Newcastle Historic mansion to become top city hotel


One of NewcastleGateshead’s historic mansions is being refurbished to convert the building into a boutique hotel and specialist restaurant.

The £7m refurbishment project is well underway to modernise and convert Jesmond Dene House, a grade II listed building located in two acres of gardens in the heart of Jesmond Dene just a few minutes from city centre.

The project is being led by a partnership of regional businessmen including award-winning developer Peter Candler and regional and nationally renowned chef Terry Laybourne, who runs the Café 21 restaurants.

The owners intend to establish a first-class hotel and restaurant. Jesmond Dene House will offer 41 en-suite bedrooms; a large dining area, which will specialise in serving fresh, seasonal regional produce; and facilities for business meetings and seminars. It will also offer wedding and banqueting facilities.

Construction work started last summer and is due to be complete before the end of this summer. The refurbishment will retain the integrity of the original building while introducing a modern but warm style of interior design.

Peter Candler explained: “Jesmond Dene House has a special setting – a city location with the benefits of a parkland environment. The grounds merge into Jesmond Dene that is expected to undergo its own extensive programme of restoration.

“The parkland setting and its historical context give Jesmond Dene House a quite distinctive feel. We hope that the hotel and restaurant will be regarded as one of the finest in the region and become a showcase for the best values of the people of the North East.”

Jesmond Dene House has a remarkable history. It was built in 1822 from designs by the prominent Newcastle architect John Dobson, who is responsible for much of the finest Georgian architecture around Tyne and Wear. Originally known as ‘Black Dene House’, the building was one of Dobson’s early Gothic designs.

The house was built for local physician and political figure Thomas Emerson Headlam before being purchased by Captain Andrew Noble, a business partner of the armaments manufacturer Lord Armstrong, in 1871.

Major alterations and enlargement of Jesmond Dene House took place in a series of phases during the latter part of the 19th century. The interior includes some fine rooms by Norman Shaw, one of the most eminent architects of the time, along with a magnificent Great Hall.

The house remained within the Noble family until 1930 when it and the extensive grounds were purchased by Newcastle City Council.

During the Second World War Jesmond Dene House served as a Civil Defence establishment, during which time a series of tunnels and vaults were created underground to act as an air raid shelter for headquarters staff.

The building then had a variety of uses but has stood empty, falling into disrepair in recent years

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