Felbrigg Hall

Felbrigg Hall is a 17th-century country house located in Felbrigg, Norfolk, England. Part of a National Trust property, the unaltered 17th-century house is noted for its Jacobean architecture and fine Georgian interior. Outside the house are a walled garden, an orangery and orchards.

Felbrigg Garden has a dual personality. The West Garden is laid out in the style of a typical Victorian pleasure ground, arranged around an 18th-century orangery. Accentuating the play between light and shade, its formal lawns are interspersed with areas of dark shrubbery. This garden features a number of specimens from North America including Red Oaks, Western Red Cedars, and a meadow with a walled garden. There are double borders of mixed shrubs, a herbaceous border, and more. The orchard has been planted with varieties of fruit known to have grown in the garden during the 19th century. The gardens are home to the National Collection of Colchicums.

At one time Felbrigg Hall had one the largest estates in Norfolk. Nowadays, the Felbrigg estate covers some 1,760 acres (approximately 7 square kilometres) of parkland including the 520-acre (2.1 km²) Great Wood, which shelters the house. There are a number of waymarked walks through the estate.

The last owner of the house before it passed into National Trust ownership was Mr Robert Ketton-Cremer. The original heir, Robert Ketton-Cremer's brother Richard, was killed in action in the Second World War. A memorial to Richard Ketton-Cremer was constructed in the woods behind the house by Robert.

Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer wrote a number of books, particularly about Norfolk, including Norfolk in the Civil War, Faber, 1969. There he indicates his health is failing.

Robert Ketton-Cremer never married, and with no heirs, left the estate to the National Trust on his death.

Christopher Mackie, husband of author Mary Mackie, was Administrator, or Houseman, of Felbrigg Hall until 1990. Mary Mackie has written a number of books on their experiences, the most successful of which are Cobwebs and Cream Teas and Dry Rot and Daffodils.

The Orangery at Felbrigg Hall

[edit] References

AA's Illustrated Guide to Britain, London, 5th edition, 1983.
Mackie, Mary. Cobwebs and Cream Teas: Year in the Life of a National Trust House, ISBN 0-7528-3410-X
Mackie, Mary. Dry Rot and Daffodils: Life in a National Trust House, ISBN 0-7528-3409-6
Mackie, Mary. Frogspawn and Floor Polish: Upstairs and Downstairs in a National Trust House, ISBN 1-84024-333-3