A brief history of Virginia House

By Virginia House History Project Lead By

Kris McKie

Summary • Originally the home of the influential Cruddas

family, Virginia House (formally known as Dene House or Elswick Dene) was built during the industrial redevelopment of Elswick in the mid-19th century.

• Though it had started life as the luxury home of a wealthy landed family, it later went on to play a valuable role serving the community.

• From the mid-20th century onwards it has served, in different guises, as a shelter and place of opportunity for those most in need.

George Cruddas

• George Cruddas, head of the Cruddas family of Elswick, was born in 1791 in County Durham.

• Cruddas had originally been a draper and sail maker with a successful shop in North Shields.

• Cruddas also owned ships and clearly had a strong interest in engineering.

• In the mid-1830s Cruddas became a director of the newly founded Newcastle and North Shields Railway.

Portrait, presumed to be George Cruddas – on display at Cragside.

Advert for Cruddas’s drapery business, Newcastle Courant, 12 Oct 1838

Cruddas at Armstrong’s • In 1845 Cruddas joined with various other local

businessmen and notables, including Richard Lambert, Addison Potter (Mayor of Newcastle) and Armourer Donkin, to form the Whittle Dean Water Company.

• The company, of which William Armstrong was secretary, utilised Armstrong’s inventions in the field of hydraulics to supply Newcastle and Gateshead with fresh water from the reservoirs at Whittle Dean.

Cruddas at Armstrong’s • Following swift developments in Armstrong’s

inventions the same group of men formed the Newcastle Cranage Co. and later Armstrong & Co. (later to become the world famous Armstrong Whitworth & Co.)

• They built their new company premises on recently bought land in Elswick, contributing to a period of redevelopment that would change the face of this once rural suburb.

Plan of Elswick Estate, 1839

Ordnance Survey map of Elswick, 1868

Ordnance Survery map of Elswick, 1898

The Cruddas family move to Elswick • In all of Armstrong’s ventures George Cruddas took charge

of finance – most likely due to his experience as an independent business man.

• In 1851, due to his ever increasing business demands, Cruddas moved from North Shields to Elswick.

• Along with the many other industrial magnates moving to the area around this time, Cruddas commissioned a large family home in the popular neoclassical design, to be built in the centre of Elswick.

• To design the home Cruddas appointed the famous North East architect, John Dobson, best known for the design of Newcastle Central station and the redevelopment of Newcastle city centre, along with Richard Grainger.

Newcastle Courant, 29 November 1839

Newcastle Courant, 29 November 1839

The Cruddas family • After Cruddas death in 1879 the house was inherited

by his son, William Donaldson Cruddas. • As a result of his business ventures with Lord

Armstrong, Cruddas, at the time of his death, was one of the richest men in Newcastle, leaving a fortune of almost two million pounds.

• His son William Donaldson Cruddas took over the role in Armstrong & Co. Later in his life he became MP for Newcastle (1895-1900).

• One of Cruddas’ other sons, George Cruddas junior, became an Anglican minister eventually becoming Canon of Newcastle.

Photograph portrait of W. D. Cruddas during his time as M.P. for Newcastle, held in the National Portrait Gallery

Article mentioning George Cruddas’ fortune, from the Newcastle Courant, 27 Jan 1882

The Cruddas family leave Elswick • In the 1890s, as the face of Elswick changed and local

industry expanded, the Cruddas family eventually moved away, buying Haughton Castle in Northumberland.

• Around the same time W. D. Cruddas donated a large portion of the land around Dene House to Newcastle City Council in order that they may maintain it as a public recreation ground.

• Though they didn’t sell Elswick Dene, from then on, for the next 60 years, it seems that the house was used only intermittently as a city residence by the family.

The Newcastle Weekly Courant, October 18, 1890

Elswick Dene and the Church Army

• Over half a century later, in 1946, the family finally relinquished Elswick Dene.

• They’re attachment to Elswick was still strong and rather than selling the house, they donated it to the Christian charity, the Church Army, as a residence for elderly ex-servicemen.

Church Army opening of Elswick Dene, 1946 (Church Army archives)

Elswick Dene under threat • Nearly twenty years later, however, the existence

of the house was threatened by developments in Newcastle and the massive changes in the city’s landscape.

• In the mid-1960’s, City Councillor T. Dan Smith put into action his vision of Newcastle’s major redevelopment.

• Elswick was massively affected during this period as the terraced houses of the industrial boom and many of the older manor houses were bulldozed to be replaced with high rise blocks.

Elswick Dene under threat

• Positioned in the very centre of the Elswick redevelopment Elswick Dene was soon marked for demolition in order to make way for a new tower block.

• In 1964 the Church Army vacated the building, moving their residents to new premises in Ryton, and the home was sold to Newcastle Council.

Elswick Dene is saved • However, as the proposed demolition was still

some time off the Health and Social Committee successfully argued for the use of Elswick Dene.

• It was decided that the now empty house would serve as a temporary shelter to house homeless men following the closure of Newcastle’s last workhouse, Elswick Grange.

• This successful venture (and most likely a lack of money for further redevelopment) meant the house was eventually saved to serve as a social services home on a permanent basis.

“Alderman Mrs. Murray in moving the report, said: I am very happy to present this report in spite of having to ask for a supplementary estimate of £3,100 because this means that the old Elswick Grange – our workhouse – is at last closed and the men are now transferred to this rather pleasant house of Elswick Dene. We hope they will be very much more comfortable and happier. It is a very great day, I think, for Newcastle to be able to say, a large industrial area like this, that we no longer have any workhouse. Alderman Mrs. Scott seconded, and the motion was agreed to.”

Newcastle City Council Proceedings 1964-65, Council Library, p. 628-629.

The Cyrenians and Virginia House

• By the early 1990’s Elswick Dene was no longer serving much use to the Council.

• In 1993 the house was sold to The Cyrenians who renamed it Virginia House after another of their properties, since demolished.

• It was initially run as a direct access hostel accommodating up to 31 homeless people.

• The building was massively refurbished in 2008 and has since served as a Leading Place of Change.