the junction of the Barnard Castle road and the A66. A third entrance, with Greek Revival style screen walls and a lodge (early C19, listed grade II), lies at the southern tip of the site in the hamlet of Greta Bridge in a part of the park cut off from the remainder by the new line of the A66.

The drive which led north to the house is an avenue between the entrance and new road, and this part is shown as an avenue on the late C18 map. The artist J S Cotman mentions in a letter that he had made suggestions to J B S Morritt about the lodges, which Morritt intended to take.

At the north-eastern tip of the site there is a cottage, called Dairy Bridge Cottage, which is described as a lodge on the 1854 OS map. It lies at the east end of Mortham Lane and a drive leads from it running south-east to Mortham Tower.

Principal Building

Rokeby Park (listed grade I) was built 1725-31 by Sir Thomas Robinson. The building has a symmetrical three-storey central block flanked by pavilions which are set back and have attached blocks, also set back, so that the composition forms a pattern of receding cubes when viewed from the south front. The house is in use as a private residence (1998).

Immediately north of the house is a late C19 detached gunroom (listed grade II), and c 200 m to the south-west there is a complex of buildings including C18 stables (listed grade II) and a gardener's house (listed grade II) which are ranged with ancillary buildings around the north and east sides of the kitchen garden. A group of early C18 farm buildings (listed grade II) lie to the north of the gardener's house.

The family home of the Rokebys, built in the C14 following destruction of a previous house by raiding Scots, was Mortham Tower (listed grade I). This lies c 300 m east of Rokeby Park on high ground overlooking the River Greta. It acts as an eyecatcher on the horizon when viewed from the garden and park and is a feature of axial views marked on the late C18 estate map. The Tower is in use as a private residence (1998).

Gardens and Pleasure Grounds

There are lawns on the east and west sides of the house. A line of C18 urns (all listed grade II) is ranged along the west side of the house, and items of antiquarian interest are disposed around the lawns in this vicinity. These include a Roman milestone and a number of Roman altars (all listed grade II).

On the east side of the house there is a scarp at the edge of the lawn where the land falls steeply away to the Greta, and paths lead down to the riverside. The river is overlooked by cliffs on its eastern bank, and the river banks have been strengthened using revetment walls, shown on an C18 painting (guidebook).

Paths lead to the north and Dairy Bridge (C18, listed grade II) which crosses the Greta c 50m south of its confluence with the Tees and frames views up and down the river. The walk continues southwards on the wooded side of the river from which there are views of the house and parkland. The paths lead to an artificial cave (listed grade II) cut into the limestone cliffs c 300 m south-east of the house, which is called Scott's Cave or Scott's Grotto. Sir Walter Scott's epic poem Rokeby, published in 1813, was inspired by the dramatic scenery and romantic stories of the Rokeby family. South of Scott's Cave, and c 350m south-east of the house, there is a rustic C18 bridge (listed grade II) crossing a stream. This was the subject of a painting by Cotman.

Paths continue through the woodland, and the river can be crossed via footbridges linking an island c 600m south-east of the house. The late C18 estate map does not show the woodland and paths on the east side of the river and they were probably laid out by J B S Morritt in the late C18 or early C19.

Kitchen Garden

The kitchen garden lies c 250 m south-west of the house and consists of a rectangular, brick-walled enclosure. It is shown on the late C18 map subdivided into small compartments.

Park

There is parkland on all sides of the house consisting of open pasture land with scattered trees. A ha-ha runs from the riverbank next to the island and footbridges, c 600 m south-east of the house, to a point south of the kitchen garden, c 300 m south-west of the house. The remains of an avenue, shown in similar form on the C18 estate map, lies c 400 m south-east of the house.

The park is sheltered by belts of trees much as shown on the C18 map, which shows axial rides cut through the woodland and dotted lines representing views. From the entrance at the junction of the Barnard Castle road and the A66, rides through woodland were aligned with the house, Mortham Tower, and Stainmore Hill to the east. Rides in a block of woodland alongside the Greta c 200 m east and south-east of the house were aligned with Mortham Tower and Stainmore Hill. The woodland belts have been thinned and no evidence for the rides appears to survive.

On the north side of the house the parkland overlooks the Tees to the north and there are views over the river to open land to the north. In the north-east corner of the parkland there is a group of tombstones and a cross base (all listed grade II) on the site of a church.

A path leads west from the junction of the Barnard Castle road and the A66 through a band of woodland to St Mary's church (listed grade II) which was built c 1765 probably to Thomas Robinson's own design. The church stands on high ground overlooking Rokeby Park and may have figured in views from the house before tree cover reached full maturity.

Sir Thomas Robinson enclosed the park with walls in 1725 and planted it during the period 1730 to 1737. In a letter of 1734 Robinson thanks Lord Carlisle for beech and Spanish chestnut trees sent from Castle Howard.

Maps

• W Wildon, A Plan of J S Morritt Esq.rs Park Rokeby, nd, late 18th century (reproduced in guidebook)
• OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st edition surveyed 1854

Description written: May 1998

Amended: March 1999

Edited: September 2000