HOME to the Beaumont family since 1810, Bywell Hall stands in all of its grandeur at the very core of the Allendale Estate, overlooking acres of beautiful countryside.

Most people know it as the home of Lord Allendale, but a lot more goes on behind the scenes. Its land spans Bywell, Stocksfield, Newton and parts of Hexhamshire, with more than 120 residential properties. More than 50 business tenants rent premises, while around 15 farms also operate from the estate.

It’s fair to say that their running is no small task, and at the grand age of 70, Lord Allendale has decided to put his feet up a little.

He has taken the opportunity to semi-retire, passing on the business operations to his son, Wentworth Beaumont and his wife Vanessa, while he focuses more on the things he enjoys.

Wentworth and Vanessa have grasped the project with both hands, deciding it is time to bring Bywell Hall back to its former glory. The 18th century, Grade II* listed building had fallen into misuse, with Lord Allendale choosing to live elsewhere on the estate, and it was mainly used for storage.

But the stored items aren’t akin to those found in most houses. The Black Book of Hexham, a detailed survey of the Abbey’s estates in 1379, was one of the more impressive items uncovered.

Meanwhile the family’s impressive collection of paintings and tapestries were cleaned and rehung, and the house repaired to working order.

A family kitchen was installed, while the study of Wentworth’s grandfather, the third Viscount Allendale, became a living area.

“These houses, if you don’t keep on top of them, they fall away pretty quickly,” explained Wentworth. “It has required a lot of work.”

Business is high on the agenda for Wentworth and Vanessa, who hope to develop a progressive working environment for their business clients to help them grow.

The estate hosts several events, including Northumberland County Show, which attracts more than 20,000 visitors, and with the recent additions of Bywell Horse Driving Trials and supercar event Bella Auto, their schedule is growing.

“The redoing of this house is part of the general shift of the estate stepping forward and raising everything to the best in class,” explained Vanessa.

“We want to raise our events to be the best they can be too, so rather than having lots of little ones, we want to focus on the ones we do have and say ‘how can we make this so the experience is amazing?’”