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You are here: Home / Travel / County Durham – Seaham Sea Glass and a Heritage Spa Hotel – Seaham Hall.

County Durham – Seaham Sea Glass and a Heritage Spa Hotel – Seaham Hall.

January 10, 2019 by Fiona Maclean 8 Comments

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Last Updated on December 30, 2019 by Fiona Maclean

Seaham, County Durham – Byron, the Beach, a Spa and Sea Glass.

Seaham Beach County Durham

Arrive at Seaham Hall at dusk to a stunning classic mansion fronted by a striking contemporary water feature.  First impressions count – mine was one of fascination.  I’m used to the juxtaposition of old and new, but the water feature at the approach to Seaham Hall is provocative for no obvious reason.

Seaham Hall Hotel - Charybdis

Called ‘Charybdis’ after the sea monster in Greek mythology, it is perhaps just the placing of something contemporary where you’d expect to see a prettily laid out flower bed or an ancestral statue. Or is it Charybdis herself?  We are, after all, within sight of the coast.

Inside, Seaham Hall is warm and welcoming, with a stunning sweeping staircase.

County Durham Entrance - Seaham Hall

A few minutes walk from Seaham beach, the Hotel has a place in history as home to Annabella Milbanke and the location of her ill-fated marriage to Lord Byron which lasted just a year and resulted in a scandal that forced Byron to flee the country.  The affair of Lord Byron with his half-sister, Augusta Leigh together with accusations of homosexuality and sodomy were all cited in Annabella’s divorce petition.  Scandal indeed at the time.  After that, Seaham Hall was sold to Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry.  He and his wife, Lady Frances Anne Vane-Tempest, helped to develop the County Durham estates into what is now Seaham town.  After a chequered history including periods as a hospital, Seaham Hall is now a stunning Spa Hotel, complete with treatment rooms, swimming pool and extensive spa facilities.

Seaham Hall Hotel Room

A Suite Hotel, even the standard rooms at Seaham Hall are spacious, with luxurious bathrooms and the kind of comforts that mean you’ll be tempted never to leave ‘home’.  The larger suites are incredible, particularly Ada Lovelace, which comes with twin slipper baths and a mezzanine bedroom.

Ada Lovelace Suite - Seaham Hall Hotel

I do wonder what the infamous daughter of Lord and Lady Byron would have made of it.  Her own claim to fame is as a renown mathematical genius who worked with Charles Babbage developing early computer systems.  Seaham Hall today might just have appealed to this very unconventional lady.

Mezzanine Ada Lovelace Suite - Seaham Hall Hotel

My own suite had a lovely view of Seaham Beach which I only noticed the next morning.

Seaham Hall Bathroom

Beautifully furnished with a large, comfortable bed, a luxurious sofa and a bathroom complete with ”take me home” purple Seaham Hall duck and bespoke toiletries, it wasn’t until I had a chance to explore the rest of the hotel that I realised how special Seaham Hall is.

Walk from the main hotel to the spa through an underground passage, along a winding water-lined, dark wood pathway and emerge in a tranquil restroom.

Seaham Hall Hotel Spa

As previously mentioned, the spa is vast, peaceful and well equipped.  I didn’t really have time to do more than mess around with the hydrotherapy facilities, sauna and steam rooms, it was clearly somewhere you need to spend at least an afternoon, not the hour before breakfast!  I learnt that the hotel helps cater for that by allowing access to guests who arrive before their room is ready.  Next time!  I have to confess, the blazing sunshine on that December morning lured me to the beach cutting short my spa time.  But, for those rainy days, the spa would be more than enough to compensate.

Seaham Hall Spa Pool Area

True to form though, I did manage to spend enough time in the bar and restaurant to get the full experience.  And, was genuinely impressed by the attention to detail, careful sourcing, excellent cooking and immaculate presentation throughout.

Kir Royale - Seaham Hall

First, a Champagne cocktail in the bar, with wasabi popcorn and crisps to nibble on.

Kir Royale and Bar Snacks Seaham Hall

Then, a three-course meal with each course served with paired wines for me.

Seaham Hall - Bread

I started with bread.  I know I shouldn’t have done, but wouldn’t you?  It was delicious, homemade and served with lightly salted butter.

Seaham Hall Hotel and Spa Crab

‘Crab’ to start could have been painted by Miro – a stunning colourful plateful that looked as if it was bursting with flavour.  It didn’t disappoint – Whitby Crab piled up and ‘dressed’ with tiny nutty brown shrimp, radish, yoghurt and salty samphire.  Served with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, this was an excellent, light and fresh starter.

Seaham Hall Hotel Crab Starter

I was intrigued by the ‘Venison’ dish on the menu, served with chervil roots.  I am not sure I’ve ever tried them before – I’ve certainly never cooked with them.  Chestnuts and trompette mushrooms sounded seasonally appropriate for a dish I was eating just before Christmas.  The dish was a real star for me, slices of beautifully pink loin of venison sat on a slow-cooked venison ragu, with a liberal serving of jus, mushrooms and sweet, nutty chervil root.  Oh, and a couple of Brussel Sprouts somehow snuck onto the plate.  Personally, I love them, especially when they are served al-dente and they complemented the gamey, rich venison perfectly.  A bowlful of nutty heritage potatoes made a delicious side dish and a glass of Malbec to wash it all down worked beautifully.

Venison - Seaham Hall

For dessert a picture perfect dish called ‘Quince’ – a delicate mille-feuille of puff pastry with poached quince, mascarpone and a light, fragrant bay leaf ice cream.  I promise it tasted as good as it looks, light and piquant with crisp pastry contrasting with the mascarpone cream.

Poached Quince Seaham Hall

The restaurant has two AA rosettes – but honestly punches well above that and I was very impressed with the food produced by Head Chef, Damien Broom, even if he did try to sneak in the odd Brussel sprout in disguise.

Hydrotherapy Seaham Hall Spa

And so to bed – but not before a late night look at the spa, just a little incentive for the early start I’d promised myself so I could spend some time there.

It was still open at 9.30pm when I wandered along there and I have to confess I yearned a little for my own Lord Byron to escape with to one of the outside hot tubs.  I’m sure he’d have approved – perhaps his marriage might have lasted more than a year?

Dining Room Seaham Hall

I woke to blue skies with fleeting pink-tinged clouds.  Breakfast back in the dining room was table service rather than buffet style – a very restful way to start the day which avoided that queuing for the toast machine you sometimes find.  I rather enjoyed my eggless (nearly) full English with tea and toast too, though I should probably have just had a yoghurt!

Seaham Hall Hotel and Spa Breakfast

After such a feast, I yearned for a bracing walk along Seaham Beach.  Bitterly cold, but with startling blue skies, it was the perfect winter’s day to wrap up and get some exercise.

Seaham Glass Beach

The hotel is just 5 minutes from the sea and it’s about a 25-minute walk from there to Seaham Harbour and the town.  But, most people who end up on Seaham Beach stroll at leisure for a very particular reason.   Seaham itself, from 1829 to 1928, was home to the Londonderry Bottleworks, glass-bottle works which grew to become the largest in Britain.  Making up to 20,000 hand-blown bottles each day, by 1872 there were six glasshouses in Seaham – and at the end of each day, discarded and waste glass was dumped into the North Sea.

Seaham Glass Beach Cliffs

The Durham Coast is a peaceful yet turbulent shoreline; bracing winds whip the salty waters into a white foam.  The natural churning action of the sea, ‘surf-tumbling’ over the years has polished the glass waste to create pretty translucent glass pebbles, sea glass which is now collected by enthusiastic crafters to use for mosaic picture frames, jewellery and more. That’s what makes Seaham Beach into one of the best glass beaches in the UK

Seaham Seaglass Beach

Alas, I didn’t find any sea glass – but that may have been down to my lack of focus.  I spent more time watching the waves and following the tumbling seahorses.  Having grown up on the North Norfolk coast, it felt like a home from home for me.

Early Morning Seaham Heritage Coast

Seaham itself is a small town with a population of around 20,000.  Used in location shots for Billy Elliot and Alien 3, it has a rugged charm aligned with its industrial heritage.

County Durham Former Colliery Office North Terrace Seaham

Once you get to the harbour, there’s a pretty marina, the remains of the coal mine and some shops and restaurants looking out over the sea.  The mining heritage of this area is a tragic one, a major disaster at the Colliery in 1880 not only resulted in 164 deaths but ultimately undermined the mining economy of the area.

The town you see today and the heritage coastline itself is the result of major investment in the area from a whole range of sources.  The result is a quirky town which hasn’t lost its industrial identity but which has charm and allure.Seaham Harbour

And, the coastline itself has been restored.  In 2002 the Turning the Tide project shared the top prize with the Eden project for Outstanding Achievement in Regeneration at the annual RIBA awards. With just an hour or so to explore, I didn’t get the chance to see much of the place, but enough to make me want to return – perhaps in the summer.

County Durham Seaham Marina

I walked back checking out more of the promenade and making a slight detour to see (from a distance) St Mary the Virgin Church, which is a few hundred yards from the sea.  It’s an Anglo Saxon church which is one of only 20 surviving pre-Viking churches in the country.  Open from June to Mid-September, my luck wasn’t in but I hope I will get a chance to visit again.

County Durham St Mary the Virgin Church Seaham

Meanwhile, it was back to Seaham Hall Hotel and Spa to pack up, thank the hotel for their hospitality and wait for transport back to Durham City, just half an hour away.

County Durham Seaham Hall Gardens

Useful information about visiting Durham County

I travelled to Durham with This is Durham, the County’s official tourism centre.

For more information please call the Visitor Information Centre on 0300 0262626 or email visitor@thisisdurham.com

I stayed at Seaham Hall Hotel and Spa. Room rates at Seaham Hall start from £285 per night.

For more about Durham City, the Cathedral and Castle please see my previous feature.

Thinking of visiting Seaham, County Durham?  Why not pin this post for later

Seaham County Durham

Filed Under: Travel, UK Tagged With: beach, Boutique Hotel, Durham, Heritage, Spa Hotel

About Fiona Maclean

London based freelance writer and marketing consultant. I edit London-Unattached.com and write for a number of other publications. With a music degree and a background in marketing across many sectors, my passions include all types of music, food, restaurants, wine and travel

Comments

  1. Luxury Rental says

    January 18, 2019 at 9:20 am

    I live in the UK since my childhood but I have never been there :'( I really missed something. Imma go there someday.

    Reply
  2. Sally Pederson says

    January 16, 2019 at 4:04 am

    Sound like an amazing place to stay. I would love to spend a weekend there.

    Reply
  3. The Girl Next Door says

    January 14, 2019 at 4:05 am

    Seaham sounds like an incredible place – a place after my own heart, a place I’d love to visit some time. 🙂
    A heritage property, fantastic-looking food, the azure sea, a spa, sea glass and sea horses – what’s to not love?

    Reply
  4. michelle twin mum says

    January 13, 2019 at 10:15 pm

    Oh my goodness it looks amazing, I am loving the unique decor and those outdoor hottubs would be very, very tempting. Mich x

    Reply
  5. Fashion and Frapppes says

    January 13, 2019 at 9:32 pm

    This sounds so lovely! The hotel looks lovely too. I think I am going to add this to my bucket list for summer travel in the UK!

    Reply
    • Fiona Maclean says

      January 13, 2019 at 10:34 pm

      Durham itself is also worth visiting – it’s a completely different feel to the South of England

      Reply
  6. Jenny says

    January 13, 2019 at 9:27 pm

    What a gorgeous part of the country and such a lovely hotel to explore it all from.

    Reply
  7. Crysta Parkinson says

    January 13, 2019 at 8:05 pm

    What a beautiful, inviting place. Something about driving up to that facade is just dreamy, and then the inside certainly holds up to expectations! Everything about this getaway just seems heavenly, from that atmosphere to the food and drinks. Lovely find.

    Reply

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