Facts about the families, findings and new foundations at Lambton Park

Renowned for its natural beauty, dramatic landscapes, picturesque views and fascinating heritage, County Durham is an incredibly special place in the UK.

One of the county’s gems is Lambton Park, the ancestral seat of the Earls of Durham with a heritage stretching back to the 11th century. It is home to over 1,000 acres of historic park and woodland, and apart from a short period in the 1970s the estate has been private. Earlier this year it was announced that the Lambton family is embracing the opportunity to share this wonderful environment with a wider audience, and a select number of people will be able to call it home.

This wonderful setting will combine tradition and heritage with the best of modern living. As Lambton Park turns the page on a new chapter in its history, its past offers up a wealth of intriguing details. Here are some of our favourites…

• In 1972 the estate launched a family attraction, ‘Lambton Lion Park’, bringing a variety of exotic animals to the North East. As well as lions, these included monkeys, rhinos, giraffes, elephants, hippos and zebras. 
• The estate has also been the backdrop for the BBC during the filming of period drama ‘The Paradise’. This was an adaptation of Émile Zola's novel Au Bonheur des Dames that relocated the story to North East England and was set in England’s first department store in the 1870s.
• Up to 1,500 cavalry troops camped on the estate’s racecourse field during the First World War.
• Lambton Castle was used as a residential adult education college during the 1950s.
• There were 140 chimneys in the original castle.
• Penshaw Monument was built in 1848 to honour John George Lambton who was the first Earl of Durham and also known as Radical Jack. It’s a replica of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens but half the size of the original, and can be seen from many places in the North East.

Interested in becoming a part of the history at Lambton Park? We are creating a brand new community of homes called Miller Homes at Lambton Park, which have been specially designed in keeping with the estate by renowned architect Ben Pentreath. Victorian in character and inspired by existing residential properties within Lambton Park, there will be 106 homes consisting of one, two and three-bedroom apartments and three, four and five-bedroom homes.

The development’s sales office is now open where you can find out more about the homes available or visit our website here.