The Close House (location of Close House) estate was originally owned by the Radcliffe family, and it passed to the Reade family at some time between 1412-24. It was sold by the Reades family to Robert Bewicke in 1620. It became the seat of the Bewicke family, who lived there for the next 333 years. Robert Bewicke was Mayor of Newcastle from 1628 to 1629. His descendants were also Mayor's of Newcastle, High Sherriff's of Northumberland and MP's.
The Bewicke family, of Close House, built the first school in the parish, at Houghton (location of Houghton) in 1823. It remained the only school in the area until 1850 when a state school was opened in Heddon village
Close House was built in 1779, and the estate covered an area of 606 acres of land and 11 acres of water. In 1906 it was leased to the Knott family, for a period up to 1929 when Sir James Knott moved to Jersey.
The Bewicke family returned to Close House in 1929 until the outbreak of war in 1939 when evacuees occupied Close House. After the war the house had a spell as a convalescent home for Newcastle General Hospital, a home for backward children and a nurses' training centre.
In 1953 the estate was sold by the Bewicke family and broken up. Part of the estate was sold to Newcastle University. Houghton North Farm Houghton was bought by the Law's family and Houghton South Farm was bought by William Leach the builder.
The school house at Houghton was purchased by Mr H. S. Swan a well known wood-carver
