Hebburn, fortified manor house

The present Hebburn Hall dates to the 17th century with late 18th and 19th century alterations. Its predecessor, according to Surtees writing in 1820, was an "old mansion house...built with some view to defence, trenching on the Castle like the Border towers". It was later reported that "the builder of the mansion took down the old tower (with the exception of one length of massive walling 4.5 feet thick), as well as the Elizabethan additions that had been made to it, and used up the materials in the new edifice. Some of the mullions and sills of the narrow windows of the tower were found in the walls when the recent transformations were made". The house was further altered in the 1880s when the Ellisons finally left. Though part of the house is said to survive at the west end, in what became a vicarage, the evidence for its early appearance is circumstantial. A site visit in November 2001 during restoration work to Hebburn Hall revealed three stone corbels which had previously been hidden under a suspended ceiling. The thick stone wall mentioned above was also identified. Though these undoubtably belong to the medieval building, further research will be required to ascertain exactly which part of the building they represent. The corbels presumably supported a parapet.