Meldon Park is a privately owned country mansion situated at Meldon, Northumberland

Meldon, Northumberland

Meldon, Northumberland is a village in Northumberland, England. It lies to the west of Morpeth. The village is one of the 51 Thankful Villages in the United Kingdom that suffered no fatalities during the Great War of 1914-1918.-External links:...

.
It is a Grade II* listed building.

The Manor of Meldon was anciently held by the Fenwick family from whom it passed by marriage to the Radclyffes.. James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater

James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater

James Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Derwentwater was an English Jacobite, executed for treason. His death is remembered in an English traditional ballad, "Lord Allenwater", collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1904 from the singing of Emily Stears.-Life:He was the son of Edward Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of...

 lost the estate to the Crown following his attainder

Attainder

In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...

 for treason

Treason

In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...

 in the 1715 Jacobite Uprising. The Crown granted the estate to the Greenwich Hospital by whom it was sold in 1832 for £55000 to Isaac Cookson a wealthy Newcastle on Tyne merchant. Cookson was Mayor of Newcastle in 1809 and High Sheriff of Northumberland

High Sheriff of Northumberland

This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post...

  in 1838.

In 1832 he commissioned architect John Dobson

John Dobson (architect)

John Dobson was a 19th-century English architect in the neoclassical tradition. He became the most noted architect in the North of England. Churches and houses by him dot the North East - Nunnykirk Hall, Meldon Park, Mitford Hall, Lilburn Tower, St John the Baptist Church in Otterburn,...

 to replace the old Manor which stood on the banks of the River Wansbeck

River Wansbeck

The River Wansbeck runs through the county of Northumberland, England. It rises above Sweethope Lough on the edge of Forelaws Forest in the area known locally as The Wanneys ; runs through the town of Ashington before discharging into the North Sea at Sandy Bay near Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.The River...

, with a new mansion, which was completed in 1835.. Later in the 20th century, extensive internal improvements and embellishments were carried out by Edward Lutyens.

In 1881 the Cookson family lived in some style with eighteen servants. The family remains in occupation of the house and estate. The house and grounds are open to the public at specified times and holiday accommodation is available.

Cookson Family Papers are archived at Durham University Library Archives