The Old Rectory And Park

The Old Rectory in Houghton le Spring exemplifies the importance that religion played up until more recent times. Rectories were positioned near the church such that they were visible and accessible. There are ample grounds for solace and generous-sized rooms for visitors and workers.

This house is now a community hub and I have not ventured inside. I appreciate there is information here from Houghton le Spring Heritage Society and thank Paul Lanagan for his permission to use it.

The rectory site could date back to the 12th century, but the first mention is in the 14th century. What you see now is mainly the 18th century. Part of this remodelling may date to 1794 as per the date on the drainpipes.

This one seems to have been built to impress, made with ashlar sandstone, and a castellated low-pitched roof.

In the 1950's the rectory and grounds were officially taken over by the council and underwent a redevelopment. The archway which now makes a suitable entrance to St Michael And All Angels Church was dismantled stone by stone from the rectory boundary.

Round the west side it looks a lot older and could be dated 1661 - 1664 when Rector William Sancroft was incumbent. He became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1677. There is his shield on the wall above the window.

On this west side, there is low hedge should be a knot garden and you can make out some sort of pattern.

A legend tells of Bernard Gilpin (Rector here from 1557 to 1583) who took a cutting from a sacred Hawthorn in the grounds of Glastonbury Abbey (look up Glastonbury Thorn if you are intrigued) and planted it in the rectory grounds. The tree flourished but leaned, and so it was shored up. This tree or subsequent ones survived until vandals cut it down in 1992.

Peter Tate, a Sunderland Council forestry officer, had the foresight to take some seeds and freeze them in 1985. They were later planted and two grew, but by 2011 they had been thoughtlessly chopped down. However, there may be signs of a Hawthorn growing and to be from the line of succession. It should flower twice yearly (Biflora) in May and around Christmas.

Can you find the sunken trees? A botanist may surmise it was a scheme to help the trees, but alas it was the result of landscaping purely for aesthetics. This London Plane seems to be doing alright.

There have been many fountains here and reincarnations of them through the years. This one is thought to stem from just after World War Two. The rock in the fountain has been tested and found to be travertine, a form of limestone usually formed at the mouth of a hot spring, probably from Tivoli (Tibur) in Italy. A curious mind may wonder why it was chosen to bring home after fighting a war.

There is a King Charles III cipher over the door which was created by Dr. Ron Lawson AKA Stanson Art. He has many artworks in the area including the train at Elmore Park and the Solidarity Miners statue in Langley Park.

The cipher follows on from a Queens Jubilee piece (2022) which Ron was set to task with only 2 days to make it in! It was removed after our Queen Elizabeth II died.

The King's Cipher is a monogram consisting of his Christian name C initial, and his title initial R which is 'rex', Latin for King. The III is the third Charles to come to the throne in England.

Take a stroll around the park with the komorebi which translates from Japanese meaning the light through the leaves on the trees

There is an attractive wall with a couple of niches which I'm going to be off the wall and suggest they could be straw skeps (beehives) especially as this wall faces south and would warm the bees. From Merchant and Makers, it states that:

'This is a feature in a wall found in walls of gardens and orchards besides farms. It is a small recess in the wall where a straw skep (bee hive) is placed to protect if from the rain and wind. The holes usually face South and South East so that the early morning sun would warm up the bees.'

The Old Rectory house is now a thriving community hub, and many volunteers tirelessly keep the site tidy and enjoyable for all. Thank you.

There are a few other gems in the area, have a look at the Fabulous North map