Barnard Castle History
Barnard Castle is more than just a town named after Bernard de Balliol.
The story begins with the great medieval fortress above the River Tees. The first castle was probably established by Guy de Balliol soon after 1093, but it was his nephew and successor, Bernard de Balliol, who enlarged it, began rebuilding it in stone and founded the town that grew beside it. From Bernard came the name Castrum Bernardi, meaning Bernard’s Castle.
But the history of Barnard Castle does not end at the castle gates.
It is found in the streets, buildings, bridges and old paths around us. Almost every road you walk down and every building you pass has a story. Sometimes it is a well known part of the town’s past. Sometimes it is a forgotten story, hidden behind a different name, a newer shopfront or generations of change.
Some history only begins to reveal itself when you slow down and look a little more closely.
This is our growing collection of the buildings, people and places that have shaped Barnard Castle, together with stories from Startforth, Lartington and the surrounding villages. These places have always been closely connected through their roads, estates, churches, families, businesses and everyday life.
Some pages explore famous landmarks. Others uncover old inns, chapels, shops, houses, bridges, local families and ordinary places whose history is much less obvious.
Our aim is to make Barnard Castle’s history understandable, enjoyable and easy to explore.
Every page is carefully researched using the records, maps, photographs and historical sources we can find. Documents are read closely, old maps are compared and different accounts are checked against one another so that we can separate the facts from stories that have been repeated without proof.
We will not always find every answer. Local history is rarely that tidy. But we will always show what the evidence tells us, explain where questions remain and tell each story in a clear, honest and enjoyable way.
The History of the Castle
This page tells the story of the castle and the people who shaped it, from the Balliol family who built the great stone fortress and gave the town its name, to Richard III and the siege of 1569. It follows the castle into its later years, when the Vane family removed stone for work at Raby Castle and Frank Shield made his home inside the Round Tower, guiding Victorian visitors through the ruins.
Barnard Castle Gallows
This page follows the story behind Galgate, once known as Gallowgate, and the gallows used by the lords of Barnard Castle. It begins with John Balliol’s court in 1293, looks at the likely execution ground near the upper end of Galgate and follows the twenty men selected to die after escaping over the castle walls during the Rising of the North.
How Barnard Castle Grew
This page tells the story of how Barnard Castle developed, from the old road and ford beside Startforth to the first Balliol castle and the medieval borough that grew around it. It follows the town through its market streets, County Bridge, churches, mills, the Butter Market and the Witham, before the railway, Barnard Castle School and the Bowes Museum carried it into the modern age.
Gas Lamps and Lamplighters of Barnard Castle
This page tells the story of how Barnard Castle was lit before electric street lights, from the opening of the gasworks in 1835 to the lamplighters who walked the town each evening. It follows the lamps through Galgate, Newgate, The Bank and Startforth, the arguments over dark streets and gas rates, and the remembered figure of Jackie Evans, before the old system finally gave way to electricity.
From the Queen’s Head Inn to Barclays Bank
This page tells the story of the grand stone bank at the corner of Market Place and Newgate, beginning with the Queen’s Head Inn, its stables, smithy and long room used for theatre performances and dancing lessons. It follows the demolition of the old buildings, the widening of Newgate and the opening of Backhouse’s Bank in 1878, before the branch became Barclays and finally closed in 2024.
The History of Blagraves House
This page tells the story of Blagraves House, one of Barnard Castle's oldest and most recognisable buildings. It follows the house from the traditions linking it with Richard III and Oliver Cromwell to Joseph and Frances Blagrave, the famous inn, Victor Walton's House of Mystery and the generations of people who kept the building alive into the twenty-first century.
The Witham, Barnard Castle
This page tells the story of The Witham, from the Mechanics’ Institute, Reading Room and Dispensary created to serve the people of Barnard Castle, to the opening of the New Hall in 1860. It follows the building through concerts, lectures, medical care, wartime gatherings, changing uses and restoration, showing how it remained part of the town’s life for nearly two centuries.
The Hole in the Wall, Barnard Castle
This page tells the story of the old stone building beside Queen Street car park, from its early use as Barnard Castle’s first Methodist meeting room to its later life as a Roman Catholic school and wine and spirits warehouse. It follows the building through John Wesley’s visits, the Hole in the Wall Brasserie, its conversion into five flats and the survival of the narrow passage beneath it.
The Old Police Station and Magistrates’ Court
This page tells the story of the old Queen Street police station, built around 1840 as organised county policing reached Barnard Castle. It follows the building through Victorian investigations, magistrates’ hearings, coroners’ inquests and the officers who served across Teesdale, before the police moved to Bede Kirk in 1977 and the former court became the Old Court House.
Broadgates Chapel
This page tells the story of Barnard Castle’s first purpose-built Methodist chapel, from the small gatherings in private houses and the Hole-in-the-Wall Meeting House to the building of Broadgates Chapel in 1764. It follows John Wesley’s opening services in April 1765, the growth of the congregation, the later move to Wycliffe Yard and the chapel’s survival as West View after its use by Unitarians and conversion into homes.
Three Horseshoes Barnard Castle History
This page tells the story of the Three Horseshoes on Galgate, from Matthew Hedley, the innkeeper and blacksmith recorded there in the 1820s, to the Hedley family, weekly veterinary visits, town meetings, darts and football. It follows the hotel through the great gale of 1936, the Shap granite uncovered beneath its yard and the Green family’s restoration, which brought the old buildings back into full use.
The story is still growing
Barnard Castle and the villages around it have never stood still.
Buildings have changed hands and found new purposes. Roads have been widened, rerouted and renamed. Businesses have opened and disappeared, while families who once played an important part in local life have gradually slipped from memory. Even the most familiar places can hold stories that are no longer obvious.
This collection will continue to grow as we uncover more records, photographs, maps, names and first hand accounts. Some pages will focus firmly on Barnard Castle itself. Others will follow its connections with Startforth, Lartington and the surrounding villages of Teesdale.
Together, these pages are building a fuller picture of local history. Not only the story of castles and grand houses, but also the streets, workplaces, meeting places and ordinary people who gave Barnard Castle and its neighbouring communities their character.