Felbrigg, Norwich, NR11 8PR (Website)
History
Felbrigg estate, originally home to the Felbrigg family, was long the home of members of the Wyndham family, since the first John Wyndham (d. 1475), acquired the estate from the Felbrigg family. Thomas Wyndham (d. 1522) was a councilor to King Henry VIII. Later residents included John Wyndham (1558–1645), probably the builder of Felbrigg Hall. The last Wyndham of Felbrigg was William Wyndham (d. 1810).
The last owner of the house before it passed into National Trust ownership was Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer. The original heir, Robert’s brother Richard, was killed in action in the Second World War. A memorial to Richard Ketton-Cremer was constructed in the woods behind the house by Robert. Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer wrote a number of books, particularly about Norfolk, including Felbrigg: the Story of a House, and Norfolk in the Civil War, Faber, 1969. In the latter, he indicates his health is failing. Robert Ketton-Cremer never married, and with no heirs, left the estate to the National Trust on his death in 1969.
Details
One of the most elegant country houses in East Anglia, the Hall is a place of surprises and delights, a mixture of opulence and homeliness where each room has something to feed the imagination. From the stained glass windows in the great hall to the nodding mandarins in the chinese bedroom; from Queen Mary’s teapot in the drawing room to the copper pans in the kitchen. Story boxes for the children help explain some of the history of the house.
Outside, the decorative and productive walled garden is a gardener’s delight and inspiration, providing beautiful flowers for the hall, with the allotments in the walled garden providing fruit and vegetables for the community. You can enjoy watching the hens pecking wherever they wish with only the sound of the busy bees in the flowers.
The rolling landscape park with a lake, woods and waymarked trails is a great place to explore nature and wildlife on this bountiful estate. With buggy friendly surfaces on main visitor routes, families can enjoy a great day out.
(Wikipedia)
1851 19’7″ X 29’3″
Central floral roundel on a light terracotta ground filled with multi-coloured acanthus scrolls. Floral border and plain 4″ outer edging band.
Central roundel – massed flowers including striped tulips, with very delicate small leaf sprays all round, on a creamy white background; enclosed in a wide band with a stem of paired laurel leaves separated by eight small rosettes.
Main field – multi-coloured acanthus scrolls with bright reds, blues and russetts with fairly formal rosettes in the corners and elsewhere, but also very natural pink roses, small jasmine flowers and white and red convolvulus with tendrils mixed in.
Main border – massed flower and leaves, including groups of three small orchids at intervals, with roses, strped tulips and others.
Guards – outer guard to main border – variations on egg-and-dart with acanthus and dart. inner guard – alternating long and round beads, separated by a crescent shape.
