Bewicke’s Restaurant, Close House Click to View Virtual Tour

Close House Click to View Virtual Tour

Bewicke’s Restaurant

At Close House Hotel it is our mission to make your dining experience one you will never forget.

Your experience starts with the friendly atmosphere that greets you on your arrival at Close House and onwards to Bewickes Restaurant and our private dining rooms. Bewickes Restaurant is the winner of the Best Fine Dining Restaurant within the North East Restaurant Awards 2009 in Association with the Gourmet Society.

Our dishes are made with quality ingredients from specialist suppliers across the UK and Europe. We are also proud to say that we equally embrace local suppliers who specialise in organic, free range, home produced products. Our Head Chef has a dedicated kitchen brigade behind him, and with the support of the Restaurant Manager and his team, they will meet your every need.

History of Close House

Close House was built in 1779 for the private use of the Bewicke family; however, its history dates back to the early thirteenth century.
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries there is evidence of a monastic house at the site, which was owned at the time by the Read Family. The property remained in the hands of the Read Family for several generations until George Read eventually sold the site to Robert Bewicke in 1626.

Robert Bewicke was a Merchant Venturer and was made Sheriff of Newcastle in 1615 and Mayor in 1628 and 1637, then began the long association of the Bewicke Family with Close House. In 1779 it was decided that a new building was required and the present Close House Mansion was built. The old monastic house was pulled down to make way for the new building. The large bay window of the ballroom marks the site of where it stood all those years ago.

The Bewicke family remained at Close House for many generations. However, wealth was dwindling and by the early part of the twentieth century the property was mortgaged. The finances of the Bewicke family never regained their original strength; so inevitably, much of the surrounding property was sold off between 1945 and 1953. This included Stevenson’s Cottage, High Close House and Heddon Quay. Finally the mansion and estate were sold at auction in 1953 and bought for the sum of £13,190 by James Rutherford and Sons.

In 1960 they approached Kings College, Newcastle upon Tyne, with the possibility of their purchasing Close House; the asking price was now £20,000! A sale price was agreed of £19,500 and the sale proceeded. Kings College at this point was part of Durham University but became the independent University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1963. In 1994, Close House Mansion was refurbished at a cost of just under £1,000,000.

In August 2004, Newcastle University sold Close House Mansion and golf course, together with the estate, to local business man Graham Wylie, who has developed the now renamed Close House Hotel into the most sought after venue in the North East of England, offering a wider range of facilities then ever before. The newly named property opened for business in March 2005.

The Dukes Grill, Slaley Hall Click to View Virtual Tour

The Terrace, Slaley Hall Click to View Virtual Tour

Eating & Drinking
Hadrian’s Brasserie is the latest addition to dining at Slaley Hall or indulge in the mouthwatering local menu at Claret Jug- the best 19th hole around.

The food is classic British with a local, contemporary twist. The wine list is extensive. The drama and excitement are pure Slaley Hall. Enjoy mouthwatering dishes, must-try legends and great stories to take home with you.
Our food philosophy is simple: Legendary local ingredients, prepared to perfection. Samples a range of dishes in Duke’s Grill, Hadrian’s Brasserie or the Claret Jug.

Duke’s Grill
Duke’s Grill: Chefs with a passion for the extraordinary. Dishes prepared at your table and a trolley stacked high with local cheeses.
Duke’s Grill in the classic Edwardian drawing room, captures the essence of Northumberland’s harvest, from land, river and sea. Lovingly prepared by our chefs, the exquisite meals and wide selection of wines will linger long in the memory.

Hadrian’s Brasserie
Haidrians, with stunning views and a menu to match. Perfect for an evening of exciting food and perfectly selected wine. An exquisitely designed restaurant, serving the freshest Northumberland produce. Don’t miss our locally inpspired must-try dishes and seasonal specials – truly wonderful.

Slaley Hall is the perfect environment for private dining. Your guests will love the drama and excitement of the evening. With local legendary dishes, elegant decor and stories to linger long in the memory.

White Room Restaurant, Seaham Hall Click to View Virtual Tour

The Café, Seaham Hall Click to View Virtual Tour

Michelin Star Dining at Seaham Hall
The White Room, is the finest Michelin star restaurant in County Durham, and you’ll want to tell your friends about it, whether you’re here as a private guest, visiting on business or simply because it’s your local restaurant. There are three kitchens in the hotel, all serving food made with the finest ingredients.
The Good Food Guide gave the restaurant at Seaham Hall a score of 6 and Harden’s Restaurant Guide gave us a Remy award as one of the top twenty restaurants outside London, and we were awarded 3 rosettes by the AA.

Please note: As from 31st August 2009, The White Room is closed for lunch between a Monday and Saturday.

Seaham Hall Hotel
A small luxury hotel twenty minutes from Newcastle Seaham Hall is the leading luxury hotel and spa destination resort in Northern England. AA Hotel of the Year 2004 this is a place to indulge yourself where service is founded on instinctive hospitality where the food is pure delight and where quality and attention to detail keep us awake at night not you.Linked to the hotel by a magical underground walkway The Serenity Spa is oriental in design and inspired by Feng Shui. Voted Best Spa for Style by The Sunday Times and Best UK Spa Destination by Conde Nast Traveller The Serenity Spa offers over eighty different treatments. Together they provide the indulgence of a luxury boutique hotel and a unique oriental spa resort just twenty minutes from Newcastle fifteen minutes from Durham and three hours from London.

The Dukes Grill, Slaley Hall Click to View Virtual Tour

The Terrace, Slaley Hall Click to View Virtual Tour

Set in 1000 acres of Northumbrian countryside crowned by a spectacular Japanese Garden and and 2 championship Golf Courses. It has extensive indoor and outdoor pursuits. Offer subject to a full non refundable payment at the time of booking to confirm the reservation. Hadrian’s Wall approximately 6 miles away, Beamish Museum approximately 30 miles and the Metro Centre is situated 25 miles away.
Slaley Hall, in Northumberland, was once a glorious sporting estate of around 3,000 acres lying south of Hexham and just north of the Derwent Reservoir on the Durham border. In the mid-1980s, to the amazement of many, it fell into the hands of developers who built houses and golf-courses across the land and gutted the house to create a vast modern hotel.

Originally built by the Hunting family in the Victorian baronial style typical of sporting estates of its sort throughout Scotland and northern England. It lay amid unspoilt countryside, moorland and forests which were rich in wildlife. From the moors a river ran through Italianate gardens and then through a series of cascades to a lake fringed by Rhododendrons and Azaleas. Originally the house was much larger, built on three floors with high pointed towers and a massive pitched roof.

However, following the First World War and the slaughter of a whole generation of young men, a fundamental change in English social habits occurred. The sensationally lavish Edwardian arrangments made to cater for and entertain very large numbers of guests for shooting and fishing house-parties – often lasting for a month or more in both the autumn and Spring seasons – declined.

Shortly after World War ll Slaley Hall was bought by Major & Mrs Jack Priestman who had sold a similar property, Shotley Park, nearby. No longer needing to live near Ashington Collieries, which they had owned prior to nationalisation of the coal industry in 1948, they concentrated on developing the excellent shooting, hunting and fishing at Slaley Hall. They acquired additonal moorland and invested heavily in forestry and improving the estate’s farms.

Slaley Hall is now a country house golf resort in Northumberland in North East England, which hosted The Great North Open between 1996 and 2002. It is surrounded by 1000 acres (4 km²) of Northumberland forest and moorland. It also hosts Weddings, Anniversaries, Parties and Business events in the hotel run by the De Vere Group.

It has many facilities including an indoor swimming pool, beauty salon, steam room, sauna, gym, sun beds, jacuzzi, and driving range.

The England National Football team usually stays at Slaley Hall when they are playing in the North East of England. The hall has been used for concerts by Elton John, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Paul McCartney, Paul Weller and The Cure.

Read more on the history of Slaley Hall here, courtesy Christopher Long: Slaley Hall, website

360º Virtual Tours

The Lounge, The Judges Hotel Click to View Virtual Tour	The Conservatory, The Judges Hotel Click to View Virtual Tour
Dom Perignon Dining Room, The Judges Hotel Click to View Virtual Tour	The Bridal Suite, The Judges Hotel Click to View Virtual Tour

History of The Judges Hotel

History plays quite a part in this gracious country house hotel and its extensive grounds. Built on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors in 1881 for the former engineering family, the Richardsons of Hartlepool, Kirklevington Hall was their home throughout the 1914-1918 war during which most of the family was lost.

Following the death of the only surviving member in 1940, the estate passed into the hands of a Hartlepool entrepreneur prior to being requisitioned by the Army towards the end of the last World War. The Army built a massive bunker within the grounds, which became a vital, secret command centre for the North East. With two feet thick reinforced concrete walls, it has now been converted to a modern residence for members of the Downs family – Judges current owners.

During the 1970s Kirklevington Hall became home to the countrys Judges when they were on circuit to Middlesbrough courts hence the current name. In 1989 the circuit Judges no longer required the Hall and it was acquired by the Downs family. They were no strangers to developing high quality country house hotels as they had already created Crathorne Hall Hotel, prior to selling it as a successful operation to the Virgin group.

Extensive utility development and a total refurbishment programme were undertaken and in 1994, Judges at Kirklevington Hall was launched. The Family and its small team, many of whom worked alongside them at Crathorne, subsequently set about restoring the 22 acre grounds to their former glory.

The beautiful gardens now comprise graceful lawns that sweep down from the Halls sunny terraces to a tiny river, which meanders across the estate via waterfalls and under ornate bridges. There are extensive rhododendron beds, formal features, herbaceous borders and a herb garden which provides the Kitchen with fresh produce. There is also a Victorian walled garden graced by old fruit trees and current developments incorporate a sizeable vegetable garden and greenhouse.

Natural woodlands complete with a network of unobtrusive pathways provide guests with a chance to stroll, jog or simply sit quietly on a shady wayside seat and watch the many birds, squirrels and rabbits at play or even the occasional deer or pheasant who wander into the grounds to sample the lush vegetation.

The above article is courtesy of The Judges Hotel official website: Read More

Restaurant, Six at The Baltic Click to View Virtual Tour	The Viewing Lounge, Six at The Baltic Click to View Virtual Tour
View from Millennium Bridge :: Gateshead Quayside Click to View Virtual Tour	The Baltic by night , Gateshead Quayside Click to View Virtual Tour

Six is the stunning new rooftop restaurant at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art combining breathtaking panoramic views with great food, great service and a great experience. Brought to you by Fresh Element, Executive chef Richard Sim will be preparing his trademark style of food best described as British modern cuisine featuring the very best ingredients simply cooked and served in a relaxed and friendly setting. Fresh Element brings to the restaurant their values of good, wholesome food, regionally sourced at a reasonable price with outstanding service in this spectacular venue.

Book a table at Six – here

SIX Restaurant
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
Gateshead Quays
South Shore Road
Gateshead
NE8 3BA

Bookings

email eat@sixbaltic.com or call 0191 4404948 (phones open from 10am daily).

Hours
Monday to Saturday: 12pm – 9:30pm*

Sundays: 12pm – 4pm*

*The restaurant doesn’t close at 9:30pm (or 4pm Sundays), this is just the latest time they take a table reservation!