*** Special Offer: For a £5 discount on Historic Houses membership use code STEW05 ***
Historic Houses has several fine properties in County Durham including nearby Raby Castle and Auckland Palace. However Ushaw House is one of the most intriguing, with its impressive Georgian and Victorian Gothic revival architecture. It was never a stately home, but rather a catholic seminary with an unusual history.
St Cuthbert’s Chapel and Main House
The seminary was founded in 1808 by exiles from the English College of Douai (situated about 25 miles south of Lille). For 300 years the college had acted as a seminary for catholic priests avoiding protestant England, but they themselves had to flee following the French Revolution and settled at Ushaw Moor just three miles west of Durham.
The seminary, known as Ushaw College, flourished for 200 years, during which time many impressive chapels were built and the main house and gardens were developed.
However, it closed in 2011 as the numbers of trainee priests dwindled, but then reopened in 2014 as a visitor attraction. It is now owned and run by a charitable trust that is independent of church and government.
Ushaw Main House
Parlour
The main house now has extensive collections of paintings by old masters, pieces of sculpture and rare books. It also hosts exhibitions.
Future exhibitions include such diverse subjects as ‘150 Years of Wedding Dresses‘ and ‘Extinction‘. There are two permanent exhibitions: ‘The Pugins at Ushaw‘ and ‘Victorian Schoolroom‘.
The main house also contains the Big Library, containing over 50,000 books and archives, the Refectory and the ornate Parlour, designed by Edward Pugin. This is where the professors would dine away from the students.
The Ushaw Café situated in the main house is a pleasant place to relax with drinks, snacks and light meals.
Chapels
St Cuthbert’s Chapel
The largest and most impressive chapel at Ushaw is St Cuthbert’s Chapel, which was opened in 1884. It has many decorative Gothic features retained from a previous chapel dating back to 1847, designed by Augustus Pugin. Its stained glass windows are particularly striking
There are several side-chapels, designed by Augustus Pugin and his son Edward, which contain a wide range of paintings and pieces of sculpture.
The Lady Chapel, St Charles Borromeo Chapel and St Joseph’s Chapel are among the most interesting.
Gardens
Shrub and Rose Beds in front of Main House
The ornamental gardens at Ushaw cover about five acres. They were originally set out in the 1840s, but have been much redesigned since, including a major regeneration begun in 2007.
They give great views back to the main buildings at Ushaw and out over the surrounding Durham countryside.
Originally rhododendrons were the major shrubs in the gardens, but these are now supplemented by a wide range of other shrubs and roses.
Dragon by the Lake
Several striking wooden animal carvings are sited around the gardens, including a dragon, an owl, a badger and a fox.
At the lower end of the gardens is a two acre lake which was dug out in 1806. Unfortunately the lake is no longer at its best, as much of its water was lost in the 1960s as a result of mining work.
A curious feature to the east of the main buildings is a castle-like wall, the so-called Bounds Wall, with six arch-roofed recesses. These were used by students at Ushaw College for a playing a sport similar to fives played in public schools.
Entry to Ushaw House, Chapels and Gardens costs £14 for adults and £8 for children.
Owl in the Woods
However if you take up annual membership with Historic Houses, you will get free entry, plus free entry to 300 other heritage sites, including some of the top sites in the country such as Raby Castle and Harewood House.
Enter our unique code STEW05 at ‘Add discount code’ and new members will receive a £5 discount. This also applies if you wish to give annual membership as a gift.
To access these special rates, Under 'Rate Preference' select 'Senior Discount'Click on 'Special Rates' select 'Senior Rate'.• See discounts also at Best Western,Marriott, Radisson, Ramada and Accor.
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Historic Houses County Durham: Ushaw House, Chapels and Gardens
*** Special Offer: For a £5 discount on Historic Houses membership use code STEW05 ***
Historic Houses has several fine properties in County Durham including nearby Raby Castle and Auckland Palace. However Ushaw House is one of the most intriguing, with its impressive Georgian and Victorian Gothic revival architecture. It was never a stately home, but rather a catholic seminary with an unusual history.
The seminary was founded in 1808 by exiles from the English College of Douai (situated about 25 miles south of Lille). For 300 years the college had acted as a seminary for catholic priests avoiding protestant England, but they themselves had to flee following the French Revolution and settled at Ushaw Moor just three miles west of Durham.
The seminary, known as Ushaw College, flourished for 200 years, during which time many impressive chapels were built and the main house and gardens were developed.
However, it closed in 2011 as the numbers of trainee priests dwindled, but then reopened in 2014 as a visitor attraction. It is now owned and run by a charitable trust that is independent of church and government.
Ushaw Main House
The main house now has extensive collections of paintings by old masters, pieces of sculpture and rare books. It also hosts exhibitions.
Future exhibitions include such diverse subjects as ‘150 Years of Wedding Dresses‘ and ‘Extinction‘. There are two permanent exhibitions: ‘The Pugins at Ushaw‘ and ‘Victorian Schoolroom‘.
The main house also contains the Big Library, containing over 50,000 books and archives, the Refectory and the ornate Parlour, designed by Edward Pugin. This is where the professors would dine away from the students.
The Ushaw Café situated in the main house is a pleasant place to relax with drinks, snacks and light meals.
Chapels
The largest and most impressive chapel at Ushaw is St Cuthbert’s Chapel, which was opened in 1884. It has many decorative Gothic features retained from a previous chapel dating back to 1847, designed by Augustus Pugin. Its stained glass windows are particularly striking
There are several side-chapels, designed by Augustus Pugin and his son Edward, which contain a wide range of paintings and pieces of sculpture.
The Lady Chapel, St Charles Borromeo Chapel and St Joseph’s Chapel are among the most interesting.
Gardens
The ornamental gardens at Ushaw cover about five acres. They were originally set out in the 1840s, but have been much redesigned since, including a major regeneration begun in 2007.
They give great views back to the main buildings at Ushaw and out over the surrounding Durham countryside.
Originally rhododendrons were the major shrubs in the gardens, but these are now supplemented by a wide range of other shrubs and roses.
Several striking wooden animal carvings are sited around the gardens, including a dragon, an owl, a badger and a fox.
At the lower end of the gardens is a two acre lake which was dug out in 1806. Unfortunately the lake is no longer at its best, as much of its water was lost in the 1960s as a result of mining work.
A curious feature to the east of the main buildings is a castle-like wall, the so-called Bounds Wall, with six arch-roofed recesses. These were used by students at Ushaw College for a playing a sport similar to fives played in public schools.
Entry to Ushaw House, Chapels and Gardens costs £14 for adults and £8 for children.
However if you take up annual membership with Historic Houses, you will get free entry, plus free entry to 300 other heritage sites, including some of the top sites in the country such as Raby Castle and Harewood House.
Enter our unique code STEW05 at ‘Add discount code’ and new members will receive a £5 discount. This also applies if you wish to give annual membership as a gift.
We have reviewed several other properties under Historic Houses and see also Historic Houses versus National Trust – Which to join?
POSTED 22nd JANUARY 2026 by STEVE HANSON. The photographs were taken by BARBARA HANSON and DEBBIE ATKINSON.