Bonnyrigg History

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Bonnyrigg Hall History

Bonnyrigg Hall was built as a shooting box for Sir Edward W. Blackett (6th Baronet, of Matfen Hall ) in 1828. It was designed by eminent Newcastle architect John Dobson . The main hall was destroyed by fire in 1985 and only the coach house, stable block, part of the servant quarters and out buildings were left. We bought the property at auction in 1992, converted and extended the coach house to form a 4 bedroom detached house and continue to convert and renovate the remaining buildings. The stone for the project was recovered from the ruins of the former hall and is of very high quality chiseled ashlar sandstone. Keepers Cottage was converted in 2004/5.

Media Coverage

The History of Bonnyrigg Hall has been recently documented in the book The Ship That Came Home". The basis of this book is a manuscript discovered in a country bookshop in southern England, far away from the stately home, Matfen Hall in Northumberland, where it was written. It was ‘rescued’ by Charles Sebag-Montefiore, a well-known bibliophile and Treasurer of the London Library, and is the work of a Lady Blackett, the Victorian wife of Sir Edward Blackett The book presents a history of an important northern family, which incorporates some of Lady Blackett’s writing and many of her pictures and photographs. The author, Bill Purdue (Reader in British History at the Open University), also embraces the history of the many Blackett houses and the use they are put to today.



The winter of 1962 caused considerable problems for people living in remote rural areas.  One of the local Postmen relates a story about the difficulty of getting to Bonnyrigg Hall through the snow drifts.  The complete text is in The Haydon News.