Ford Hall

George Mowbray built Ford Hall in 1785 on land acquired by his father, Teasdale Mowbray, from the Hiltons of Hylton Castle. Six years later it was sold to John Goodchild for £14,500. Goodchild lived on the adjoining Pallion Estate and let the house to the Havelock family. Their son, born at Ford in 1795, was destined to become General Havelock, the hero of Lucknow. John Goodchild's bank failed in 1816 and the house passed to the Fenwick family. Their descendents sold it to the Corporation of Sunderland in 1924 with 174 acres of land. By this time it had been empty for 20 years and the Corporation demolished it.