Ormesby Hall Is a beautiful classic Georgian Mansion set amongst 240 acres of farm and parkland, on the southern aspects of Middlesborough. 

During the early 18th Century Ormesby Hall was a busy farming estate which stretched up to the river Tees. The estate was acquired in the early 17th century by the Pennyman family, and it stayed in their family for 400 years. The present house was built for James and Dorothy Pennyman in the 1740s and incorporates parts of the earlier house within its service wing.

In the Drawing Room and dining rooms are some excellent examples of plasterwork and woodwork from the 18th century. 

The estate shrank from the mid-19th century and although the Victorian Pennyman’s were dedicated landowners, living on the estate all year round and immersing themselves in the life of the local community which continued into the 20th century, even though most local people depended on industry at that time rather than the land.

Colonel James (Jim) Pennyman, the last owner, joined other local landowners to set up schemes to help unemployed miners in the 1930s. His wife, Ruth, promoted the arts in the area and set up local drama groups, making Ormesby known for its theatrical productions. 

Jim had to sell land in the 1920s to pay death-duties for his father and his first wife Mary who died in childbirth, then the majority of the remaining Ormesby estate was compulsory purchased after the Second World War. When the Colonel died without children in 1961, he left Ormesby Hall, its parkland and home farm to the National Trust. His widow, Ruth, lived on at Ormesby and continued to pursue her theatrical activities until her death in 1983.

Today the house looks very much as it did when it was last inhabited, it is warm and cosy and a fitting reminder of the Pennyman family.

The gardens are lovely with colourful displays of seasonal flowers set amongst the borders.

The café adjoins the gardens and offers a good selection of food and drinks.