Historic gates from Hartford Hall near Bedlington still in storage after removal 20 years ago

Cllr Malcolm Robinson said that the gates from Hartford Hall near Bedlington going missing was equivalent to the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle disappearing. The gates were removed for repair in 2004, but work stalled as costs escalated.

The Hartford Hall Estate went bust in 2009, and the workshop holding the gates refused to do so any longer in 2014. The council then stepped in to take over the stewardship of the gates, but they remain stored in a council depot due to the cost of restoring them.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting of full council, Cllr Robinson said: “There’s a very important part of Bedlington’s heritage missing: the Hartford Hall Gates.

"They are Grade II* listed and there are only two sets with that listing in the country.

“I also believe they are now in the possession of the county council, and there was a project to see them renovated. What, I am asking, is happening to them now?

“Can we get a small team to find some funding? This is the equivalent of the Tyne Bridge going missing overnight.

“I am told that these gates are the very best examples in the country. It is something we should be celebrating, not just as a county but as a region.”

Responding, Cllr Colin Horncastle, cabinet member for the environment, explained there were legal issues around the gates.

He said: “We are passionate about heritage in all parts of the county.

"After the workshop holding them refused to do so any longer in 2014, the county council was unable to fund another organisation to take them on, so in a situation of last resort took custody whilst a solution was found.

“Historic England funded a condition report in 2013 which estimated repair costs at £350,000, as well as annual maintenance costs of £2,500 and repainting costs of £25,000 every 15 years. Those figures will be significantly higher now.

“They are now securely stored in a council depot. Discussions regarding a museum stalled due to a legal row over ownership.

"At the moment, they are securely packaged and the council is starting to reopen discussions with a museum, but they are not ours.”