Norfolk: Blickling Estate

Nestled amid the north Norfolk countryside, you’ll find the spectacular Blickling Estate, which is best known for being the birthplace of Anne Boleyn.

It’s thought Henry VIII’s infamous second wife was born at Blickling around 1501 and lived there for some four or five years until her family upped sticks and moved to Hever Castle in Kent.

Despite this claim to fame, the glorious red-brick stately home that now graces the estate isn’t the place Anne called home. For the old Tudor manor house was replaced at the beginning of the 17th century.

In 1616, Sir Henry Hobart, Lord Chief Justice to James I, bought the sprawling estate and commissioned Robert Lyminge, the man behind Hertfordshire’s Hatfield House, to build him a new and improved home.

The result was the magnificent Jacobean mansion we see today (above)

Over the years, various changes have been made to the house and grounds.

In the 1820s, Lady Caroline Hobart added the attractive gardens. While in the 1850s, the west wing was remodelled to accommodate a new kitchen, laundry room and game larder.

Today, the estate is in the care of the National Trust after it was bequeathed by Philip Kerr, Marquess of Lothian, when he died in December 1940, making it the first stately home to be left to the organisation.

During his illustrious career, Kerr acted as secretary to David Lloyd George and served as the UK’s ambassador in Washington DC.

His exalted career meant he hobnobbed with the rich, powerful and influential, and Kerr welcomed a host of well-known names to his Norfolk pile, including Nehru Gandhi, Nancy Astor and Stanley Baldwin.

On arriving at the estate, I made my way from the car park to the courtyard (above), where the hall’s entrance is located.

On going inside, I was greeted by a friendly volunteer and then set off to explore the house, following the set visitor route.

My first port of call was the elegant brown drawing room (above). Originally home to the hall’s chapel, it was turned into a bedroom and dressing room in the 1760s, and later became a sitting room.

From the drawing room, I continued my visit in the simple, but chic lower ante-room (above).

The room started life as the entrance to the house with a grand staircase leading from it to the first floor, but in the 1760s the staircase was moved to the great hall.

The room later became a small library and latterly was Philip Kerr’s sitting room (above).

Next up was the grand dining room, boasting some lovely wood panelling (above).

And from there, I found myself in the servants’ quarters, which included the kitchen and pastry room.

I always like it when stately homes let you see the servants’ rooms, as it’s a handy reminder of the unseen, back-breaking work that used to go on behind the scenes to keep these grand mansions running.

Having toured all the rooms downstairs, I made my way upstairs via the brown staircase.

There, I looked around one of the bedrooms (above) and then found myself on the landing overlooking the grand staircase in the great hall (below).

The great hall is lined with portraits of distinguished members of the Whig party from the 18th century, including Sir Robert Walpole, who served as Prime Minister from 1721 to 1742, and Sir Thomas Coke of nearby Holkham Hall.

While I’m sure the array of Whig glitterati would have impressed the 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire’s guests, I was more intrigued by the plaster cow on the ceiling (above). It just seemed so random.

Blickling’s most impressive room is the long gallery, which was designed as an exercise space for Sir Henry Hobart in the 1620s.

In 1745, it was turned into a library and now houses one of the National Trust’s most impressive book collections, made up of some 12,000 tomes.

As well as its book collection, the room is renowned for its Jacobean plaster ceiling, which was created by Edward Stanton in 1620 (above).

The room was undergoing restoration when I visited, with the estate’s conservators carefully working to preserve the fragile plaster work.

From the long gallery, I continued my way through the house’s upper rooms, admiring the fancy decor as I went.

I was particularly taken by the state bedroom (above), which was created in the 1750s by John Hobart, the 2nd Earl of Buckinghamshire.

The then-Russian ambassador wanted a room fit for a king in case the royals came to stay. Sadly for the earl, Blickling didn’t welcome any royal guests.

Having seen all there was to see in the hall, I headed outside and spent some time exploring the estate’s extensive grounds.

I started my tour in the attractive parterre garden (above), which is adorned with some impressively manicured yew hedges.

From there, I followed the tranquil tree-lined paths around the garden (above), stopping to admire various features, such as the temple and orangery, along the way.

The grounds made for a lovely, relaxing stroll in the spring sunshine.

One of my favourite parts was the dell (above), a secluded area in the far-right hand corner of the garden.

It was a pretty, peaceful spot and I couldn’t help but think it would be the perfect place to curl up with a book on a warm summer’s day.

I finished my visit at the large lake (above), which forms part of a longer walking trail around the estate.

I enjoyed my visit to Blickling Hall. It’s a grand, impressive and striking stately home and is worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Info

Blickling Estate, Aylsham, Norfolk NR11 6NF
nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/norfolk/blickling-estate