THE multi million-pound restoration of Middlesbrough’s only Grade I-listed building will be complete in the New Year.

Acklam Hall will open its doors in February, after a complex 18-month restoration to renovate dozens of its original rooms and features to their original grandeur.

The redevelopment of the 17th-century building will create over 20 new jobs in Middlesbrough as well as opportunities for local suppliers.

The hall dates back to the 1680s and was home to Teesside’s Hustler family for almost 250 years before becoming a school in the 1930s.

Its new restaurant will be called The Brierley, after the architect Sir Walter Brierley who designed the alterations to the hall in 1912.

Rooms in the hall will be used for larger celebrations of up to 120 guests such as weddings and conferences, and for private dining and civil ceremonies.

Martin Williams, from Acklam Hall Ltd the company behind the redevelopment, said: “Acklam Hall is one of the most recognisable buildings on Teesside and very much loved by the local community, many of whom went to school there or had family who did.

“We’ve spent many months very carefully restoring the hall with some of the best experts in the field and dozens of original features are now back to their former glory.

“The interest in what Acklam Hall will have to offer has been phenomenal and we have a number of weddings and events already booked for 2016 and 2017.”