Down Hall is a large red brick merchant's folly in Barrow upon Humber in North Lincolnshire, England. Built in 1877 by JW Beeton, a willow merchant from Hull, the building originally served as both a grand house and a factory for the manufacture of coal baskets, chairs, and prams on its top floor and attic.[1][2][3]
Beeton was an eccentric who paid his workers in distinctive octagonal tokens, and observed them cutting osiers from a panoramic view glass tower, (now removed,) on the roof of the building.[2] It is alleged that he lined the drive to the hall with skulls removed from a Saxon burial ground which was disturbed during building.[according to whom?]
Down Hall was built by John Sleight of Barrow, who said that the house was based on the calendar using the numbers seven, twenty-four, twelve, fifty-two and even three-hundred-and-sixty-five for numbers and measurements of doors, windows and other fittings. Sleight claimed that the effort of building a house to such eccentric specifications almost killed him.
- ^ "Down Hall". About the Village. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ a b Down Hall .geograph.org.uk; retrieved 7 April 2011
- ^ "appraisal for the Barrow upon Humber conservation area". North Lincolnshire council. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2013.