Eland Hall: An 18th Century Mansion

Eland Hall is a fine 18th century mansion house that sits on the outskirts of Ponteland, just next to the golf club, which dates back to medieval times.

In the thirteenth century, what is now Ponteland consisted of three townships: Ponteland itself, Little Eland (now Eland Green) and Great Eland which was Eland Hall. It stands on a slight rise of land with the River Pont to the west and Fearney Burn feeding into Prestwick Carr on the eastern side. It was something of an island standing out from the surrounding marshland making it a natural place for a settlement.

Eland Hall is first mentioned in 1405/6 when it was part of a land grant. In 1568 the hall was bought by the Gofton family. It continued in possession of Gofton family. The only daughter and heiress of Richard Goften married Captain Wilkie at Ponteland in 1761 and he is marked as the owner on the first detailed map of the district, Armstrong’s Map of Northumberland of 1769. Their grandson sold the hall to John Bell of Woolsington in 1829.

The Bells of Woolsington Hall never lived here. They look to have used it as one of their investment properties, splitting the farm buildings from the hall and letting them out to tenants and letting the hall on a regular basis to prosperous tenants looking for a substantial country residence.

The building itself is a Grade II listed building. It is described as being built in the 18th century but with an earlier core, and the front of the building dating to the 19th century. It is a substantial stone building. It was offered for sale at various times and the sale notices provide a good description of the building. One in January 1865 contained this:

“The Hall is in excellent repair and contains Breakfast, Dining and Drawing Rooms: Kitchen, Five good Bed Rooms, Attics and Cellars; together with Coach House, Three Stalled Stable, Man Servants’ House, and all requisite Out-buildings; and the Garden is well stocked with choice Fruit Trees”.

The Bells sold off their Woolsington properties between 1920 and 1922. Although Eland Hall Farm was included in the sale, I have been unable to trace the Hall being part of the sale. This could be because the family had disposed of it earlier, or it was sold by private treaty. The subsequent ownership of the Hall is not known.

During the 20th century, the Hall was occupied by the Fenwicke-Clennell’s. These were a branch of the family who owned Harbottle Castle. Geoffrey Fenwicke-Clennell was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. When the Second World War broke out he went with his battalion to fight on the Western Front and was captured at St Valery in 1940. He spent the rest of the war as a prisoner until liberated. As a senior officer his life in the camps was different to the enlisted men. He was accompanied by his manservant Fusilier Young from Berwick who was obliged to look after him. On being set free his servant said that the first three years of captivity were the worst, but after that the Germans treated them better.

A fellow inmate during the early days was Doctor E. W. MacMillan from Liverpool. He later wrote about the Colonel. “The most gallant gentleman I saw on the march was Colonel Fenwick-Clennell of the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers, and despite the fact that he was no youngster he stuck the ordeal and was a grand inspiration to all ranks”.

The family were still living there in 1954 when their eldest daughter was married from the house.

Included in the official listing of Eland Hall is a brick-built dovecote next to the house. Doves or pigeons were kept as a source of fresh meat in winter time when it was generally unavailable. The privilege of a dovecote was preserved by licence and only given to the lord of the manor or some churches or abbeys. This is another indication of the status of the house.