Draft:Potto Hall

Potto Hall (formerly Potto Hall Hotel) is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, within the civil parish of Potto, located 11 miles (15 km) north-east of Northallerton. It is a private residence and has been the home of the Noble Family since 2020. Potto Hall is situated in the shadow of the North Yorkshire Moors, with 13.5 acres of woodland, landscaped garden and grazing land. The Hall is familiar to some as a former hotel, restaurant and nightclub, but has been privately owned since 2004.

History
Construction of Potto Hall was commissioned around 1850 by Edward Copley who had inherited his fortune following the death of an uncle. Potto Hall was built to house Copley and his 10 servants, but shortly after moving in it became apparent that Edward had overstretched himself financially and he was forced to sell.

Potto Hall was acquired by a young Joseph Richardson at some time between 1855 and 1860. Richardson was a son of Caleb Richardson, a member of an old Quaker family, and was head of the firm of Messrs. Richardson, Duck and Company, one of the chief shipbuilding firms on the Tees River. 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.

Richardson was five times Mayor of Stockton-on-Tees. He was also a Deputy Lieutenant of Durham, Vice-Chairman of the Durham County Council, and in 1886 he occupied the position of High Sheriff for the County of Durham, and sat on the Commission of the Peace for the Borough of Stockton, the County of Durham, and the North Riding of Yorkshire. 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 elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for South East Durham at the 1892 general election. Richardson died after a long illness on September 25, 1902, aged 72.

During the First World War Potto Hall was volunteered as a convalescent home for injured returning officers. Many people will also know Potto Hall as a hotel, restaurant, and wedding venue.

It returned to residential use in 2004. The property was split by creating five additional properties in what would have been the stables, the smithy shop, the servant quarters, and a Victorian extension. Those properties are now accessed via a separate entrance.