(Image: WATLING REAL ESTATE)
A former County Durham care home which previously closed after a damning watchdog report has been put up for sale, a year later.
Howlish Hall care home in Bishop Auckland shut months after a Care Quality Commission inspection found “dangerous conditions, unsafe practices and collapsed leadership”. The closure also followed a coroner’s warning over the risk of further deaths.
The 40-bed residential and dementia home on Howlish Lane, Coundon, is being marketed by Watling Real Estate, with offers invited for the freehold.
Former troubled Bishop Auckland care home Howlish Hall is up for sale a year after it closed
(Image: WATLING REAL ESTATE)
The Grade II-listed property, parts of which date to the 17th Century, sits in extensive semi-rural grounds about three miles from Bishop Auckland and less than 10 minutes from the A1.
It extends to about 18,987 sq ft and most recently contained 38 bedrooms, including 25 with en-suite facilities. The building also includes two residents’ lounges, a dining room, commercial kitchen, communal bathrooms and toilets, offices, storage areas and two passenger lifts.
An extension completed in 2005 added 17 en-suite bedrooms.
Howlish Hall, in Bishop Auckland
(Image: WATLING REAL ESTATE)
The property was previously owned by Williams & Spenceley Ltd, which entered liquidation in April 2026.
Max Foster, a surveyor at Watling’s Leeds office, said the property offered “a unique blend of historic character and modern accommodation”.
He said the original hall dated to about 1700, with extensive additions made during the late 18th Century, while the modern extension was completed in 2004 and opened the following year.
Howlish Hall care home in Bishop Auckland has been put up for sale months after its closure following a damning regulator report.
(Image: STUART BOULTON)
The agents said the property could support residential, care or specialist accommodation uses, subject to planning and listed building consent.
Mr Foster added: “There is significant scope for redevelopment or variation of the existing building subject to planning and listed building considerations.”
Howlish Hall closed voluntarily in July 2025 after being rated inadequate by the CQC. The regulator concluded: “The lack of action placed people at potential risk of harm and abuse.”
Howlish Hall Residential Care Home, Bishop Auckland
(Image: STUART BOULTON)
The home had already been placed in special measures and subject to organisational safeguarding by Durham County Council, but improvements were not sustained.
After urgent CQC action, the owners submitted a 90-day closure notice. Most residents were moved out by August 1, with the council and regulator overseeing their relocation.
READ MORE:
- Former County Durham care home closed after watchdog report now on market for £2.4m
- Bishop Auckland care home to shut after watchdogs unearth 'serious concerns'
- 'Dangerous' County Durham care home closed after damning watchdog probe
Neil Jarvis, the council’s deputy director, previously said: “We placed Howlish Hall Care Home into safeguarding measures following concerns relating to the delivery of care.
“The home was kept under these processes for some time as, despite engagement with the owner, we were not seeing the required changes fully implemented or sustained.”
He added: “Once the owner made the decision to voluntarily close the home, we worked closely with the Care Quality Commission to ensure all residents were moved to suitable alternative accommodation quickly and comfortably.”