Sockburn is a village in County Durham, near Darlington. It is contained within a loop of the River Tees. Today, it consists of little more than a 19th century mansion and the ruins of an ancient church.
The history of Sockburn goes back at least as far as 780, when Higbald, Bishop of Lindisfarne was crowned there. Soon after 1066, it was settled by Roger de Coigniers, my 33G Grandfather.
Earlier this month, my wife and I were honored by being allowed to visit. Mary, the owner of the property, very kindly took us on a tour of both Conyers Chapel and Sockburn Hall. She had wonderful stories, having grown up in the house.
While my ancestors never lived in Sockburn Hall, they resided on the property for about six hundred years.
Efforts are underway to restore the mansion. You can find out more about this at the Sockburn Hall Project.
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Tech Notes: All images shot on my Nikon D200 with either a Sigma 24-70 or a Sigma 15-30 lens. Images were processed in Photoshop Elements.