Preston Hall Museum History
The earliest record of the land at Preston Park is in the Boldon Book, a survey of County Durham carried out in 1183. The land at this time was in the hands of tenant farmers. By c. 1300 the land was owned by the De Seton family, who passed it on to the Sayer family.
In 1722 the estate was sold to John Eden of Windleston, who owned it for just six years before he died and the land passed to Sir Robert Johnson.
Around 1820 the land was bought by David Burton Fowler, who also owned land at Cherry Burton in East Yorkshire, and in 1825 he built Preston Hall. That same year, the Stockton and Darlington Railway was constructed and the line ran through the park, alongside the present Yarm Road.
In 1828 David Burton Fowler died and the Hall and estate passed to his great nephew, Marshall Robinson Fowler. It remained in the Fowler family until 1880, when Marshall Fowler Jnr. sold the site to Robert Ropner.
Mr. Ropner, a shipyard owner, made several alterations to the house, including the addition of the conservatory, ballroom, billiards room and large stone porch.
In 1893 Mr. Ropner presented a section of land in Oxbridge, Stockton, to the public to be used as a park. This is now know as Ropner Park.
In 1924 Robert Ropner, now Sir Robert, died and passed his title to his eldest son, John Henry, and the property to another son, Leonard, who lived in the hall until his death in 1937. In this year the hall was leased to local firm Ashmore, Benson and Pease, who used it as offices.
In 1944 a Thornaby firm of building and public works contractors bought the park, intending to develop it as a self-contained housing estate with it's own shopping centre. However, the building restrictions in place after the war prevented this from taking place and in 1947 Stockton Borough Council acquired the estate.
On the 3rd June 1953 the hall was opened as a museum to commemorate the coronation of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II. Further developments took place in 1973, when a public zoo, a transport museum and a café were built. Work also began on the Victorian street.
In 1987 the zoo was replaced by an aviary.
Since then there have been numerous re-displays of the museum, including further additions to the Victorian street.
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