Headlam Hall nr Darlington, North East England

Hotel check-in time:

Hotel check-out time:

Restaurant

Opening Times

Breakfast
7am-10am Mon- Fri
8am-10am Sat & Sun

Lunch service from 12pm - 2pm (2.30pm on Sundays)

Dinner service from 6pm - 9pm

Afternoon Tea
3pm – 5pm Mon - Sat .  24 hours notice is required

Brasserie

Monday to Friday: 9.30am - 6pm (4.30pm Oct-Apr)

Weekends: 9am - 6pm (4.30pm Oct-Apr)

Dress Code

Smart casual

Parking Facilities

Ample free parking on site, they have two EV charging points. Charges may apply.

Disabled Access

The hotel has a lift in the Spa building, not in the main Hotel. Please note that the lift is operational during Spa opening hours only from 9am and 9pm, outside these hours the rooms in the Spa area are accessible via stairs only.

The Mews rooms are on ground floor.

Two Mews rooms are disabled adapted, with wet room, grab rails and on ground floor.

Child Policy

Children are welcome. Children under 16 can be accommodated in selected Family rooms or Junior Suites, a charge of £40 per child per night applies on a bed and breakfast basis. Children under 4 stay free of charge.

Please contact us if a family room is required.

No children under 5 are allowed in restaurant after 7pm unless a private dining room has been booked.

Children under 16 are welcome to use the pool in the spa between 8am-9am & 4pm-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 8am-10am & 4pm-5.30pm Sat & Sun.

The grounds

One of the most impressive features of Headlam Hall is the beautiful walled garden.

Set over four acres it include an impressive main lawn edged with a colourful herbaceous border, ancient yew and beech hedges, an ornamental canal and delightful rose garden.

The garden also produces soft fruits, herbs and vegetables that are used in the hotel kitchens to provide the freshest possible ingredients. Activities in the garden include a hard tennis court and summer croquet lawn or just enjoy a relaxing stroll in this charming place.

History of the hotel

In the 16th Century the Headlam estate came into the possession of the Birkbeck family, originally of Hornby in Cumberland, through the marriage of Thomas Birkbeck into the Lancaster family of Stockbridge, Westmorland.

The second son of Thomas, Henry "of Headlam" soon inherited the new family estate. He married Anne, daughter of Henry Brackenbury of Selaby, and the two of them were responsible for the construction of Headlam Hall at the turn of 17th Century. As a gift to his wife, Henry had an elaborate oak fireplace installed in the main hall with the Birkbeck coat of arms displayed in the centre of the mantle. This feature still stands in pride of place to this very day.

The descent of the Birkbeck family thereafter was through the female line. By the mid 18th Century the property came into the possession of Lawrence Brockett as a result of his marriage to Anne, the great, great granddaughter of Henry and Anne Birkbeck.

The Hall then remained with the Brockett family for the next century and a half. The best known member of the Brocketts was the youngest of Lawrence and Anne's five sons, also called Lawrence. He became Regus Professor of Modern History at Cambridge by the age of 38, but died five years later after falling from his horse. He was buried at Gainford by torchlight, probably the church's last nocturnal burial.

The Brocketts were responsible for the alterations and re-building of the south wing and west elevation during the Georgian period. The addition of the north wing as a servants quarters in 1912 utilised stone and material from the demolition of an older dwelling to the east of the courtyard.

In 1912 the property was acquired by Lord and Lady Gainford (J.A Pease, M.P.), where they lived until their deaths in the early 1940's. The Hall then belonged to the Stobart family up until 1977 when it was acquired by its present owners, the Robinson family, who have farmed at Headlam for four generations.

Dogs Policy

Well behaved dogs welcome to stay in Mews Bedrooms but not permitted in public rooms except the Brasserie (open 9-5).

There is no charge for dogs to stay.