Gunnergate Hall
Gunnergate Hall | |
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General information | |
Location | Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England |
Completed | 1857 |
Client | Charles Albert Leatham |
Gunnergate Hall was a mansion house with grounds in the south of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire, England.
History
Gunnergate Hall was built in 1857 for Charles Albert Leatham, a wealthy Quaker banker.[1][2][3] Albert Leatham died in 1858 and in 1860 his widow sold Gunnergate Hall to ironmaster John Vaughan[4][5][6] who used it as his residence.[7] John Vaughan died in 1868 and his second son Thomas Vaughan inherited the hall and lived there.[1][5][6] Thomas Vaughan spent extensively improving the hall,[1] however his business failed and the hall was sold in 1881 to Carl Bolckow,[1][5][6] son of Henry Bolckow. Carl Bolckow sold the hall to mayor and shipbuilder Sir Raylton Dixon in 1888.[1][5][8] Sir Raylton Dixon died in 1901[1][2][5] and thereafter the hall was left unoccupied, and fell into disrepair.[1][8] The hall was used as an army base in both world wars[1][5][8] but was demolished in 1946 shortly after the Second World War,[1][3][4][5][8] and the land acquired by Middlesbrough Council.[2]
Description
Gunnergate Hall was located off Tollesby Lane[4] and there is a plaque in the grounds that shows the former location of the hall.[8] The main entrance drive was from Stokesley Road in Marton.[5] Gunnergate Hall had three lodges but only two survive, Hunter’s Lodge on Gunnergate Lane and High Lodge on Tollesby Lane.[3][4]
The hall had a banqueting hall, ballroom and billiard room[6] and the grounds had a rockery, tennis courts, greenhouses, waterfall, lake, fountain, and boat house.[2][6] A water tower in the grounds may have supplied the lake fountain or else provided water pressure for the house.[9]
Fairy Dell Park | |
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Fairy Dell | |
Type | Nature Reserve and Parkland |
Location | Middlesbrough |
Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Operated by | Middlesbrough Council with The Friends of Fairy Dell |
Status | open all year round |
Awards | Green Flag Award |
Website | Friends of Fairy Dell |
Fairy Dell Park
Fairy Dell is a local nature reserve,[10] and the former gardens and grounds of Gunnergate Hall.[2][11] Fairy Dell is a laid out parkland and natural wooded beck valley with an ornamental lake and flood defence lakes that is part of the Marton West Beck wildlife corridor.[12][13] The site was redeveloped as a flood defence in the late 1970s by Northumbrian Water and Middlesbrough Council.[12]
Access to the park can be gained from nearby Newham Grange Country Farm.[14] Wildlife to be found include watervoles, herons, kingfishers, moorhens, and mallards.[10][14] Numerous chainsaw sculptures have been created in the woodlands by Steve Iredale.[14] Activities undertaken by the Friends of Fairy Dell interest group include path clearing, strimming, and planting.[15] The park was given a Green Flag Award by the Civic Trust.[12]
Discoveries within in the area have included animal bones and a sunken path. An archaeological dig is planned for 2014 led by Tees Archaeology.[16][17][18] A £38,000 grant has been obtained from the Community Spaces Programme of the Heritage Lottery Fund for improving footpaths and natural woodland, flower planting, extra seating and the archaeological dig.[16][17][19]
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Green Flag Award - Fairy Dell Park - geograph.org.uk - 1597022.jpg
Entrance
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Wildlife in Fairy Dell - geograph.org.uk - 1596806.jpg
Lake
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Reflections of trees in Marton West Beck - geograph.org.uk - 1596988.jpg
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Snake Sculpture in Fairy Dell - geograph.org.uk - 1596730.jpg
Snake sculpture
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Fairy Dell Bridge and Marton West Beck - geograph.org.uk - 1596717.jpg
Bridge over Marton West Beck
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links
- Friends of Fairy Dell
- Gunnergate Hall images: Hidden Teesside, Chris Scott Wilson
- Walks: Middlesbrough Council.