East Anglia Excursions

Blickling Hall

Blickling Hall is a splendid early 17th-century house owned by the National Trust. It is one of England's great Jacobean houses and is built in red brick with a gabled façade and elegant corner turrets. Its remarkable long gallery has an outstanding plaster ceiling and houses a superb library containing 12,000 books and throughout the house are a fine collection of family portraits, including works by Gainsborough and Reynolds, as well as textiles and good quality furniture. The ghosts of Anne Boleyn and Sir John Fastolfe (the inspiration for Shakespeare's Falstaff) are said to haunt the house and grounds. The breathtaking garden offers variety and colour throughout the seasons, with spring bulbs, magnolias, particularly dramatic displays of azaleas and rhododendrons, plus herbaceous borders and stunning autumn tints, a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon. There are miles of attractive lakeside and parkland walks, and interesting features such as the sunken garden, dry moat, temple and orangey.

Address: 15 miles (24km) north of Norwich, Norfolk, signposted off the A140; Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-blicklinghallgardenandpark; Telephone: (0)1263 738 030 or 0844 800 1895; Transport: Accessible by car, bus and train; Opening time: There are various opening times throughout the year for different areas of Blickling Hall, see website for details.; Admission: ₤8.27 (adults), £4.09 (children); garden only £5.45 (adults), £2.72 (children)