Walworth Castle is a 16th century mansion house, built in the style of a medieval castle, which is now occupied as an hotel, situated at Walworth, near Darlington, Co. Durham. It is a Grade 1 listed building[1].
The Manor of High Walworth was acquired by Thomas Jennison, Auditor General of Ireland in about 1579 by purchase from the Ascough family.[2]. The Jennisons were a strongly Catholic family[3].
Jennison (who died in 1589) built the present mansion on the site of an early castle and later manor house [1]. The south front of five bays and three storeys, is flanked by two four storey round angle towers, the most westerly of which probably has medieval origins [1]. In 1769 Francis Jennison sold the estate and emigrated to Europe[2]
The house passed to the Harrison family and then, by marriage, to General Arthur Aylmer, whose son John Harrison Aylmer ( who succeeded in 1831) was High Sheriff of Durham in 1864.[4]
The Aylmers sold the estate in the 1930s. During World War II it was used as a Prisoner of War Camp and in 1950 it became a Girls' School. More recently it was renovated and converted for use as an hotel
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Coordinates: 54°33′27″N 1°38′56″W / 54.557630°N
1.648966°W
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