Hackensall Hall: An Overview of Its History

Hackensall Hall, also known as Hackensall Hall Farmhouse, is one of the oldest and most prominent properties in the Knott-End and Preesall area. Not only is the structure notable for its size ad history, but it is also known for being haunted. Here is a brief overview of the history of Hackensall Hall.

Where Is Hackensall Hall?

It is on Whinny Lane in Knott-End-on-Sea, a lane running through Hackensall Woods at the end of Hackensall Road. The property sits in woodland next to Knott End Golf Club, close to the River Wyre Estuary. It is a Grade II listed building.

What Is the Architectural Style of the Building?

Although the original structure no longer exists, the current home was built in 1873, and it retains many of the features of the original building. The two-level property has an irregular floor plan, including wings, multiple chimneys, and roofs at different levels.

Externally, the farmhouse has pebble-dashed brick walls with sandstone dressings, mullioned windows, and a slate roof. The single-storey gabled porch encases a door with a moulded surround. It also has an inscribed plaque and a Tudor arched head.

Internally, the property is described as an Inglenook house. It underwent extensive renovations in the late 1990s when the current owners bought it.

Extensive gardens surround the farmhouse, and multiple outbuildings are set around a cobbled courtyard, although most are now derelict. Public footpaths run alongside two sides of the house, and one intersects the property from part of the grounds, which include a large pond and woodland.

What About the Property’s History?

Hackensall Hall is one of the oldest homes in Knott-End-on-Sea. A structure could have stood on the site of the current building as early as the 9th century. Some stories say that a Viking called Haakon, from which the name ‘Hackensall’ is derived, settled in the area. There is also evidence of a former moated building on the site.

The original building on the site of the current property was built in 1656 by Richard Fleetwood, a Lancashire politician. He built the house after his former home, Roassal Hall, was flooded.

Interestingly, Parrox hall, a substantial property in the neighbouring village of Preesall, was built around the same time. Since 1690, Parrox Hall has remained the property of the Elletson family. A farm track connects the land surrounding the two properties.

The current house was built on the same site as the original in 1873, and it is a remodelling of the original 17th-century farmhouse. Until the 1920s, the building was home to Dorothy Parkinson and her family.

Dorothy Parkinson was the daughter of John Parkinson, the former landlord of the Black Bull Inn in Preesall. In 1872, when Dorothy was 17, a syndicate of men from Barrow-in-Furness discovered rock salt in Preesall while staying in the inn.

Parkinson dissolved, filtered, and oiled the sample to create the area’s first example of local salt. During the early 20th century, salt was an important industry in the rural area, and Preesall Salt Works were built in the village’s salt marshes in 1902.

Dorothy married a farmer called John Parkinson, sharing a name with her father. Following their marriage, Dorothy and John lived in Hackensall Hall, where Dorothy remained until she died in 1925. The couple raised nine children in the house.

Is Hackensall Hall Haunted?

One reason the property is so fascinating is its ghostly connections; as many people say that Hackensall Hall is haunted. Various stories are linked to the house, and the most famous spirit is a boggart that takes the form of a horse that works on the farm overnight.

The house and the surrounding woods are also known for the Headless Horseman. However, stories about the ghostly figure may originate back to the boggart, and people may have adapted the tale over time.

It is also said that two women haunt the farmhouse since their skeletons were disturbed during the construction of the current house. According to rumours, the women’s remains were discovered in the walls, so they were likely left to die. Other sightings of ghosts include a young boy and an older man.