A warm welcome awaits at Crook Hall

FOR 800 years, Crook Hall, a diminutive stately home on the banks of the River Wear, in Durham, has had two main attractions: the house and gardens. The hall itself, a rare and odd-looking hybrid of medieval, Jacobean and Georgian architecture, has obvious appeal; the carefullytended gardens, equally so.

Now, there is a third selling point to add to the list, and it is one with which owner Maggie Bell is especially pleased.

“We’ve been told that our afternoon tea is better than that at The Ritz,” she says. “A lot of people say it’s the best afternoon tea they’ve ever had.

Over the past year, people have started coming for the food and Nicola Sutcliffe, our new general manager, has driven that completely.”

It is an exciting time at Crook Hall. Following Nicola’s appointment, just over a year ago, visitor numbers have escalated to a point where Maggie, 58, and her husband Keith, 59, have secured planning permission for a new building to accommodate extra tourists. They have extended the hall’s opening hours to include, for the first time last year, the winter months, and they have never hosted so many weddings, with most weekends fully booked.

Those arriving at Crook Hall pass first through the gardens.

Despite being only a tenminute walk from Durham’s busy marketplace, they are tranquil and still, with only the faint trundle of passing trains disturbing the peace.

Each garden has its own distinct character – like the formal Cathedral Garden with leylandii hedging cut to reflect the arches of Durham Cathedral, and the delicate Silver and White Garden, planted to mark the silver wedding anniversary of former Crook Hall owners Dr and Mrs Hawgood. The Shakespeare Garden reflects the hall’s proud heritage, including visits by the famous Cumbrian poets William Wordsworth and John Ruskin.

There are touches of humour, such as a pet burial plot including the grave of the “complaining visitor”, and guests are encouraged to wander, with gardeners John Metcalfe and Roger Thresher on hand to answer any horticultural queries.

Hall owners Keith and Maggie Bell have plans

An awkward structure, the hall comprises a Georgian rectangle, Jacobean steeples and a medieval turret. Passing through it, each period is distinct, with features like beams scrawled with ancient artwork providing glimpses of its life. Crook Hall was always a family home, but it is only in the last 18 years of Keith and Maggie’s ownership that it has opened to the public.

Neither Maggie, a former child psychiatrist, nor Keith, who used to run a human resources and training consultancy, had previous experience in hospitality. Maggie feels that it has taken them until now to understand fully what the business entails.

“If it had been left to me, because I’m the detail person, the hall would never have opened because it would never have been perfect enough,” she says. “If it had been left to Keith, it would have opened, but it would have been closed within six months. That’s why we need Nicola and her team.”

Only 27, the general manager is a breath of fresh air.

Working with the two gardeners, she has transformed the lunch and afternoon tea menus to incorporate fresh, home-grown produce. She co-ordinates weddings, conducts tours, and generally oversees the whole visitor experience.

It was Nicola’s request for extra space that prompted the Bells to convert their private living room into another refreshments area. The new tearoom is cool and elegant, with light spilling from the windows and an uninterrupted view of the cathedral.

“The afternoon teas are probably the best thing,” she says. “When I first started, we did maybe one or two a week.

Now we’re fully booked. We’ve had 21st birthday parties, baby showers and even hen parties. It’s nice to have people celebrating special occasions here.” When it comes to weddings, Nicola is keen to accommodate each couple’s individual needs.

There are no set packages and plans can be changed at the last minute.

“We live in Britain – we know what the weather is like – so you can decide where to have the ceremony on the day,” says Nicola. “We tend to get quite a few creative people getting married here and they want to put their own stamp on it.”

With its extended opening, the hall now has an annual pass and, consequently, more regular visitors. The Bells and their staff think of them as part of the community.

“We have a Mr Carter who visits on a Monday, and two sisters who always come,” says Nicola, who lives, along with the Bells, in the private part of the hall. “They always have the same – a bottle of wine to share and two toasties. We call them friends because we feel they are part of things.”

With around 35,000 people coming to Crook Hall last year, the aim now is to make winter as busy as summer. Alongside long-established events like outdoor theatre, there will be new ventures like a creative writing workshops.

Each part of Crook Hall has its own distinct feel

It is hoped that the new visitor centre, due to open next spring, will serve as an added attraction. An additional cafe will enable customers to call for refreshments without having to pay the hall’s entrance fee.

Visit crookhallgardens.co.uk