Howick Hall Gardens And Arboretum

Located in the coastal town of Howick and a 15 minute drive from Alnwick are the Howick are the beautiful Howick Hall Gardens And Arboretum.

Since 1319 it has been the ancestral seat of the Earls Grey and the famous tea is actually named after the 2nd Earl. With 65 acres of beautiful gardens to explore you will certainly have earned your sit down with a cup of tea at the end of the day!

Howick Hall was designed and built by Newcastle architect William Newton in 1782 for the Grey family. It was enlarged by Charles 2nd Earl Grey in 1809, to accommodate his ever increasing family. (Charles had 16 children in total!)

Charles was Prime Minister from 1830-1834 and was famous for the Reform Act of 1832, which brought parliamentary reform to the House of Commons. His government also enacted the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, bringing about the abolition of slavery in most of the British Empire.

As well as his notable political career, Earl Grey tea was also named after him. There are a number of stories around why this happened, but according to the Grey family, the tea was especially blended by a Chinese mandarin for Lord Grey to suit the water at Howick Hall.

It's very likely you've seen the Monument in Newcastle dedicated to Earl Grey. There are tours to the top of the monument which give fantastic views over the city, unfortunately they are not running at the minute due to Covid restrictions, but keep checking Google for updates!

Anyway, back to the hall. There was sadly a huge fire there in 1926 which destroyed the whole of the interior of the main house. It was rebuilt in 1928, but the Grey family moved out of the house in 1963 after the death of Charles Grey, 5th Earl Grey. His grandson Charles Baring and his family now live there.

Additional photographs below kindly supplied by Neil Jupp.