Axwell Hall was designed by James Paine in 1760 for the Clavering family. The Claverings had previously lived at old Axwell (demolished in the 1960s) on the east side of the valley near Clockburn Lonnen. Axwell Hall now stands empty and is in a poor state of repair {1}. Axwell Hall - 1758 by Paine but not as he would have liked. He was driven to complain in his Works about the interference of his amateur architect client, Sir Thomas Clavering, and to append to the second edition a plate of his original scheme. The unsatisfactory design was carried into execution by John Bell of Durham. Like many Palladian houses, it is a villa writ large, unusually large because all accommodation is compacted into a single 100ft square block rather than into additional pavilions and wings, which Paine would have preferred. Consequently the plan is very unusual. Small porch and the section of cornice carrying a coat of arms in the pediment added later. The grand staircase, of the largest size and imperial type, was in the middle of the house under an oblong lantern. Never as fine as Paine intended it, and since taken down. Most of the decoration has nothing to do with Paine, and some of the main room heights were reduced by Clavering. Palladian-style plasterwork in the main room with oblong, oval etc panels in broad frames. The post-Clavering alterations inside and out were by Dobson 1817-18. He also built a garden temple {2}. In 1920 the estate was broken up and the hall became the Newcastle Ragged School.
An archaeological evaluation was undertaken in Dec 2010 by NPA which revealed reinforced concrete, concrete foundations and redbrick structure associated with the Ragged School. A number of yellow sandstone walls with associated steps (dating to at least 1856) were also noted which may have been a stable block thought to be associated with Axwell Hall. The roof was surveyed in 2007 by Oxford Archaeology North which revealed that the present structure is unlikely to be the original 18th century roof. It appears to have undergone rebuilding or repair. However, the major timbers of the roof are formed from the original 18th century timbers.

The Fulwell mirror has been revealed recently in modern reclamation work, and was designed to keep at bay German zeppelins. Examples of acoustic mirrors have long been known at RAF Biggin Hill and on the Kentish Coast, as well as in Malta. The mirrors are of three types. The Fulwell dish mirror was one of the Coastal Watcher type or Track Plotting Mirrors. It would have supplemented information derived from other sources such as the Radio Direction finding Stations, for example the Stockton-on-Tees Y station. This had a limited range of some 15 to 20 miles and was capable of giving a 4 minute Early Warning Alarm via London or the Senior Naval officers at Newcastle or Hull. The technology of these mirrors was remarkably modern. A signal was reflected by the dish to a collector head and thence to a receiver. The modus operandi was for the Duty Observer or 'Listener' to take up position in a bunker, usually in front of the 15ft mirror with the stethoscope head-set connecting him to the collector head, usually an amplified microphone, above his own head. The optimum sound effect received, coupled with the Doppler effect, nicely illustrated the track of the intruder. By evolving an excellent reporting system, its course could be tracked and plotted sufficiently accurately to allow the anti-aircraft defences to take defensive action. The Fulwell mirror was of a similar type to the two Yorkshire examples at Redcar and Boulby. The Fulwell example consisted of an 11ft high rear wall, some 18ft across, containing a 15ft mirror. This was made possible because the mirror was tilted backwards so that its axis was above the horizontal. This provides some evidence that its original purpose was to detect aircraft and not ships. It had two short walls for stability and to exclude ground noises. The noise of an approaching zeppelin's engine could be picked up some 15 minutes away. The Fulwell example has its own interest in that not only does the whole mirror seem somewhat smaller than the Redcar example, but the collector head may have been secured in front of the mirror by wires across the arms, so allowing the head to be variably positioned, unlike the fixed stand-pipe still surviving at Kilnsea. The Fulwell Mirror probably dates to the 1917-1918 period. A watching brief revealed projecting concrete foundations within the immediate curtilage of the mirror which may have been a raft or plinth and a concrete plinth of a pyramidal shape surrounding a hollow metal column or pipe. A similar construction to this has been noted at Kilnsea and interpreted as a listening post. The Kilnsea example was previously thought to be the only surviving example. There is no evidence of a listening trench in front of the mirror.
List description reads:
DESCRIPTION: the mirror is located on a gently sloping hillside 2km inland from the coast on the block of land between the Tyne and Wear estuaries. It is a `U'-shaped, concrete built structure comprising a thick wall with an inclined face and a shallow concave bowl shaped into its centre. On either side of the wall are projecting flanking walls, which helped to protect the reflector from noise interference and also supported the structure. The reflector is a smooth bowl 4.5m in diameter, inclined approximately 11 degrees to the vertical. The rear wall is 5.8m in length and is 4m high. The two flanking walls are 3.9m long. The reflected sound was detected by a microphone placed in front of the dish and then transmitted to the headphones of the operator who sat in a trench to the front. The location of the operator's trench is currently uncertain, but is thought to be situated on the eastern side. It has been suggested that at this mirror the microphone was secured in front of the dish by wires attached to the side walls, so allowing it to be variably positioned. This differs from other mirrors in the north-east where the microphone was fixed on a metal post in front of the dish. On the northern face of the mirror there is an interpretation plaque.

The distinguished local historian Robert Surtees recorded the discovery in the river of a Roman milestone inscribed with a dedication to the Emperor Gordian. {1}

C19 cement works used local limestone in the manufacture of cement. {1}

Designed by James Paine {1}. At the west end of the mile long terrace-avenue of grass stands the Chapel which is also a mausoleum, a gem of Georgian architecture designed by James Paine. It is built of pale grey Streatlam stone in the shape of a Greek cross, with the west-end forming an Ionic portico approached by two flights of balustraded steps. The interior is beautiful. A dome is carried on four arches on the barrel-vaulted arms of the plan. The shafts of Corinthian columns are of fine buff stone with handsome markings. A domed aisle fills each corner. The altar is placed centrally under the dome. The pulpit is an unusual one of three decks placed beneath the western arch with a stove, and benches behind for a choir. The mausoleum is underneath the chapel. A vault is formed by a groined arch around the side of which are eleven niches arranged in a semi-circle. The chapel was begun for George Bowes in 1760, and was completed and consecrated in 1812 {2}.

Designed by Daniel Garrett {1}. By 1747 the existing stables next to Gibside House were proving inadequate. Bowes decided to build new stables away from the house in the form of the fashionable stable block. He chose to build a stable block around a courtyard. The mention of the new stables was in the cash accounts of March 1747. The foundations were laid in November 1747. The Palladian east front of the building had a central doorway set in a five bay façade. The door was flankined by niches linked by blank arcades. Decorative niches ornamented the lower storeys of the outer bays and a parapet masked most of the roof. Wings on either side of the Palladian centrepiece were set back and had the appearance of pavilions. The south side of the quadrangle was the main entrance and had two tall wooden doors. Another arched entrance on the west side meant that a coach could enter through one gateway and exit through the other without reversing. The groom's lodging was beside and over the southern entrance. There was a granary on the first floor. The upper floors were used for storing hay and fodder. There was standing for at least 20 horses and coach houses on the west side of the courtyard {2}. Archaeologically recorded in 2002. Conservation and conversion work began in 2004. In 2013 the cobbled stableyard was recorded. It is decorated with a star pattern. Four evaluation trenches were excavated in the yard and outside the south wall of the stable block. A subsequent watching brief recorded a water-fed horse trough and a cobbled apron outside the stableyard.

Gothic banqueting hall by Daniel Garrett. Recently restored by the Landmark Trust {1}. The Banqueting Hall was built in the florid Gothic style with ornamented crockets and a pointed spire rising above the front entrance. The windows were glazed in geometrical patterns. A staircase led to the roof for a fine view. The interior consisted of a spacious dining hall with ornamented ceiling. The floor of pine was laid so that not a nail hole or mark was visible. At each end mirrors were placed in the walls giving an impression of almost endless length of table and guests Referred to in records as "the Gothick Building". First mentioned in accounts in 1741. The plasterwork was by Philip Daniel, a Swiss stuccatore. He worked at Gibside from 1743 to 1744 {2}.

12ft high statue of British Liberty, standing on a 140ft high column. Erected by local labour in 1757 at a cost of £2000. The statue was carved by Christopher Richardson from a block of stone at the top of the column {1}. The column was truly monumental. There was a sturdy pedestal, and rising above it 51 courses of greyish buff stone forming an elegant Roman Doric column. On the abacus was a drum with a tall capstan-shaped support for the statue of Liberty. She was dressed in classical drapery. Her left hand held the folds of her skirt, and her right the staff of Maintenance and cap of Liberty. The statue was built at a time of exubererant nationalism. 1745 saw the publication of "Rule Brittannia" and the introduction of "God Save the King". Brittannia was closely associated with Liberty. Nowhere in the Gibside records was the statue referred to as "British Liberty" and this description must have grown up as part of the patriotic feeling of the time {2}.

The original Gibside Hall was built between 1603 and 1620 as a three storey mansion and then altered to two storeys with "battlements" by John Bowes in 1805. Sir George Bowes (1701 - 1760), a founder of the Grand Allies of Durham Coal owners, developed the estate commissioning the design of several buildings. Bowes himself seems to have been responsible for the landscaping of the grounds. The hall itself is now a ruin, although the back of the house appears almost entire. Some of the contents of the hall may be seen at the Bowes Museum {1}. Gibside Hall was built by William Blakiston in 1620 in the reign of James I, possibly incorporating earlier parts, three storeys high and covered with grey slates. In 1805 the 10th Earl of Strathmore removed a storey, replacing it with a high battlemented parapet as we see it today. The windows of the four bays are divided by heavy stone mullions. The sun dial above the front porch bears the motto: "UTI HORA, SIC VITA" (as an hour, so is life). Over the door are the initials of William and Jane Blakiston with the date 1620 and his arms quartering Marley. Above are the Royal arms of James I, flanked by sculptured figures. The chimney piece in the drawing room depicted Samson and Hercules supporting a huge mantel shelf above which were the arms of the founder of the mansion {2}. A dendrochronology sample in 2002 gave a felling date of AD 1471. This sample was from an inserted lintel, and was reused timber. Gibside Hall is of three storeys and five bays with a central square projecting bay with a arched door. When George Bowes took possession of Gibside in 1693 he made changes to the hall, adding 14 sash windows, moving the kitchens and adding a library. On his death the estate passed to his daughter Mary Eleanor who added a further wing to the hall to improve kitchen offices. Her son, the 10th Earl of Strathmore also tried to improve the kitchens and removed the top storey and replaced it with a battlemented parapet. Gibside passed to his son John Bowes who lived in France and then to the 13th Earl of Strathmore who lived in Scotland/Hertfordshire {4}. During the 20th century the house fell into disrepair, culminating in the removal of the roof tiles in the 1950s. The building is now a roofless shell {4}. Daniel Garrett worked on Gibside for George Bowes.

Clockburn Lonnen was an ancient drove road from Scotland to Durham. The road turned inland here to cross the River Derwent and then to cross the River Tyne at Newburn, the lowest safe fords. The course of the former drove road can be followed alongside the new village of Winlaton Mill and through Land's Wood to Winlaton. This route was used by Oliver Cromwell and his army in 1650, on their way to the Battle of Dunbar {1}. By 15th July 1650, Cromwell's army was at Newcastle. The army had rested at Whickham for two days. The cannon and heavy baggage had been sent via Clockburn Lane, to ford the Derwent at Winlaton Mill, advancing by Birk Gate to Winlaton and Stella, to cross the Tyne at the east end of Stella Haughs, to meet the Protector and the main army on the north side of the Tyne.