The Dilston Heritage Project

For centuries Dilston has been a source of fascination and inspiration for those who visit. The tranquil beauty of the site and the story of the ill-fated Earl, which ranks as one of the most moving episodes in Northumbrian history, has led over the years to a string of poems, novels, biographies and other creative works. Yet despite its historic importance, the Radcliffe heritage, hidden away in private grounds, was gradually becoming neglected and almost forgotten. The romance of the Derwentwater Legend, which had lived on in Hexhamshire long after the demise of the family and the demolition of Dilston Hall, was by the late twentieth century beginning to fade. Concern for the crumbling remains of Dilston Castle and the associated Radcliffe heritage finally instigated the start of a conservation programme for the site.

In 1993, the Dilston Heritage Project was launched in order to conserve the remaining Radcliffe heritage and bring attention to this important historic site, which is situated on a gently sloping hillside to the south-west of Corbridge, a village in the Tyne Valley. On the western outskirts of Corbridge, the remains of the Roman station of Corstopitum can be seen, and from here the site of a bridge can be located that once carried the Roman road, Dere Street, across the Tyne. Dere Street ran across the haugh land on the south side of the river, passing not far from Dilston. A Roman gravestone and other ancient stones are built into the walls of Dilston Chapel. In 2001, the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage awarded grants for the conservation and restoration of Dilston Castle and Chapel, and the two scheduled ancient monuments opened to the public in July 2003. Visitors to the site are now able to follow the story of the Radcliffes of Dilston and the Jacobite Cause on new graphic displays inside the Castle and Chapel. They can climb the restored staircase inside the Castle and learn how the fifteenth-century tower house was incorporated in Dilston Hall, the palatial Queen Anne mansion, built by James Radcliffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater. A particular point of interest is the Chapel, which has been restored to its original state, as built by Sir Francis Radcliffe, c.1616. This includes the installation of a new oak gallery, to replace the one that was removed in 1733, when the chapel was refurbished to suit the Church of England. The restoration of Dilston Castle and Chapel has been a joint enterprise undertaken by the Historic Dilston Group (the instigators of the Heritage Project), the North Pennines Heritage Trust (the building trust that carried out the work), and Dilston College, MENCAP (in whose grounds the two buildings stand). Further grant aid has recently been obtained to carry out repairs to the Lord’s Bridge and conserve various historical features around the site. A longer-term aim is to restore the riverside gardens of the Derwentwater mansion, shown in a 1766 engraving of Dilston Hall. The Heritage Project is supported by The Fifteen, the Northumbrian Jacobite Society, which was set up in 2000 to lend weight to what became known as the present-day Jacobite Cause!