Kepier Hospital

Just off Orchard Drive, snaking around an elbow in the River Wear near Durham we came upon a curious gateway.

This is the archwayed entrance to the old Kepier Hospital. Its architectural curiosity was incongruous in a neighbourhood of modern river facing houses with double driveways and big glassy lookouts. We wandered along the path following a nippy Amazon driver who seemed to ignore the 'No Cars' sign and didn't distinguish his speed from the main drag.

Tiny stones were knitted together to create a double chamber with two fulsome vaulted arches.

Founded in 1112 by Bishop Flambard, Royal Clerk under King William Rufus (William the Conqueror's son). His nickname, Flambard, meaning fiery, probably refers to his personality. He was known to have been exuberant, sharp witted and forceful, maybe that's what melted the sandstone!

The cross ribbed vaulted ceiling showed a series of convex-concave sections curling up with stone carved bosses and corbels.

The hospital was founded as an almshouse and was dedicated to St Giles, the patron saint of those in poverty and poor health and in 1153, it moved here to its riverside location.

Just shy of 1,000 years old, Kepier Hospital was the first hospital built in Durham. Initially, we were drawn to the unusual archways we could see from the road; three regular arches and a teeny doorway with a heavy looking pediment.

I was keen to get a closer look and wandered along the dirt track to find this crumbling gateway entrance with a seemingly cinder toffee exterior. Look at the way the stone is worn and textured, popped and crackled. We noticed the plaque on one of the buttresses which divulged the age of the building.

Walking through the double chamfered antiquated archway, we were drawn to hidey holes and doorways of unexplained nature. In places, it looked as though a blow torch had been taken to the stonework, all honeycombed and bumpy.

On the other side of the Kepier Hospital gatehouse a small 16th century staircase wrapped around the side of the building climbing up to a polygonal stair turret and a neat Tudor doorway. Who lives in a house like this (cue David Frost, Lloyd Grossman or Keith Lemon, depending on your age bracket!)

Previously at a location on Gilesgate the hospital relocated to the river. Back in the 1100's there were still argey bargeys over the border, and with Durham's close proximity to Scotland and the hospital's strategic position overlooking the city there was a bit of a to-do between the Lord Chancellor of Scotland and the Dean of York over who would be the next Bishop of Durham. Cumin, the chancellor (Fumin' Cumin) set fire to the Kepier Hospital in a rage to prevent others from accessing it.

The hospital moved to the banks of the Wear. Kepier is an usual name, and in searching about a bit, I discovered it's an amalgamation of two old English words meaning 'a weir with a fish trap'. Because of the location of the hospital on the edge of the Wear, it became known as Kepier Hospital.

You can see in this old picture from the North East Heritage Library that the gatehouse looks now, much the same as it did then, though the steps are a little more well worn.

A home for the destitute, poor and those in need, the hospital grew in size. It had an infirmary, a church, a large hall, remnants of which can be seen above, dormitories for the men to sleep in and had facilities such as a bakery, a tannery and mill and a farm with provisions for both arable farming and livestock.

Over the proceeding centuries, the hospital was frequented by pilgrims visiting Durham and it continued to care for the poor and destitute. Accommodating some high profile guests, King Edward I checked in to Kepier on 17th June 1298 after his invasion of Scotland. You don't get that in a Premier Inn!

Over the centuries the hospital became a wealthy establishment however, during the dissolution of the monasteries, the crown took possession of colleges and hospitals. It was sold to the crown and taken into private ownership.

In 1555, John Heath, a wealthy and successful merchant bought the Kepier estate and his son built a mansion and grand scale gardens on land where the hospital once stood.

The gardens were popular for the next couple of hundred years with the Durham Chronicle referring to the gardens as 'a favourite resort for the citizens of Durham and visitors from a distance'. The mansion had become an inn known as The White Bear, but by 1891, custom had declined and the Heath Mansion was dismantled stone by stone.

This painting by amateur artist John Coffey shows the gatehouse of the Kepier Hospital surrounded by barns, still standing today. The farmhouse stands at the end of the barns. In the foreground of the painting is the White Bear Inn, surrounded by an orchard and at the rear, sitting on the wear, is Kepier Mill. This painting is based closely on two photographs taken of Kepier in the 1880s.

The last standing remains of the Heath Mansion are what we noticed from the road; the three stone arches and teeny tiny doorway. Now scroll back up to the painting and see the mansion house in all its glory! It's a fancy affair eh?

Weathered and washed away by years of relentless rain, the hollow fragments of sandstone stand blown by fierce north winds. The outline of a couple of fireplaces remain, alongside the well-worn walls and keystones. Now it's a home to bees.

The site is a scheduled monument with Grade I and Grade II listed building status. The West Range is included on English Heritage's Buildings at Risk register. You can visit on Heritage Open Days where a guide runs a tour.

The gatehouse is the only remaining relic from the days of the Kepier Hospital, complete with Amazon delivery on the doorstep.