Panton Hall was designed for Joseph Gace by William Talman – who trained under Wren and had worked closely with George London. When Talman died in 1719 the work was completed by Nicholas Hawkesmoor - a pupil of Sir John Vanbrugh. The three-storey house was completed in 1727. The gardens were laid out in the 'dutch style', which was fashionable during this period. In 1742 the house passed to Gace’s son-in-law, Carr Brackenbury (1714-63), who owned the house until his death. The house then passed into the ownership of Sir Jacob Wolff (1740-1809) in 1767. Edmund Turnor (1715-1805) bought Panton Hall in 1773 and invested significant amounts of money to make it grand enough to live in. By 1775 he had appointed John Carr of York (1723-1807) to make alterations to the property including the addition of side wings. Also at this time William Eames landscaped the grounds and 'improved and ornamented' with several plantations. The house remained with the Turnor family until 1917. Mrs Leeke of Louth rented Panton Hall in 1847 to use as a finishing school. The house was thoroughly repaired and the school lasted until October 1866. The following year Panton Hall was occupied by Christopher Turnor’s son, Edmund Turnor (1838-1903), and it continued to be the home of his wife Lady Mary Katherine Turnor following her husband's death. In August 1917 the Panton estate, including Panton Hall, was offered for sale at auction. It was purchased by Mr George Keeble, an ex-mayor of Peterborough. It then became a Franciscan monastery and Roman Catholic School. In 1931 newspapers reported the construction of new cloisters that extended around the college quadrangle. The monks existed side by side with the college occupying the stables and the friars occupying the Georgian mansion. In May 1935 Panton Hall was bought by Sir John Denton Marsden. Historians suggest Marsden bought Panton Hall from the Turnor family in 1917 and rented the house and stables as a monastery and college. However, newspaper reports from 1935 suggest this is incorrect. Marsden lived in part of the stables but newspaper reports from the time suggest the house was regularly used for social events. During the Second World War the house was used by the army and by the time of John Denton Marsden’s death in 1944 the house was in poor condition. After the war it stood empty and in 1964 the house was demolished. {1}{2}{3}