Dalesfolk Remembered
Sir Paul Nicholson KCVO , KStJ 1938 – 2025
THE funeral of a great friend to Weardale was held in Durham Cathedral on February 13 th .
Former Lord Lieutenant to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll, Sir Paul Nicholson’s family once
lived in Stanhope and he considered Weardale home. Indeed, it is where his parents are buried.
The service in the Cathedral began with music by Bach and as the great and the good of the
county gathered, the Cathedral choir sang Funeral Sentences from John 11, Job 19 and Timothy 6,
followed by the welcome, made by the Dean of Durham.
The first hymn, ‘Praise to the Lord, Almighty..’ was sung by the large congregation, followed by a
reading of Rudyard Kipling’s ‘IF’ by Alastair Balls. Sir Paul’s younger brother, Frank, then paid a small
tribute to Paul, saying he was born and died and lived his whole life in County Durham. He loved the
County and especially the river Wear which began in his beloved Weardale at Wearhead and ended
in Sunderland where Sir Paul’s family ran Vaux Breweries.
Frank Nicholson then read the poem, ‘Weardale and the River Wear’ by James Green, which
begins, ‘We’ll sing a song of Weardale, for Weardale is our home. And we will welcome every one,
who may to Weardale come…’
As he spoke those words, the Frosterley marble that is in the cathedral surrounded him, as did
stone cut from the banks of the river Wear, underlining the gifts Weardale has given to such great
institutions around the world.
The choir sang the words of Psalm 121 – known locally as the ‘Weardale Psalm’, beginning: ‘I will
lift mine eyes unto the hills…’
The present Lord Lieutenant, Mrs Sue Snowdon, read from Revelation 21 before The Rev Canon
Michael Everitt gave a sermon, which was really part eulogy. Sir Paul Nicholson had a long
association with HM Queen Elizabeth ll and had, as a young teenager,been a footman on one of the
carriages in her Coronation procession in 1953. He would, in 1997, be appointed her Lord Lieutenant
of the County Palatine of Durham and she would knight him – twice!
In his years of service as Lord Lieutenant, he served his monarch well in the north, working very
hard on her behalf. Sir Paul often came into Weardale and these trips mostly included some special
event although there were many private visits too. The official visits included one to Wolsingham
Steelworks when it received The Queen’s Award for Industry and to Stanhope Open Air Swimming
Pool when it received The Queen’s Award too. He attended events and Royal visits to Harperley Hall,
including when Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, attended the official opening of the National
Centre for Forensic Science. And he twice visited Wolsingham School as Lord Lieutenant, once for
the annual Armistice Day service.
There were other sides to his life, of course, and one not so well known was that he was once a
jockey and even rode in the 1964 Grand National on his horse, Sea Knight. He finished last but at
least he finished, which was more than top jockey, Michael Scudamore did. Sir Paul was a horse
lover and involved greatly with the heavy horses owned by Vaux Breweries. He was Chairman of the
company, which was one of the most successful in the north-east.
Sir Paul, a former military man, was an empathetic and benevolent man – and Lord Lieutenant –
who worked hard for the people of County Durham. He was a patron of many charities but wasn’t
just a figurehead, he did his best for them all, including Point North – which has a simple philosophy
to make today better and tomorrow brighter for our communities. It aims to work with
local communities to fight poverty and enrich lives for people across County Durham, the Tees Valley
and the wider North East. Indeed, the congregation was asked to make donations to the charity at
the family’s request.
Sir Paul was married to Lady Sarah and the couple had a daughter, Lucy and two grandchildren.
The congregation sang the patriotic hymn, ‘I Vow to Thee My Country’, followed by prayers and
the anthem, ‘For the Beauty of the Earth’ sung by the choir. The final hymn, sung by the large
congregation was the Battle Hymn, ‘Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Coming of the Lord’
where the rafters almost lifted with enthusiastic singing.
After the Commendation and Farewell, led by The Dean, the choir sang ‘Nunc dimittis’ as the
service concluded.
Sir Paul Nicholson was a Knight of the highest order, a champion of the county and a lover of
Weardale. His gentle guidance and the valuable work he did for the people of the north will live a
long time in our memories. May he rest in peace.
