Hard work will pay off as Seaton Delaval Hall opens

Apr 30 2010 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

IT will be pay off time tomorrow after almost two years of striving to save Seaton Delaval Hall for public enjoyment.

The doors of the 18th-Century Northumbrian mansion will open to visitors for the first time under new owners the National Trust.

Four months ago Lord Hastings handed over the keys to his family’s ancestral home to the trust after a massive fund raising drive by 30,000 supporters of the bid to save the hall, which was backed by The Journal.

Since then trust property manager Catherine Atkinson has worked towards tomorrow’s opening date.

Around 2,000 visitors are expected over the weekend and 50,000 in the hall’s first year.

“It has been almost two years of fundraising and two years of gathering people’s opinions and views, which is something we will continue to do,” said Catherine. “There has been a lot going on and it has been a very steep learning curve for staff.

“It has been exciting but there have been days when we wondered if it would ever come together. But now all of us can’t wait for the opening day. There will be a happy buzz about the place .

“It will be a big thank you for the tens of thousands of people who have helped us get where we are.”

Open tomorrow will be the hall’s spectacular stables, the central block, gardens, paddock, and parts of the west wing which was the home of the late Lord and Lady Hastings.