Fornham Hall
Fornham Hall was a large country house near Bury St Edmunds.
History
The Fornham estate was bought by Samuel Kent, a rich grain merchant, in 1731.[1] Kent became a local MP and High Sheriff of Suffolk.[1]
Sir Charles Kent (Samuel's son-in-law) employed James Wyatt to design a large new house on the estate in the 1770s.[1] The house was acquired by Bernard Howard (subsequently 12th Duke of Norfolk) in 1797.[1] It was expanded on the Duke's behalf by the architect Robert Abraham in the 1820s[2] and sold to Lord Manners in 1842;[3] in 1862 Manners sold it to Sir William Gilstrap in 1842.[4]
The estate was acquired by the War Office in 1939 and used for training purposes by the Royal Engineers during World War II[5] before the house was demolished in 1957.[4]
The grounds include the tower of the ruined church of St Genevieve.[6]
References
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Robinson, p. 96
- ↑ Database of Houses
- ↑ Fornham St Martin local history site
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Robinson, p. 98
- ↑ Airfield Information Exchange
- ↑ Suffolk Churches
- Robinson, John, Felling the Ancient Oaks, Aurum Press, 2011, ISBN 978-1845136703