The Curtain Rises project at Seaton Delaval Hall

The final piece of the jigsaw of the Curtain Rises project was complete when the West Wing reopened in June 2022, complete with a new roof, chimneys, conservation-grade heating and lighting plus a re-presentation of the collection.

Project work continued throughout lockdown, with a much-reduced team working on site. The South East garden has been planted up, a new welcome area and entrance has been completed, and new paths have been created for your convenience. In the East Wing, we completed work in the stables, re-roofed the Carriage House and removed the temporary buildings. Finally, the area outside the café has had a makeover, and we’ve moved indoors to finish works to the new Brewhouse Café. 

One of the key elements of the project has been to reintroduce some of the path networks that were found on the 1781 estate plan. The first part of the new entrance route, inspired by this plan, leads you past the bastion at Visitor Welcome through a restored gateway, and across the landscape to join up with the new Lost Wing Path near the hall.  

The arrival of a lorry loaded with pleached lime trees marks the moment that our tree planting in the south-east woodland begins. They will soon be followed by river birch, yews, and other trees, shrubs and ornamentals in the coming weeks, and the woodland will open to visitors in 2020.  

The team have just started work in the kitchen passage that connects the West Wing and the Central Hall. This part of the hall was not previously open to visitors, but as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported Curtain Rises project, the corridor will be opened up in the coming months. You'll be able to explore the passage for the very first time when the West Wing reopens in 2021.

Work has started on the South Portico steps this week. The steps are being lifted to enable a damp proof membrane to be installed beneath. This will stop water getting into the basement below. The stone steps are being carefully removed with a suction device, laid out and numbered, ready to be re-laid.  

Ahead of the re-roof of the West Wing, the conservation team has been checking the condition of the existing roof beams and have found evidence of the fire of 1752. Now that the timbers and masonry are exposed, we can see that some of the chimney stacks are in urgent need of repair. The team have removed the stacks stone by stone, numbering them, and bringing them down to ground level to be individually laid out ready for inspection. And the process of repair, replacement and rebuilding begins... 

Throughout 2019 the team will transform the Brewhouse into a new café. The building is being left as close to its current state as possible, and you’ll be able to see the beautiful stonework and the remnants of the mash-tun from its brewing days. The roof will be stripped of its slates to allow the timbers to be assessed and repaired, with as many of the slates as possible being re-fitted. Foundations are being laid for the new-build area which will house the kitchen and additional seating, and we will convert an old cart shed into toilet facilities.

The stone ha-ha walls around the perimeter of the gardens are being stabilised, and the three bastions (the circular stone structures at each of the corners of the site) are being strengthened with supporting iron rings, which will pull the stonework inwards and prevent it from buckling. This work starts in March 2019 and continues throughout the year and into 2020.   

After spending the winter getting our National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported Curtain Rises project started on the ground, we’re delighted to reopen the site to visitors. The scenes are changing at Seaton Delaval Hall and things will look very different, but we’re excited to tell you about the work so far and what we have planned when we welcome you back. 

A vast scaffolding network is being erected around the West Wing to allow us to replace the existing roof and carry out high level stone repairs. Inside the West Wing, there are up to nine layers of paint and over the years these layers have prevented the stonework from ‘breathing’. As a result, the masonry has suffered from damp. The paintwork will be carefully removed from key areas and replaced with a breathable solution that will better care for the stonework in future. 

Extensive landscaping works have begun to remove overcrowded trees, making space for new healthy growth in the future. We’ll be planting new trees and shrubs which will mature over time, and we’re introducing 450 more trees across the site than are being removed. 

Ahead of reopening, one of the first jobs is to carefully take down the wall at the entry point of the car park. This was in danger of collapse and while the site is quieter, the contractors have been able to remove the mound of earth and discarded masonry that had been deposited against the brickwork over many years. The wall will be rebuilt, making use of as much of the existing brickwork as possible.

Seaton Delaval Hall is closing for three months to allow the lead contractors carrying out the work to create a compound that will act as their base at the property. First, they will begin the process of stabilising the wall next to the orchard and entrance to the car park, and reconfigure the pedestrian entrance to the grounds from the car park.  

North Shields-based firm, Historic Property Restoration Limited, has been appointed as principal contractor for the construction phase of the project, following a rigorous and European-wide procurement process. HPR will now lead the on-site activity to conserve the hall, which includes stabilising the West Wing roof, cantilever staircases and portico steps of the Central Hall.  

The West Wing closed in September 2018 to enable us to begin documenting the collection ahead of the decant – the removal of the collection from the wing – and we’re continuing to label, pack and move over 5,000 items to temporary stores. The volunteer maintenance team have been hard at work creating these stores, providing around 200 metres of racking shelving for storing collection items. Once this work has finished the scaffolding will then go up to prepare for re-roofing the wing. 

As part of the project, Studio Hardie has produced designs for a new play area at Seaton Delaval Hall. Set in the Northwest woodland, the play area will draw inspiration from the architecture and scenery of Baroque theatre and, situated within the trees, will offer new perspectives of the landscape. The play area will explore the mechanics of backstage such as frames, rigging and sound machines, imagining how the Delavals might have arranged a magical theatre in the woodlands. In addition, playful interventions will offer opportunities for intergenerational play. 

We've been awarded £3.7million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to bring new life to Seaton Delaval Hall for visitors and the community. The funds will help to repair and conserve this Baroque masterpiece, including the installation of a new basement floor, a new roof for the west wing and new interpretation across the property. As well as repairs, we'll be installing new visitor facilities, and working with artists, local communities, students and volunteers to develop ambitious new events and experiences.