Delve into the histories of some of Norfolk’s finest country houses, with a special focus on those still in private ownership
Visit the romantic moated manor houses of Elsing Hall and Hindringham Hall, and Sennowe Park, the impressive Edwardian home of Thomas Albert Cook
Discover superb examples of neo-Palladian architecture, including Holkham Hall and Houghton Hall
“The focus of the visits and excursions was in each case excellent. Everything went extremely well”
- ACE customer on a previous Country Houses of North Norfolk tour
Full details, including the dates, Tour Director, cost and itinerary, will be released early in 2024. If you would like to receive full details of this tour when they are available, you can do so by filling in our register interest form here.
The sweeping landscapes and seascapes of North Norfolk, with their endless vistas and wide skies, were populated in the 17th and 18th centuries by a series of remarkable country houses built for notable patrons of the arts – including Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, builder of the spectacular Palladian mansion of Holkham, and Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first ‘Prime Minister’ and owner of Houghton Hall. These houses, and several others in our itinerary, are still owned by the descendants of those who built them.
Houghton was built in the 1720s to contain Walpole’s great collection of Old Master paintings, later sold to Catherine the Great. The estate is home to the Cholmondeley family who have in recent years commissioned a number of pieces of contemporary sculpture by artists including James Turrell for the 18th-century parkland designed by Charles Bridgeman.
Hindringham Hall is a moated Tudor manor house originally built using reclaimed stone from local monasteries that had been dissolved. Its grounds have been described by The Guardian as among the “Best Secret Gardens in the UK”.
Elsing Hall, a Grade I listed moated manor house, was built around 1740. One of the few remaining houses in Norfolk that boasts a traditional great hall open to the rafters, it is also surrounded by charming gardens.
Meanwhile, Wiveton Hall is known as the setting for the BBC observational series Normal for Norfolk. The building’s exterior provides an exquisite example of the style archetypal to Norfolk, with its flint facing and Dutch gables, nodding to the county’s historical relationship with the Low Countries.
Other highlights of the county include Voewood House, a Grade II listed Arts & Crafts house designed to a rare ‘butterfly’ pattern and boasting unique interiors as well as delightful grounds. Meanwhile, Sennowe Park was built in the Edwardian era for Thomas Albert Cook, grandson of travel and holiday pioneer Thomas Cook.
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Full details, including the dates, Tour Director, itinerary and cost, will be released in early 2024. Please click here to register your interest.
Included: Full details, including the confirmed itinerary, dates and cost, will be released in early 2024. Please contact the ACE office or use the form to register your interest.
Not Included:
