About Us
Who are Sherburn House Charity?
Sherburn House Charity was founded by Bishop of Durham, Hugh Pudsey, (Hugh le Puiset) as ‘Christ’s Hospital in Sherburn’ in around 1181. Its original purpose was as a leper hospital for up to 65 leprous monks and nuns.
During the early years, the Charity was endowed with land including Sherburn, Garmondsway Moor, Ebchester, Whitton, Raceby and Sheraton and also became very wealthy due to coal mining on its estates.
Today, the charity provides regulated activities from its Sherburn House site. Beddell House is a registered residential care home for up to 55 older people. The site also comprises of 18 Sheltered/Social Housing and 6 properties for private rental.
In September 2017, the trustees took the decision to acquire a substantial loan to finance a multi million pound refurbishment of the onsite properties in order to modernise the buildings and improve the living conditions for our beneficiaries. En-suite bathrooms, a hair salon, orangery, bar/lounge and cinema room are just some of the special additions that were made for the care home residents at Beddell House . This was a mammoth task which was undertaken in six phases over a period of 3 years.
Further improvements were made for the social and sheltered housing properties known as Ferens and Thornley House. Costs for these were supported with Homes England grant funding which helped us to renovate all our older people’s accommodation. The properties are now self-contained with contemporary fittings and were all completed in 2021.
Today, the Charity’s mission is to provide “Relief in Need” through the provision of care, housing and small grants to individuals living in the beneficial area, which is between the Tweed and the Tees, or more generally defined as, the North East of England.
Sherburn House Charity became a charitable company limited by guarantee in 2021. The charity’s core functions are provided on our site meticulously maintained grounds which offer a peaceful location and views that our residents can enjoy at any time of year. However, we also own agricultural land, some of which is tenanted in the surrounding area.
The Charity’s grounds are situated in a secluded conservation area, perfectly sited for access to the A181 and we are just 2 miles south of Durham City, there are local bus services to and from the city center and several supermarkets and shops located nearby.
If you are interested in accessing any of our services, please read the service descriptions within the pages of this website. Alternatively, please phone the Ramsey House reception for more information on 0191 3722551.
