Chipchase
Castle
Chipchase
Castle is a fine medieval tower house with Jacobean and
later additions. The castle is still a family home although
it is open to the public during the month of June. The
castle is set in beautiful surroundings in the North Tyne
valley, and three acres of gardens are open throughout
the summer.
The
castle in Northumberland is the centre piece of a huge
country estate that boasts some of the finest Salmon fishing
in England. The Chipchase castle beat on the river North
Tyne is popular with anglers across the country and beyond
who choose Chipchase castle as the setting for salmon
fishing in Northumberland
In
the walled kitchen garden, Chipchase Nursery Garden specialises
in unusual hardy plants.
Although
the precise date of construction of Chipchase Castle is
unknown, the tower of Chipchase Castle was definitely
extant in 1415. By 1541 a house had been added to the
tower, but it was not until 1621 that the addition of
the Jacobean manor (no exterior sign of which remains,
thanks to later alteration) completed the construction
of Chipchase Castle.
The
Legend of the Long Pack
Both
Chipchase Castle, and the 18th century Lee Hall, near
Bellingham, claim the story of ‘The Long Pack.’ The castle,
or the hall, had been left in the charge of a maidservant,
a man, and a young manservant.
They
were visited late one night by a peddler who asked permission
to leave his heavy pack there overnight while he found
a night’s lodgings nearby.
He
would collect it in the morning. Permission was given
but when the man had gone, the girl's curiosity got the
better of her and she approached the pack. To her horror
she saw it move. She called the young manservant, who
fired an old military gun at the pack and blood oozed
out of the bullet holes.
Meanwhile,
the robber’s confederates, confident of success, approached
the castle but they were greeted with a volley of gunfire
that killed four of the robbers. Now, near the east end
of Bellingham Church is an odd tombstone known as "The
Long Pack” that is said to mark the grave of the robber.
Some
say there is not a body beneath the stone. The mystery
lies buried in the grave.
