The History and Origins of Blickling Hall
Blickling Hall is a Grade I listed English country house situated in Norfolk, England. The current Jacobean mansion was built for Sir Henry Hobart after 1616, constructed upon the ruins of an earlier Tudor building. The site has been held by the Hobart family for centuries, with the house undergoing various alterations and additions as it passed through different lineages.
The estate has been in the care of the National Trust since 1940. During the Second World War, the house was requisitioned for military use. During this period, it functioned as the Officers’ Mess for the nearby RAF Oulton. Following the war, the property was let to tenants until 1960, when it underwent a major refurbishment to restore the house to reflect its historical character.
The Architecture and Design of the Mansion
The current Jacobean mansion was constructed for Sir Henry Hobart between 1616 and 1626. The surveyor Robert Lyminge designed the structure, which was built upon the ruins of a late medieval moated hall. This red-brick country house is characterized by a seven-bay front and square corner turrets. The layout follows a double courtyard arrangement.
The building's physical presence is defined by its relationship to the surrounding moat. The architectural composition reflects the transition from Tudor traditions to the more formal Jacobean style. Inside, the house contains a significant collection of manuscripts and books within its library, with an estimated 13,000 to 14,000 volumes held in the core collection formed by Sir Richard Ellys.
- The Emperor Trajan Sacrificing to Mars Victorious, Francis Hayman
- Figures Crowning a Statue of Hercules, Francis Hayman
- Hanging the Silk in the Peter the Great Room, Blickling Hall, 1987 - Edmund Fairfax-Lucy
The Historic Gardens and Parkland
The estate encompasses 5,000 acres of parkland situated within a loop of the River Bure. This landscape includes two deer parks, one of which dates to the 12th century. The formal gardens reflect a long history of development, beginning with 17th and 18th-century layouts and continuing through mid-19th-century modifications. In the 1720s, the grounds were altered to include a ha-ha and a raised bank surrounding the gardens.
Several individuals contributed to the evolution of the landscape. Markham Nesfield, William Wyatt, and Constance, Lady Lothian, were responsible for the mid-19th-century developments. Later, in the 1930s, Norah Lindsay completed further garden work. These layers of design define the current character of the grounds and the surrounding parkland.
