The Hall, Potto, has been home to the interesting and illustrious. Now a beautiful comfortable – and warm – family home, it’s seeking a new owner, says Jenny Needham

WHILE the world has changed beyond all recognition since The Hall, Potto, was commissioned in 1850 – as has the hall itself thanks to a programme of restoration works carried out by the current owners – some things have remained much the same. Amongst these is the fact that this elegant property near Stokesley is a perfect home for those who like the finer things in life.

Now a beautifully presented six-bedroom family home, the rich history of the hall shines through in the restored period features, which start at the original front door and continue throughout to the exceptional glass roof dome.

And yet, when the current owners came into possession of the hall in 2010, it was in urgent need of loving care and attention. Having been a hotel for many years, they joke that it had “taken on the guise of a run-down and overworked hotelier”.

They were unaware of just how much work needed doing on the building until after they had moved in. Having struggled for two years to get planning permission to build a property in Potto village, a friend inquired what they would do if it was refused. “Probably buy Potto Hall,” came the reply. The fact that it wasn’t actually for sale at that point did nothing to deter them. They convinced the owner to sell and, after spending a total of ten minutes in the hall, moved in.

Their predecessors included some interesting and illustrious local figures. Construction of the hall was commissioned around 1850 by Edward Copley. Born Edward Wholley, in his mid-twenties Edward inherited a fortune, and the 3,000-acre estate, following the death of an uncle, an inheritance conditional on him changing his surname to Copley.

Shortly after moving in, it became apparent that Edward had overstretched himself financially and he was forced to sell the hall to Joseph Richardson at some time between 1855 and 1860. No doubt Richardson would have enjoyed retreating here from his hugely busy work life as head of the firm of Messrs. Richardson, Duck and Company, one of the chief shipbuilding firms on the River Tees. He built an incredible 622 ships while he lived at Potto Hall and was a great innovator, the first man to build iron steam ships on the Tees when everybody thought it was impossible for a metal ship to float.

He was in regular contact with Queen Victoria’s office and as High Sheriff would be called upon to represent her in the North-East. He was five times Mayor of the borough of Stockton-on-Tees, and was elected as MP for South East Durham at the 1892 General Election.

The Richardson family were benefactors, too. The original Potto village hall and the land on which it sits were donated by them to the village and they also provided the annual Christmas tree and other gifts to the village. The pet cemetery which still exists in Potto Hall grounds includes gravestones for dogs brought by officers returning injured from the First World War after the Richardson family converted their mansion into a convalescent home in order to support the war effort.

The aim of the current owners was to bring the house back to the glory that it enjoyed when the Richardson family were living at the hall, but at the same time to make it perfect for a modern family.

This proved quite a task considering the state of the hall when they took it over. The grand mansion had fallen on hard times, and after serving as a hotel, restaurant, and wedding venue in recent times, by 2010, its glory was well and truly tarnished.

As well as aesthetic problems, they encountered a long list of structural issues. All the floors and the roof had to be replaced; the original Victorian sash windows were restored and converted to accept double-glazing; the roof dome above the main hall was rebuilt – quite a challenge as the new double-glazed dome was too large to erect assembled and had to be built in situ; windows that had been bricked up were put back and the ornate surrounding woodwork refurbished. In fact, just about everything in every part of the house had to be renovated, rebuilt, or replaced.

Then came the aesthetic issues, more fun perhaps, but challenging nonetheless. The couple sourced authentic Victorian chandeliers from around Europe as all of the originals had been removed, and commissioned a freestanding Victorian kitchen, including a 3.5 metre marble island and four-oven Aga.

Modern additions have been welcomed in too, as the aim was to make this a comfortable, as well as a beautiful home. A new heating system, including underfloor heating, was installed; the Aga itself is an electric conversion that the couple say is ultra-cheap to operate. And in a house this size, that’s important.

When the couple first moved in they burnt £2,000 of LPG gas in the first month trying to heat the hall and failing miserably; it was freezing even with the heating on full. The solution was a decidedly modern one: installing a carbon neutral biomas heating system and traditional column radiators throughout the property. The fully automated clean system burns 6mm wood pellets, which are stored in the cellar. Twice a year, a lorry attaches a nozzle to the house exterior and blows five tonnes of pellets in. Now instead of £2,000 a month, the heating bill is just £2,000 a year for all of Potto Hall’s heating and hot water.

In the light-filled, elegant sitting room, floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto the grounds, now a manageable 13.5 acres, including formal lawns, a few acres of woodland including a beautiful woodland walk, and several acres of grassland. There are statues dotted about that have been with the house for much of its history and an operational fountain. The house faces south and there are spectacular views to the North Yorkshire Moors National Park.

Over the past nine years, with immaculate attention to detail, the current owners have brought the hall back to life and given it a wonderful facelift. While they’ve been living at Potto Hall, they have enjoyed garden parties, concerts in the house, having 20 or 30 people for Christmas lunch, kids coming home from university and bringing an army of friends to stay. Now, with family gone off to make their own way in the world and just one very old Weimaraner for company, they feel it is time to pass the property on to a new family, and maybe a few horses and a couple of dogs.

There is a certain pride, though, that after it has been in existence for the best part of two hundred years, they have given the house the attention it needed to see it through the next two hundred. The roof they removed was the same roof put there in 1850; now the high quality materials and craftsmanship used for the new roof will keep the building warm and watertight for decades. And the hundreds of metres of external boundary walls they repointed in the original limestone mix will ensure they have the strength to stand proud for another two centuries.

“We don't feel emotional about leaving the house behind,” they say. “There was a job to do – we did it. We have enjoyed living in such a grand, yet comfortable setting, and now it's ready (and time) to welcome a new family that can make full use of the property and become the new custodians.”

And somewhere deep inside, they find comfort in the fact that the Richardsons would have approved and appreciated their contribution to Potto Hall.

The Hall, Potto, is on the market at £1.7m with Liz D Property Consultancy

lizdproperty.co.uk

01609-748114