History

The sale of the Meldon land by Greenwich Hospital to Isaac Cookson 3rd was held on April 19th in London 1832.

The sale details go as follows "The manor of Meldon including Meldon Park Estate and farms, five miles from Morpeth, with Meldon Park Corner Inn (now Dyke Neuk Inn) and premises; also the north and south Needles Hall Farms, consisting of 2,070 acres, including 171 acres of plantation and woods, water corn mill and fishing in the river, farm houses, buildings and gardens etc., rental at the time of the sale £2,119 per annum, free from tithe. The auctioneer announced at the sale that £7,000 had been spent a few years before in improving the property".

The first stone of the present house was laid on the 17th October 1832.

Meldon Park has now been lived in by the Cookson family since it was built to this day except for two short periods when the Fenwick family rented the property in about 1900 for 3 to 4 years. It was also utilized by the Sanderson Orthopaedic Hospital for Children who were evacuated to the countryside during the 2nd World War. Still to this day the marble fireplaces show the occasional chip where a bed head rested.

2001 witnessed the arrival of the 7th generation of Cookson's: James, Emily and their three daughters Amelia, Jemima and Natasha. It is their intention to strengthen the community through introducing and facilitating new business and eventually handing the Estate onto the next generation.

Thanks to James' Father and Mother and their team the garden has been beautifully maintained and therefore largely responsible for what you see today. Both Mr & Mrs Cookson, Billy Campbell, and Ma Spratt spent many hours in the garden, whether it was simple weeding, pruning and general maintenance. Unfortunately the patching of the greenhouses wasn't sufficient to keep them standing hence you see a new conservatory for the restaurant plus new greenhouse.

What now…

The plan is to utilise, where possible, the great food being produced on the Estate by its tenant farmers and make it available for the public to purchase whether it is through the restaurant, shop or tea room and Meldon Park food brand. In addition we hope to encourage further new business on the estate which will benefit as a result of the Meldon Park Kitchen Garden.