Records show that in the early 1800’s the building then on the site was a public house, later converted into 3 tenements. In March 1829, the recently established Coastguard service took over the building, originally with the aim of combatting smuggling on the Yorkshire coast. They stayed until moving to other premises in the early 1900’s.
The building once again reverted to accommodation and in 1910 is recorded as being used for holiday lets. In May 1912 Leeds and Sheffield universities hired the building which became known as the Yorkshire Universities Marine Laboratory. It was rented for £8 per annum until it was purchased for £220 in 1922. The agreement with Sheffield University ended in 1928 but Leeds University’s ownership continued.
In the 1960’s a grant from the Wellcome Trust enabled the university to demolish the old building and rebuild in a more modern style. One of the features of the purpose-built lab was an 8,000 gallon seawater tank in the basement. From the mid 1960’s to its closure in 1982, the lab was principally used as a research establishment. Read more about the marine lab here.
The building was sold and used as a private management training centre until the late 1990’s when the National Trust bought it with money from the Neptune Coastline Campaign and bequests from benefactors.
