Acklam Hall is a Restoration

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

in the former village, and now suburb, of Acklam in

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four co ...

, England. It is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

History

It was built by

William Hustler Sir William Hustler (–1730), of Acklam, Yorkshire, and Little Hatfield, Holderness, Yorkshire was an English draper and Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1695 and 1710. He was a member of the Society ...

between 1680–83. A long-held, albeit unverified family tradition claimed that the Hall was visited by a royal progress by the then-sovereign, King Charles II, in 1684. It continued to house the Hustlers until the conceding of ownership to Middlesbrough Corporation in 1928. After 1935 it was in public ownership and has been used as a

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

and a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is re ...

, known as Kings Manor School, with the addition of several modern buildings to the grounds. It was then owned by Middlesbrough Council. Middlesbrough College inherited the site and continued to use it as a college building.

House and gardens

Internally the building features a main staircase with

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its c ...

carved in spirals and helixes with pomegranate newel posts . The ceilings in the front part of the house have many

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

decorations of wreaths and fruit and some suspended griffons. There is a

lantern A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a oil lamp, wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to ca ...

window in the roof at the top of the staircase. The front room in the second storey spans the width of the house. It was probably a reception/ballroom originally, and has served various functions in education. It was the Assembly Hall for Acklam Hall Grammar School until the opening of the new hall around 1958. It then became the school's main library. Subsequently, the library moved to a new building, later demolished, and the space became the staff common room. In front of the hall stretches the Avenue of Trees (as it is known locally), with two rows of large oak trees forming a corridor which was likely to have been the route by which visitors originally approached the Hall. These trees stretch from Acklam Road to Hall Drive (immediately in front of the Hall) – a distance of around 0.5 miles.

Architectural details

The coat of arms of the Hustler family can be seen above the main door, with the figure of a Talbot on top. This extinct breed of hunting dog became the emblem of Acklam Hall Grammar School. The front door has a short

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...

Acklam Hall today

Middlesbrough Council revealed plans in 2011 to sell the hall to developers. Controversially the Council sold the hall and land for £900,000, when other valuations put its worth at £4,000,000. As of 2016, the council had only received £120,000 of the money it was owed. In 2014, Acklam Hall Ltd, which now owns the hall, confirmed that the building would be developed as a wedding venue with small spa, gym, conference rooms and a restaurant. The possibility of a medical centre and nursing home were also considered for the site. The financing of this would be offset against the building of 56 new houses, to the east and west of the hall, by Taylor Wimpey. The building is now used as a weddings and corporate events centre.

Image gallery

The following images were taken during an "open house" held in September 2007. Image:AcklamHallStaircase1.jpg, The main staircase seen from the top passageway. Image:AcklamHallStaircase2.jpg, The main staircase and the top passageway. Image:AcklamHallStaircase3.jpg, The main staircase from the ground floor showing the open helices in the balustrade. Image:AcklamHallStaircase4.jpg, The main staircase showing the filled helix balustrade used in the upper floors. Image:AcklamHall_CoatOfArms.jpg, The Hustler family

Coat of Arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

seen as part of the stucco ceiling decoration. Image:AcklamHall_Rear1.jpg, Rear view of the building. Image:AcklamHall_Rear2.jpg, Rear view of the building. File:Acklam Hall Front Door.jpg, Front Door of House. File:Hustler Arms.jpg, Arms above front door. These images, taken at the same time, show the neglected state of some of the early 20th century buildings attached to the Hall, and of the East Quad. Image:AcklamHall EastQuadOvergrown1.jpg Image:AcklamHall EastQuadOvergrown2.jpg Image:AcklamHall EastQuadOvergrown3.jpg

References

{{Navboxes , list1= {{Teesside Mansions {{Middlesbrough Buildings and structures in Middlesbrough Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire Country houses in North Yorkshire