LATEST NEWS AT LANGLEY CASTLE...
Langley Castle recently won Gold in the regional heat of the Visit Britain Tourism Awards, winning the title of “Best Small Hotel in North East England”.
This is the third occasion Langley Castle Hotel has won the award and they were delighted to get through to the national finals on April 18th 2007.
At the award ceremony, presented by Sandi Toksvig, Langley took a Silver award for “Best Small Hotel in England”.
Dr. Madnick (owner) commented: “Langley Castle has been our ‘labour of love.’ We have tried to continue the work of Cadwallader Bates to restore Langley to all its past glory. Now by reuniting it with the Barony, the restoration is truly complete.”
Langley has now been nominated for ‘England’s Leading Castle Hotel’ in the World Travel Awards 2007. The final will take place at the Sage, Gateshead on October 9th 2007.
Barony of Langley Released by Crown after almost 300 years
Langley Castle and Barony of Langley Reunited after 125 years
American Professor becomes Baron of Langley.
After 125 years of separation, Langley Castle and the Barony of Langley have finally been reunited. It has just been announced that Dr. Stuart Madnick - now the Baron of Langley - had acquired the title from the Crown.
The Barony of Langley stretches back to 1165, more than 800 years ago,
when it was held by Adam of Tindale. The title has been linked to famous
English rulers and knights of the past. Langley Castle, the Barony’s
ancient seat in Northumberland, was constructed around 1350, during
the reign of Edward III. In the 14th century the Barony passed to the
2nd Earl of Northumberland, Henry Percy, father of Hotspur, before being
sold to Henry VIII. Eventually it was purchased by the Radcliffe family
around 1641.
Both the Barony and the castle were seized by the Crown from James Radcliffe,
2nd Earl of Derwentwater, upon his execution at the Tower of London
in 1716 because of his support of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. King
George I assigned these and other properties, to the governors of Greenwich
Hospital, a Crown charity.
In 1882, Cadwallader Bates, a local historian and Sheriff of Northumberland,
purchased Langley Castle - but not the Barony - from the Crown. Thus,
they were separated for the first time in more than 500 years. Cadwallader
devoted much of his life up to his death in 1902 to the restoration
of the castle.
Dr. Stuart Madnick, a Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA and high-tech consultant, had purchased Langley Castle in 1985. Working with his wife, Yvonne, they established it as one of the foremost hotels in England.
