It was built in 1583, incorporating the fabric of a medieval tower house, and has been extended and modified a number of times since then.

It was designated a Grade II* Listed Building in 1967, and is currently run as a bed and breakfast.

[2] It bears an hourglass-shaped inscription over the entrance, recording its construction by William Musgrave and Isabel Martindale, who added apartments and a hall to the original tower, giving the building its current L plan.

Its entrance, reached by an external flight of stairs, is dated 1637 and bears the initials WM and GM, for the widow Winifred Musgrave and her daughter Grace.

[2] Johnby Hall is first mentioned in 1200, and there are records of it being sold in 1300 and again in 1326, which is probably the time when the defensive tower, which now forms the main part of the house, was built.