Records show that in 1145 the Dunstall Estate was owned by the Earl of Derby. In 1652, Thomas Bott held property in Dunstall apparently derived from the Hollands of Barton, which included the original mansion now known as Old Hall Farm. On the death of his great- granddaughter, Elizabeth Beardsley in the late 1700’s, the Estate was sold to John Meek, an opulent cheese-factor from Barton-under-Needwood.
In 1801, his son Richard acquired further lands in Dunstall that had been in the hands of the Turton family of Alrewas since 1660. The present house had in remoter times been a lodge on the edge of the Royal Forest of Needwood, and would have witnessed gatherings for many a Royal Hunt.
In 1814, Richard Arkwright, the retiring son of Sir Richard Arkwright, inventor of the spinning jenny in 1764 and builder of the first water-powered cotton spinning mill at Cromford in Derbyshire, purchased the combined estates at public auction as a gift for his son Charles.These comprised Dunstall Hall and 440 acres and the Manor of Dunstall and Birdshall totalling 1,500 acres. After his father’s death in 1792, Richard had disposed of most of the mills prior to the post-Napoleonic recession, and shrewdly invested in landed property and banking. He was far and away the wealthiest commoner in England when he died in 1842, leaving £3.25 million (£150 million at today’s rates). Charles Arkwright was childless and on his death in 1850, the Hardy family from Yorkshire purchased the Estate.
Surviving plans from 1856 and 1890 show that extensive alterations undertaken effectively turned the old Manor House into the impressive Hall of today.In 1953, the Hall and Estate was acquired by Sir Robert Douglas, and on his death in 1997, in 1997 by Sir Stanley and Lady Clarke. An exciting refurbishment programme was carried out to exceptional standards, before the Hall and park were privately purchased by the present owner.