The Crathorne Estate
By Lord Crathorne
James Lionel Dugdale (1862 - 1941) laid the foundation stone of Crathorne Hall in December 1903 and the house was completed in June 1906. It was the largest Country house built during the reign of Edward VII.
The builders were George Trollope & Sons and the fine quality stone was taken from Shraw End Quarry, near Whitby, by the Weaterill family. On most days there were a hundred men working on site and the working day began at 6.30am and ended at 6pm. Wages for the bricklayers were 10 old pence an hour and a penny less for stonemasons (because they were able to spend more time indoors). These rates equalled top London pay so were considered generous.
Built with 115 rooms, here were 26 live-in servants who occupied the servants wing built around a courtyard adjoining the main block on the eastside.
Crathorne Hall formed the centre of an agricultural estate and so was a focus for village activities. Church Fetes, Christmas Parties for the children and Sports Days for the village school were regular events as were various charity events drawn from a wider area. The family events which the village attended were the coming of age parties. The first was for Lionel's son Tom (as he was known) which had to be delayed for a year because he was still at the front in 1918. Although in the thick of the fighting for 18 months he came through safely at a time when life expectancy was measured in weeks.
During the two great wars Crathorne Hall played a different role. In November 1914 Lionel and Violet Dugdale opened the Hall as a Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital for Belgian and British troops. Violet herself commanded this British Red Cross VAD and her skills as a nurse were considerable.
In the second World War there were 99 hospital beds in the Hall but they were never used.
The Dugdale family sold the Hall in 1977 and it is now a country hotel, and part of the 'Hand Picked Hotel Group.' For the second year in a row Crathorne Hall Hotel has been recognised as one of the top 200 hotels in the country and has been awarded four red stars for exceptional quality and service.
top: The Hall, photographed in 1906
above left: James Lionel Dugdale (1862-1941) A typical country gentleman of the period, he was totally dedicated to the village and was responsible for much of the re-building, beginning with the parish church in 1887.
above right: The construction of Crathorne Hall, which was started in 1903, took three years to complete. Thomas Wrightson, who died in 1979 aged 96 years, had worked as a bricklayer during the construction. this photograph shows the majority of these craftsmen, however Thomas explained that the remainder refused to waste time being photographed as it would have interrupted their lunchtime gambling! Following work the men sometimes drank in the Crathorne Arms which they knew as "the Perseverando", after the Dugdale motto on the inn sign.
