Its Evolving Mission
Brown Rigg is located both in the Northumberland National Park and the Dark Skies Park. It’s also just a 15 minute walk from the centre of Bellingham. Brown Rigg started life as a school. It was built in 1938 by the National Camps Corporation to bring children out of polluted industrial towns and cities to give them fresh air.
The outbreak of the second World War meant the School’s first role was to house evacuees from Newcastle, all girls. When hostilities ceased, in 1945, the Northumberland Education Committee leased the site to establish one of the country’s first co-educational boarding schools from all over the county.
The school placed a high emphasis on outdoor activities, with a lot of sport, cross country running, canoeing, rock climbing and compulsory hikes on Sunday afternoons. Brown Rigg also had its own farm and even its own Scout and Guide Group. Sadly, for Brown Rigg pupils and teachers alike, the Northumberland Education Committee made the decision to close the doors of Brown Rigg in 1984. Demolition of parts of the site ensued and eventually it was purchased by the Macleod Family.
Brown Rigg was used as a horse riding school before being turned into holiday accommodation. In 2016, the site exchanged hands again and is now owned by the Hunter Family, who are eager to add the next chapter to Brown Rigg`s rich history.
To learn more about the school’s history, click here and visit the school’s own website.
