president's abdeess. 343 



works of a master-hand the members present wended their way 

 by the avenue to the north front of Seaton Delaval Hall, a 

 splendid pile, the work, as you are all aware, of that celebrated 

 architect Sir John Vanburgh, and now a magnificent ruin. The 

 present building stands within a few yards of the place where 

 Delaval Castle, the ancient baronial seat of the Delaval family, 

 formerly stood. As the central or main portion of the mansion 

 is approached from the north, two wings at right angles to the 

 central building are passed, one on either hand. The western 

 wing contains the kitchens and other domestic offices; the eastern 

 Aving, the stables, etc. The western wing was destroyed by fire 

 on the afternoon of May 6th, 1752, but was rebuilt. This wing 

 is now furnished. By the civility of the housekeeper, who re- 

 sides in it, we were permitted to look through it, and to inspect 

 the paintings and portraits preserved there. Most of these 

 portraits represent members of the family of Sir John Hussey 

 Delaval, afterwards Lord Delaval, who succeeded to the estates 

 in 1771 and died in 1808, and were painted by a local artist and 

 portrait painter, Mr. Wm. Bell, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, the 

 son of a bookbinder in the same town. 



The central and more interesting part of the building was 

 next visited and examined. This portion of the building was 

 destroyed by fire on the 3rd of January, 1822, being at that 

 time the seat of Sir John Astley. About 100 yards or so south- 

 west from the Hall is the chapel, which next received the 

 attention of the party, and is of interest on account of its Saxon 

 antiquity. A much more modern edifice, about a quarter of a 

 mile to the south-east of the Hall, is the Mausoleum built by 

 Lord and Lady Delaval to the memory of their only son, who 

 died in 1775 at the age of twenty. This Mausoleum was next 

 duly visited and the catacombs beneath inspected. Founded 

 upon rock these catacombs are most solidly and strongly built ; 

 and though, as expressed in a local topographical work published 

 not long after their construction, ''' calculated to last as long as 

 the work of man can do," they have never been used for the 

 purpose for which they were designed. 



Leaving Seaton Delaval, the party walked through the 



