The Griffins at Wallington
by Simon Currie
The four carved limestone griffin heads that glare across the lawns at Wallington Hall in Northumberland date back to the 16th century. They were brought back from Bishopsgate, London, around 1760 as ballast in one of Sir Walter Blackett's returning colliers. The heads were first used to ornament the surroundings of Rothley Castle - a folly constructed in the eighteenth century deer park at Rothley which is now outside the property. The heads were subsequently moved to a site near the Chinese Pond inside the grounds, to the east of Wallington Hall. It is said they were moved to a spot in the woods and that their wings are still somewhere nearby. They finally found their current resting place on the east lawn in 1928.