The Village
Belford was a historic coaching stop on the old A1 trunk road from London to Edinburgh. The village was bypassed in the 1983 leaving it free of heavy traffic but with easy links to the main A1. With a population of around 1000 Belford is small enough to maintain a friendly community feeling, yet has 4 pubs, a community club a golf club and a selection of specialist shops. Driving into the village you will see the ivy clad Blue Bell Hotel with St Mary's Church tower behind, a lovely sight at any time of year. See the photo album for more shots of Belford village.
Location
Visit Mapquest to see the location of Belford, weather, local services and direction.
History
In the reign of Charles I a visitor to Belford described the village as "the most miserable, beggarly town with little shelter for horse or man"! Happily, the fortunes of the village changed when the Manor was bought by the Dixon family in 1726 and Abraham Dixon went about improving his estate. Belford's population grew and Dixon commissioned James Paine to design a country seat - Belford Hall which was completed in 1756. The hall was later bought by a Newcastle merchant William Clark who commissioned John Dobson to remodel and add two new wings in 1810. The hall eventually fell into disrepair until the Northern Heritage Trust raised £2m for restoration work, the hall is now divided into luxury apartments.
Around one hundred years ago historian W.W Tomlinson described the village as "an exceedingly quiet place with quaint reminiscences of the past in its irregular streets and plain gray houses of stone". The village still maintains a slower pace of life, popping into a shop for one item can be an event as the weather, the roads and life in general will be discussed between the locals, and you who will become a "local" after a day or two!
William Clark owned the land which Lily Cottage stands on, however in late 1800's the land was sold off in parcels to pay death duties. In the title deeds to the cottage it is referred to as "South West Street Cottage", an update of the deeds from 1913 hangs in the cottage although the period cursive script is hard to read.
Belford once boasted a castle, now the site of West Hall farm on the outskirts of the village. The owner of the farm's research reveals that a timber fortress probably stood on the site as early as 1050. The moat of "Belfurth Castle" can still be traced, at one time it accommodated 70 armed horsemen, the castle's well still exists, a few steps away from the current farmhouse kitchen. Remember, this is Border Reiver country, on a misty winter day on Belford Moors it's not hard to imagine you're in a scene from Braveheart!
Lily Cottage
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Number 26 West Street stood derelict for some time until a local builder bought up the property, renovated it and sold it on. We were lucky enough to buy the cottage in December 2001 and have recently finished our own renovations. (February 2006). |
Distances
Lily Cottage is very close the the vital amenities for a good holiday! The following are all within a 1 -3 minute walk of the cottage.
 | Belford Community Club |
| John Dory Fish and Chip shop |
| Walters Grocery Store |
| Blue Bell Hotel and Inn |
| Black Swan pub |
| The Salmon Inn |
| The Belford Golf and function suite (about 5 minute walk) |
Northumbria's Heritage Coast is a short drive away, it's around 5 miles to Budle Bay Bird Sanctuary and 7 miles to Bamburgh with it's impressive castle.
Golf Club
A 5 minute walk from Lily Cottage is Belford Golf Club a 9 hole golf course and driving range. Overlooked by Belford Hall the golf club has sweeping views over the Lindisfarne Nature Reserve and Holy Island. Meals and drinks are also available to visitors at the clubhouse.
Some facts about Belford:
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor stayed at The Blue Bell when Burton was filming Beckett on the sands at Bamburgh. Burton and Taylor also visited The Salmon pub, there is a press cutting on the pub wall about their visit.
Belford Hall is listed as "One of the finest mid 18th century villas in the North of England. Listed Grade I and built in 1756 to the design of James Paine, alterations in 1810 by John Dobson"
Shopping
Belford Craft Gallery contains a varied collection of local crafts and artworks in a listed Georgian building. Northumbrian music, new and antiquarian books, furniture and pottery are for sale.
Other interesting shops are: The
Wooden Toy Shop, The Pine Shop which sells unusual
gifts alongside stripped pine furniture and Belford Interiors. There are
country shows throughout the year and frequent craft fairs.