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Washington Old Hall

With RoadTour you can hear about Washington Old Hall and over 1500 other UK Heritage sites via your SatNav or Mobile as you drive! Pub & Restaurant guides also available. Buy RoadTour now online for your vacation to the UK...

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“It’s a little known fact that George Washington, the first President of the United States had his ancestral home in Washington, Tyne and Wear. The great man never actually visited Washington Old Hall, but it gave his family, and subsequently Washington DC their name. It was George Washington’s great-grandfather, John Washington, who emigrated to Virginia in 1656 to seek his fortune in the Tobacco plantations. Hisfather Lawrence Washington had already sold Washington Old Hall to the Bishop of Durham and moved elsewhere. The Hall was originally a Saxon building and there are records of it dating from 973AD. It was later rebuilt in stone by William de Washington. He was from a Saxon family who took this more Norman name to fit in with the times. The Hall was given another makeover in the 17th century but two hundred years later it was in decline, with over 35 people renting different parts of it. By the 1930s it was considered unfit for human habitation. It is still said to be haunted by the ghost of a grey lady who walks the upper floors weeping – according to the story she can only be seen by children. Fortunately, the Old Hall was rescued from demolition by Fredrick Hill, a local teacher. He raised the funds to renovate it and it now boasts an authentic 17th century kitchen, elements of a medieval hall and mementos from the American War of Independence. ”

Address:

The Avenue
Washington Village, Washington, Tyne & Wear
NE38 7LE
Visit Website

Opening Hours:

1 Apr-31 Oct: Sun-Wed 11-5pm

Prices:

Adult: £4
Child: £2.50
Family: £10.45

Facilties:

See more Historic Homes in North of England:

“Brilliant information, have used several of the pubs and visited many of the properties. Some that I didn’t know were so close to home. Keep up the good work.”
Steve, UK

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Graham, London

“The content is good and the level of detail about right, enough to pique your interest but not so much that you feel you're attending a lecture.”
Sam, Manchester

“I've used the programme a few times now on my travels and it does add a good deal of value to a journey so I'm very happy with my purchase.”
John, UK

“The Audio commentary on the Garmin was well narrated and definitely had the feel of the audio guides you get when you are walking around the landmarks themselves”.
Linda, New Jersey

“Finding atmospheric pubs with good food is always a challenge when you don't know the area and can be stressful when you're hungry and tired!!”
David, Essex

“Road Tour has found us some great pubs which have made our journeys all the more enjoyable. Every place it's suggested has been a winner.”
Nikki, Cambridgeshire'

“The heritage commentary is really informative and entertaining – it’s great to discover the background to the brown tourist signs we normally whizz by on the motorway.”
Michael, Reading

“This is the perfect thing for history buffs - RoadTour really brings boring car journeys to life.”
Guy, London

“It doesn't intrude on the journey it complements it with just enough information if you are not stopping at the attraction.”
Robin, Scotland