Oxburgh Hall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gatehouse of Oxburgh Hall, seen from courtyard.

Oxburgh Hall is a stately home in Oxborough, Norfolk, England (map coordinates 52°34′53″N, 0°34′15″E), belonging to the National Trust. The house has been continuously inhabited by the Bedingfeld family since its construction in 1482.

[edit] Description

A fine example of a Tudor manor house, the house stands within a square moat about 75 metres on each side, and was originally U-shaped with the open end of the U facing south. The entrance is reached by a three-arched bridge on the north side. In the 19th century the open end of the U was filled in, creating a central courtyard. Other Victorian additions include the Flemish-style stepped gables, an oriel window and terracotta chimneys.

The hall is well known for its priest hole. Due to the Catholic faith of the Bedingfield family, a Catholic priest may have had to hide within the small disguised room in the event of a raid. The room is reached via a trapdoor, which when closed blends in with the tiled floor. Unlike many similar priest holes, Oxburgh's is open for visitors.

The hall is also notable for its tapestries by Mary Queen of Scots. She worked on these while in the custody of the Earl of Shrewsbury, following her escape to England. Other tapestries on display were produced by Bess of Hardwick.

The estate has a number of woodland walks, including a 'Woodland Explorer' trail.

Oxburgh Hall is a popular location for film and television series, including brief appearances in the Dad's Army episode "Museum Piece", and later in You Rang, M'Lord?.