It appears as if the land was then acquired by the Corbet family of Moreton Corbet. It was bought back again by another Sir Rowland Hill (1705–1783). He became the 1st Baronet Hill of Hawkstone and was the fifth generation descendant of the original owner. Intrigued by the unusual landscape Sir Rowland began the process of creating trails and building follies on the four outcrops of rock. In the process he made stylistic repairs to the original Red Castle and even created a Hermitage complete with a resident hermit who would offer pearls of wisdom to passersby.

In 1783 the estate was inherited by Sir Richard Hill who, not only had a talent for making money, but continued to develop the landscape and was responsible for the construction of Hawkstone Hall. He retained William Emes to construct Hawk Lake, a significant expanse of water even by the standards of the time. To accommodate the growing number of visitors he both published a guidebook to the park and commissioned the building of the Hawkstone Inn.

It was Sir Richard who added a ruined Gothic Arch to the top of Grotto Hill as well as the Swiss Bridge and a 100ft (30m) high pillar supporting a statue of Sir Rowland Hill known as the Obelisk or Monument. A balcony surrounds the statue and can be reached by a spiral staircase inside the column. It has the the inscription “The righteous shall be held in everlasting remembrance” and was reinstated and restored in 1992 courtesy of the Barclay Brothers. He also had a large urn placed in the park to commemorate an ancestor who had fought in the Civil War. By the time the 2nd baronet passed away in 1809, Hawkstone Park was already an important visitor destination and one of Britain's most celebrated landscapes. After his death in 1809 the estate passed to his brother Sir John Hill who made few if any changes.