Blanchland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Blanchland is a delightful model village in Northumberland, England, right on the County Durham boundary with picturesque houses, set against a backdrop of deep woods and open moors.

Located near the Derwent Reservoir, it provides excellent facilities for sailing and fishing. This village boasts a fine array of different retail outlets including: The Post Office, Blanchland Stores, Gallery Upstairs, The White Monk Tea Rooms, and Get Ahead Hats.

Blanchland as we see it was formed out of the mediaeval abbey by Lord Nathaniel Crewe the Bishop of Durham. The Lord Crewe Arms has a vast fireplace where 'General' Tom Forster hid during the 1715 Jacobite rising. The hotel is reputedly haunted by the ghost of his sister, Dorothy.

W. H. Auden stayed at the Lord Crewe Arms with Gabriel Carritt at Easter 1930, and later remarked that no place held sweeter memories. Blanchland is the setting for Auden and Isherwood's play The Dog Beneath the Skin.

Another celebrated poet Philip Larkin used to dine at the hotel when staying with Monica Jones in Haydon Bridge.

With a population of 140, its unspoilt qualities make it a frequent setting for period films, set in the 18th century, such as those based on the novels of Catherine Cookson.