Image Reference: CB/WH/PL/2/A15
Written by Lara Moon, Archivist
As we all know things don’t always go according to plan and this week’s blog on the Tunstall Hall Estate in Hartlepool proves just that!
The above plan of the Tunstall Hall Estate is dated 1880 and shows land owned by William Alexander Wooler of Sadberge Hall. The estate was named after nearby Tunstall Hall which can be seen in the bottom left of the plan. It illustrates the “proposed manner of laying out [of the estate] but subject to deviation from time to time”. This second part of the title is exactly why this plan is so interesting because there were plenty of deviations.
It seems the estate was laid out around what became Ward Jackson Park as a blank space has been left on the plan to accommodate this. Wooler also donated 2 acres of land towards the park area so it seems right that he would want to develop an estate to enclose the green space that opened in 1883.
Modern day road names Hart Lane, Serpentine Road and Wooler Road are written on in pencil. It is believed these are later annotations to the plan as in between plots 30 and 31 “G Rd” is written. This refers to Grange Road that was built to connect the area to the town of West Hartlepool – one of the first deviations that affected the layout of the estate.
You can see from the 1897 OS map above that Tunstall Court – built in 1897 – takes up the corner covering several plots (13-16 & 36). The top left corner deviates from the plan due to the building of Tunstall Manor – in 1895/6 – where plots 6-12 should be. Could it be that the plans were changed to accommodate the homes for Furness and Gray families, who were highly influential in the town.
Further deviations show:
Plot 16 – split into 3 houses called Hollymount, Kiama and Oakridge. 1891 census records an ‘Average Adjustors Surveyor’ named Frederick Beck and his family living at Kiama. Oakridge was built for John Dunbavand, an elementary schoolmaster, in 1885. These original plans for the building show the elevations and layout of the 5 bedroomed villa.
Plot 17 – became Normanhurst which, according to the original plans, was built for Mr Guthe – a ship owner who later merged with Furness – but was later bought and lived in by Sir William Cresswell Gray (whose son built and lived at nearby Tunstall Manor).
Plots 18 & 19 are crossed out and shaded red with “Mr C. Brown’s Site containing 6 acres” written on. On the O/S map that is the building called Woodlands. It was built in 1879 for Christopher Brown who was married to Eliza Furness, sister of Christopher Furness (who lived nearby in Tunstall Court). He founded Stranton Sawmill in 1878.
Interestingly, further up the road the property Hollymount (plot 16) was built for John Brown, brother of Christopher Brown – talk about keeping it in the family!
Even though the original layout plan was not followed it is clear to see that the Tunstall Hall Estate achieved it’s intention of being an area for the who’s who of notable families in West Hartlepool at the time. But by the start of the First World War, there were even further changes to the Tunstall Hall Estate.
This 1914 O/S map shows that Ravensworth was renamed Park Hill – occupied by Solicitor Matthew Harrison and his family (1901/1911 census). The house was demolished in around 1950 after his son William died. Kiama was renamed Aldersyde which is now a children’s nursery. Oakridge was renamed Tunstall Grange (by which it is still known) and has since been split into 2 residences. Cameron Hospital, which opened in 1905, can be found on Serpentine Road where plot 2 was originally planned.
By the time the Second World War begins, the Tunstall Hall Estate is almost unrecognisable from the 1880 plan we first saw.
The town of West Hartlepool had rapidly expanded and more affordable housing covered the majority of the area. A stark contrast to the 36 plots for villas with extensive gardens that was originally planned. Many of the large houses still remain but their large estates were carved up into other residential areas. In the 1920s, Tunstall Court was given to the company Richardson Westgarth by Christopher Furness’ son for use as a sports’ club – seen here as Furness Welfare Park.
If you look at a map of the area today you will see very little remaining features of the 1880 plan – apart the existence of Ward Jackson Park and the creation of Wooler Road (named after the man who once owned the land). Even the grand buildings like Woodlands, Tunstall Manor and Tunstall Court have not survived. It just goes to show that things don’t always go according to plan and we should all expect ‘deviations from time to time’.
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