The first mention of a property called Hambleton House was in 1665 when it was the residence of William Speight, however it has not yet been possible to establish where in the village this was located. It has been reported that at least part of the current building dates back to c1803 although it has not been possible to verify this either. In 1881 William T. Smith from Hambleton House donated £1,000 to the building of the village Church. Kellys Directory of 1881 refers to Hambleton House as a principle seat in West Riding. Mr T. Smith was certainly living in Hambleton in the 1841 census but it does not name the property in Hambleton. The earliest photograph we have of Hambleton House is circa 1904 but the name appears in the 1861 Census. The house had large ornate gardens at least partly surrounded by a wall. One resident can remember playing tennis with his Mother on the tennis court in the grounds in the late 1920s or early 1930s. There was a coach house and stables where the village garage and shop are now (2018) with a large room upstairs room which was large enough to accommodate a billiard table in later years.The house had large gardens at least partly surrounded by a wall. On the 8th January, 1937 H. Seller licensee of The Wheatsheaf, owned by John Stanley Whitaker Tinsdale, applied for an alcohol licence at Hambleton House which would be be called The Owl. The Owl became a Country Club and then a Hotel.