History:
Blickling Hall was built in around 1620, on the site of an earlier house, for Sir Henry Hobart, Lord Chief Justice to James I.  The architect was probably Robert Lyminge who had designed another Jacobean mansion, Hatfield House, a few years earlier.

Blickling has richly modelled red-brick facades with stone dressings adorned with domes, towers, chimneys and curved Dutch gables.  The great mullioned and transomed windows are typical of the period.  The entrance front has service ranges with ornate Dutch gables extending out on either side and continued by immense hedges of dark yew.

In the 18th century Blickling was partly remodelled by Thomas and William Ivory for John Hobart, 2nd Earl of Buckingham.  The house is a harmonious combinationn of Jacobean and Georgian design and the Ivorys' ranges to the north and west blend beautifully with the work of Lyminge.

Although the exterior is Jacobean the interior is mostly Georgian.  The Ivorys remodelled many of the rooms in 1785 including the great hall and staircase.  They also fitted out a room between 1778 - 1782 to accomodate a vast tapestry depicting Peter the Great.  This was a gift brought back by the 2nd Earl who had been an ambassador at the court of Catherine the Great in St Petersburg.  Some Jacobean decoration remains including Sir Henry's long gallery which has a finely decorated ceiling from the 1620s.

In around 1745 the long gallery was converted into a library to house a collection of books inherited from Sir Richard Ellys.  The room also has a delicately painted Pre-Raphaelite frieze above the bookcases by J.H.Pollen.  This was commissioned by 8th Marquis of Lothian shortly after he inherited Blickling in 1850.  When Peter Kerr, 11th Marquis of Lothian, died in 1940 while ambassador in Washington, he gave the property to the National Trust.

Blickling Hall is surrounded by wooded parkland, landscaped in the 18th century, with mature oaks, beeches and chestnuts framing a mile-long artificial lake.  Later work was carried out by Humphry and John Adey Repton.   They enlarged the lake, improved the gardens, added a new clock tower and built the orangery.  The 2nd Earl died before these works were finished and his death was marked by the erection of a mausoleum in the shape of a pyramid.

The formal garden layout dates from the 17th century but was made more informal in the 18th century and was re-worked as recently as 1930.  The garden contains an extensive parterre, temple and secret garden.  There is a good lakeside and woodland walks.

Tickets

Tickets are £27.50 each, plus booking fee, and can be obtained by telephoning 0870 444 5556.

How To Get There

Blickling Hall is situated near Aylsham and can be accessed from the B1354, one mile west of Aylsham.

Accommodation

We have found a few links which might help you with accommodation in and around Aylsham.

Aylsham, Norfolk

Travel Lodge

Travel Inn