About Blagdon Estate

Blagdon, a private estate, stands out as a spectacular piece of countryside and heritage in south-east Northumberland. Its buildings, gardens, woods, parks, farms and wetlands are all of the highest quality.

This has been achieved incrementally over many generations through careful investment and improvement. The estate’s current owners, the latest generation of the Ridley family, continue to invest in and improve the estate.

Blagdon has been in the White/Ridley family ownership since 1698. The estate is a business that includes farms, woodland, residential and commercial properties; its tenants provide around 240 full and part-time jobs.

The Milkhope Centre has become a popular destination for visitors with a number of small privately owned retail businesses, including the Blagdon Farm Shop which sells local produce from Blagdon and the surrounding area.

Blagdon welcomes public access through maintained public and permitted footpaths. In addition, the estate acts as host to charitable organisations which fund-raise through open days.  Typically Blagdon Estate has many events a year with up to around 4,500 visitors.  The estate also offers regular training facilities to the Police, Armed Services, Scouts and the Guides, as well as hosting fishing clubs, a cricket club and other organisations.

Surface coal mines operated on Blagdon Estate almost continuously from 1943 to 2021. Most recently H.J. Banks Ltd produced coal from the Shotton and Brenkley sites. Coal from Blagdon is low sulphur and high quality. The majority of production was used locally, supporting businesses and jobs. Blagdon Estate and Banks are joint sponsors of Northumberlandia, an iconic landform park adjacent to Cramlington.