Fallodon is a hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Newton-by-the-Sea, in the county of Northumberland, England. It is the territorial designation of Viscount Grey of Fallodon and Baronet Grey of Fallodon. It is pronounced with the emphasis on the first syllable.

Governance

Fallodon is in the parliamentary constituency of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

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History

The name Fallodon, formerly Fallowdon or Falloden, derives from the Old English words of fealu and dūn, meaning a pale brown hill. In the 12th century, the name of the place was spelled Falewedune, when there was a chapel there. In the subsidy roll or 1296, the name was spelled Faludon. The population fell to 105 in 1871 and continued to decline to 49 in 1951. Between 1866 and 1955 Fallodon was designated as a civil parish in its own right. On the 1st of April 1955, all 1061 acres were transferred to the civil parish of Newton-by-the-Sea.

Fallodon was held as part of the Alnwick barony by the Lucker family, along with Lucker and South Charlton; Robert de Lucker inherited Fallodon from his brother Simon in 1288. In 1323, royal license was given to the representative of Alnwick Abbey to appropriate Fallodon to the use of the abbot and convent. By the 16th century, Fallodon was the property of Sir Reginald Carnaby in common with the adjoining townships of Newton-by-the-Sea and Brunton. After Sir Reginald's death in 1547, Fallodon was divided between his two daughters, Katherine, who was married to Cuthbert, Lord Ogle, and Mabel, who was married to George Lawson of Usworth. In 1581, Fallodon had become the property of William Lawson, son of Robert Lawson of Rock. In about 1598, Fallodon was sold with Rock to Sir Ralph Lawson of Brough.</blockquote>

Landmarks

thumb|Fallodon level crossing in 2007

Fallodon Hall is a two-storey Grade II listed country house, located within the hamlet of Fallodon, on the outskirts of the town of Christon Bank. It was largely built in the early 18th century for Thomas Wood (1675-1755) of Burton in Bamburgh, who had acquired the estate in the 1707 from William Salkeld for £3,450. The Salkeld family had constructed the original red brick house and established the gardens and orchards, including a large walled garden constructed by them in the 17th century, altered in the 18th and 19th and still standing.

The rear wing added in the early 19th century by the Grey family, designed by architect John Dobson. Following a major fire in 1917, a significant remodelling was undertaken between 1921 and 1924 by Reavell and Cahill of Alnwick, including removal of the former top storey. The main part of the house is constructed of red brick from the Netherlands, which came as ballast in ships, with ashlar dressings. The rear wing is squared stone, the roofs are slate. There is a rainhead located at the entrance on the north side of the house dated 1796 with the initials C.G. (Charles Grey) on it. The east and west gatehouse lodges of Fallodon Hall also still stand.

Fallodon Hall was sold in 1946 to The Hon. Henry Bridgeman, who was descended from the earls of Bradford and Scarborough, by Edward Grey's nephew, Captain Sir Cecil Graves. The Hall remains in the Bridgeman family as a private residence, with the gardens often being open to the public to raise funds for the Red Cross and the wider estate still operating as a farm.

thumb|The information board and memorial tree in June 2023.

The East Coast Main Line railway runs through Fallodon, with Chathill station being closest to the hamlet.

There was a small railway station located close to Fallodon Hall for the private use of the Grey family, this was named Fallodon, though referred to in a local guide pamphlet as the halt. When Edward Grey died in 1933 the railway staff at Fallodon planted a copper beech tree in his memory in the station garden. The tree still exists and to help maintain a wider understanding of its purpose the North Eastern Railway Association placed an information board at the site in April 2023. This records Grey’s association with the former station and the North Eastern Railway, and was generously supported by the Bridgeman Family, Adrian Graves (Grey’s great-great nephew) and Network Rail.

thumb|Nameplate from the locomotive

An LNER Class B17 steam locomotive built at Darlington and completed in October 1930 received the name Fallodon. However apart from occasional visits to Darlington for maintenance, it spent most of its working life in Manchester (Gorton) - from where it worked expresses to Harwich and London - and later in East Anglia. It was withdrawn from service in September 1959; its nameplates survive in private collections.

Notable people

Samuel Salkeld (1635–99) was a celebrated gardener who made significant improvements to the productivity of Fallodon as noted by the contemporary source Thesaurus Geographicus in 1695:

<blockquote>The Improvement in Tillage at Rock by John Salkeld, Esq. and in Gardening and Fruitery at Falladon, by Samuel Salkeld, Gentleman; are Fineries hardly to be met with in these parts: The latter is the more remarkable, because of an Opinion which has prevail'd in the World, That the coldness of the Climate in these Northern parts, will not allow any Fruit to come to its proper perfection and ripeness. Wood also contributed to the education of poorer children of the area during his lifetime, having built a school-house at Falloden before his death. Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey and Sir George Grey, 1st Baronet were his sons, both born at Fallodon, with Sir George Grey being created 1st Baronet Grey of Fallodon in 1814. Eliza Courtney, daughter of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, was raised at Fallodon by her paternal grandparents. Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet of Fallodon and Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon also grew up at Fallodon, with Edward inheriting the estate in 1884 and dying there in 1933.

References

  • Fallodon

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