Blickling Hall

One of England's finest Jacobean houses.

Blickling is the archetypal English country house replete with Dutch gables, fairy tale turrets, landscaped parkland and the quintessential headless ghost (for one night a year only). Even seasoned National Trust visitors must admire the extravagant red-brick hall flanked by ornate service wings and preceded by the grand forecourt. It is a house fit for royalty, with a fittingly royal history.

The first building to occupy the site of Blickling Hall was a manor house, owned in the 11th century by Harold Godwinson - who later became the King of England. Later owners included Sir John Fastolfe (immortalised as Shakespeare's comic hero) and Thomas Boleyn. Legend has it that his daughter Anne, second wife of Henry VIII, was born here, and it is her headless ghost that is said to walk the grounds on the anniversary of her death. In 1616 Blickling Hall was sold to Sir Henry Hobart, who transformed the medieval manor into the elaborate, turreted, Jacobean house that we see today.

The interior is famed for its spectacular Long Gallery, intricate plasterwork and fine collections of furniture, books and paintings. Outside, the colourful gardens change with the seasons as first snowdrops, then daffodils, bluebells and later azaleas come into bloom. Beyond the carefully manicured lawns, the extensive parkland beckons with winding woodland walks and pretty views of the lake.

View attraction map »

Back to list »