History

WYNYARD lies in a wooded parkland setting and its name, which means ‘vineyard’ goes back to Anglo-Saxon times. This was seemingly an era of milder climates as vineyards were not unknown in northern England in the medieval period. We know nothing of the vineyard at Wynyard, other than the clue in its historic name. Wynyard was described in 1600 as “so fruitfull of soyle, and pleasant of situation, soe beautified and adorned with woods and groves, as noe lands in that part of the countrie be comparable to them”. The manor house would have been a relatively humble abode compared to the grand house today but in a lovely setting. The grounds (which once covered 7,000 acres at its height), include a 15-acre lake in the valley of the Brierley Beck and a 127-feet high obelisk to the south of the lake that commemorates the visit of the Duke of Wellington in 1827. The obelisk was completed in 1852 just as the news of the duke’s death “reached the ears of the workmen”. The Prince & Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII & Queen Alexandra) were frequent visitors to Wynyard. King Edward presided over a meeting of the Privy Council there in 1903 – the first time the Council had met in a house belonging to a subject since 1625.