Welcome to
Blanchland

listed buildings

ancient monuments

area of outstanding beauty

Blanchland

Blanchland is truly unique - a picture-perfect historic village, created in the 18th century from the ruins of a medieval monastery and used as a location for many period films and TV dramas. Visitors today can have afternoon tea in the former Victorian school or have a drink in the medieval cellar bar, or monastic cloister garden.

Blanchland is set in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The soft Derwent Valley and the majestic surrounding moorland fells are places where you can explore, wonder, refresh and relax. It feels a world away from the everyday but is just 40 minutes drive from the bustling cities of Newcastle and Durham. Blanchland is the home to a caring community, a mix of longstanding and more recent residents, who keep the spirit of Blanchland alive and make it fantastic place to live today.

No wonder Blanchland has been called a Jewel of the North Pennines.

The Blanchland Project

Blanchland Community

Blanchland is a small and friendly community. There are fewer than a hundred residents and we love living in this special place. Neighbourliness really matters to us: we talk, help and look after each other. We’re also delighted to welcome visitors from all over the world to Blanchland and to share it with them.

Blanchland History

Blanchland is unique and unforgettable. Sitting in the beautiful Derwent valley, on the edge of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this picturesque village was created around 250 years ago from the ruins of a medieval abbey.

Blanchland Abbey

As soon as you walk through the door, you know that Blanchland Abbey has had a turbulent and unusual history, as its layout is unexpected. This is because, uniquely, the present building was created in the 18th century from the ruins of the medieval Premonstratensian monastic church.