In 1825, Jonathan Backhouse, a financial backer of the railways, bought 'Polam Hall' (on Polam Hill) and was responsible for renovations including the landscaping of the grounds; it was not until 1828 that his wife Hannah (née Chapman Gurney) and family moved in.

As members of the Darlington Society of Friends (Quakers) and ministers they undertook missionary work resulting in them having to travel extensively around England and America.

As cousins of Edward Pease, Joseph John Gurney and Elizabeth Fry, they were able to work with each other to improve their world.

[3][4] 'Polam Hall' was sold to William and Robert Thompson, who leased it to the Procter sisters for use as a Quaker ladies’ finishing school.

[17] The school announced in 2019 that it would cease taking boarders in 2019 because the numbers involved made it noncommercial.