Seaton Delaval Hall

As Seaton Delaval Hall is now under the stewardship of The National Trust, it does not feature directly on this website. However, you can access The National Trust's website from here.

Lord Hastings

(from a booklet "Lord Hastings and some notable Astleys", by Martin Green)

Edward Delaval Henry Astley was born in 1912 at Melton Constable. His family owned a large house and thousands of acres in Norfolk. The barony began in the 1290s with Sir John Hastings, and was restored in 1841 when Sir Jacob Astley became the 16th Baron Hastings. Edward became the 22nd Baron in 1956.

Educated at Eton, Edward traveled Europe to learn languages, worked briefly in the City, then joined the Coldstream Guards. He later travelled 22,000 miles across America in a Ford V8. During WWII, he served in the Intelligence Corps in North Africa and Italy, famously announcing the war's end on Milan radio. He ended the war as a Major.

Post-war, he worked in banking and later farmed in Southern Rhodesia. He married former model Katie Hilton (Nicki) in 1954. After his father's death in 1956, Edward returned to Britain, joined the House of Lords, and served under MacMillan, notably passing the Clean Air and Water Resources Act.

He inherited Seaton Delaval Hall and 6,000 acres, which he and Lady Hastings restored. They lived in the West Wing and opened the Hall to the public. Their son Justin, born with Down's Syndrome, led Lord Hastings to donate Thornage Hall to the Camphill Village Trust.

Lord Hastings was active in charitable causes, from epilepsy research to the British-Italian Society, for which he earned high honors. He supported ballet, chaired the Dance Teachers Benevolent Fund, and hosted local events at the Hall. He was a devout supporter of The Church of Our Lady.

They sold African assets in 1982 and settled permanently at Seaton. Lord Hastings credited Fred Hetherington, the estate sub-agent, for aiding the Hall's restoration. Fred passed in 1999 after 50+ years of service.

Lord Hastings died in 2007; Lady Hastings passed later that year. Both are buried near the Church of Our Lady. Their son, Delaval Astley, inherited the estate and negotiated with the National Trust to preserve it. The Hall opened to the public under NT stewardship in May 2010.