Historic Locations

Fenham Hall today, is a Grade II listed building. The current structure was built in 1745–48 on the site of the older Fenham Hall. This location was the medieval manor center of Fenham – first a Knights Templar estate (1185–1307), then held by the Knights Hospitaller until the 16th century.

Even though little remains from Fenham’s medieval centuries on the surface, the locations associated with that era are still identifiable. The principal historic location is Fenham Hall and its grounds. After passing into private hands, John Ord (Mayor of Newcastle) built the present hall in the 1740s , but this Georgian mansion sits on land that was once the medieval grange of the military orders. The continuity of the site underscores that the medieval manor’s nucleus remained important property for centuries. Today, Fenham Hall Drive and the surrounding area correspond roughly to the old estate. No doubt the medieval Hall or farm buildings would have stood near where the current Hall stands, possibly on the same spot, given the tradition of rebuilding on established sites.

In terms of historic maps, Fenham being outside the old Newcastle town walls means it appears on maps as a township or estate. Early maps (17th–18th century) show “Fenham” as a separate settlement west of Newcastle, often marked with a house symbol for Fenham Hall. For instance, mapping from the 18th century (such as Armstrong’s or Hutton’s maps of Northumberland/Newcastle) depicts Fenham Hall and its fields, indicating the extent of the estate at that time. These maps don’t explicitly label anything “Templar” or “Hospitaller,” but the estate boundaries they show likely echo the medieval manor bounds. The Town Moor to the east is another enduring feature – it was adjacent to Fenham and is mentioned in medieval documents (the Templars and later Hospitallers allowed the freemen of Newcastle grazing rights there in some cases, under certain covenants). Thus, the open land of the Town Moor and Nuns Moor can be seen as part of Fenham’s medieval landscape context .

Another location of interest is a place-name fragment: Spital Tongues (east of Fenham) carries the word “Spital” (hospital), possibly relating to St John’s Hospital (a medieval leper hospital in Newcastle) rather than directly to the Knights Hospitaller, but it reflects the presence of religious landowners around Fenham. While not a Templar site, it is part of the broader mosaic of church lands near medieval Newcastle. There isn’t a “Temple Field” or “Temple House” recorded in Fenham itself (as is sometimes found in places that Templars owned), likely because Fenham remained known by its own name. However, the legacy is such that Fenham was long remembered as “Temple land.” Legal records and later title deeds from the post-Dissolution period might reference the prior owners (e.g. an early deed transferring Fenham Hall might note it was late of the Hospitallers).

In summary, the early history of Fenham is defined by its transformation from a modest agricultural township into a valuable estate held by two famed knightly orders of the Middle Ages. Through the medieval period, Fenham’s land was strategically managed – first by the Knights Templar (who acquired it by 1185 and utilized it for farming and even mining), and then by the Knights Hospitaller (who took over in 1313 and held it until the 16th-century Reformation). The transition of Fenham’s lordship reflects the wider upheavals of medieval history (the suppression of the Templars and the continuity of the Hospitallers). Although the medieval buildings have vanished, records and research give us a detailed outline: a manor providing grain, pasturage, and coal to medieval Newcastle and beyond. Modern Fenham carries this rich but subtle heritage, with Fenham Hall standing as a later monument on the same ground that once felt the tread of Templar knights and Hospitaller brothers centuries ago .