Washington Old Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Washington Old Hall |
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The main entrance to Washington Old Hall.
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| General information | |
| Status | Used as a museum |
| Address | The Avenue, Washington Village |
| Town or city | Washington, Tyne and Wear |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 54°54′09.86″N 1°30′59.17″W / 54.9027389°N 1.5164361°W |
| Construction started | c. 1183 |
| Completed | 17th century |
| Client | William de Hertburn |
| Owner | National Trust |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Stone |
Washington Old Hall is a historic manor house located in the town of Washington, Tyne and Wear, in England. A manor house is a large, old house that was once the center of a large area of land.
This special building is famous because it was the original home of the family of George Washington, who became the first president of the United States. The family's last name, Washington, came from the name of this town.
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The Story of Washington Old Hall
The history of the Hall goes back over 800 years. It was home to the Washington family for centuries before they became famous in America.
The Washington Family's Beginnings
Around the year 1183, a man named William de Hertburn moved to the area. He began renting the land, which was then called "Wessyngton," from a powerful church leader, the Bishop of Durham.
Soon after, William changed his name to William de Wessyngton. This was a common practice at the time, where people would take their name from the land they lived on. Over time, "Wessyngton" changed into the modern name "Washington."
The family lived in the Hall for many generations. In the early 1400s, the family line passed to the Mallory family when Sir William Mallory married Dionysia Tempest, the last Washington family member to live there.
Moving On and Falling Apart
In 1613, some of the family's descendants, Sir John Mallory and Anna Eure, decided to move away. They sold the Hall and moved to a different home called Sulgrave Manor in another part of England.
After the Washington family left, the Hall was used as a home for other people. But by the 1800s, it was no longer a grand manor house. It was divided into small apartments called tenement flats. The building was not well cared for and slowly began to fall apart.
How the Hall Was Saved
By 1936, Washington Old Hall was in such bad shape that it was considered unsafe for people to live in. It was going to be torn down.
However, a local teacher named Fred Hill knew how important the building was. He started a group called the "Friends of the Old Hall" to save it from being demolished. They worked hard to get the building restored.
The restoration work began in 1937 but had to stop during World War II. After the war, the work was finished in 1955. The restored Hall was officially opened by the American Ambassador, Winthrop W. Aldrich. In 1957, the National Trust, an organization that protects historic places in the UK, took over the care of the building.
Today, Washington Old Hall is a museum that people can visit to learn about its amazing history and its connection to the first president of the United States.
A Special Friendship
Because of the Hall's history, the city of Washington, D.C. in the United States and the City of Sunderland (which includes the town of Washington) announced a "friendship agreement" in 2007. This agreement helps create friendly cultural and economic connections between the two places.
