Marske Digital Village

Marske Hall is a 17th century former mansion house, now serving as an institutional residence. It is a grade 1 listed building.

A third of the Manor of Marske was purchased by William Pennyman in 1616 and he built the imposing mansion in 1625. The facade, which twice incorporates the arms of the Pennyman Family changed very little to this day.

In 1643 James Pennyman became Lord of the Manor, during the Civil War James was a Royalist, and created an army made of his tenants, which was involved in a battle against Oliver Cromwell on Marske beach in 1643. For this delinquency he was convicted and fined £1200, a burden which may have contributed to his decision to sell the estate to the Lowther family in 1650.

In 1762 the Dundas family bought the estate – making it the home of the Marquess of Zetland.

The last member of the family to reside at the Hall was Lillian, the Dowager Marchioness of Zetland who lived here till her death on Christmas Eve 1943.

During the Great War, the Hall was used by the Royal Flying Corps, then used for a billet for officers from the nearby Army Camp until the end of the 1945.

In 1948, it was made into a private school by Mr & Mrs Hoggarth. It was officially “Marske Hall School” but was known locally as “the Red and Grey School” on account of the colours of the school uniform. However, in 1957 it was damaged after pupils played with matches and it closed in 1958 when the headmaster retired.

The building was abandoned for a few years, but in 1961 Lord Zetland donated it to the Leonard Cheshire Foundation.