Holkham Hall

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Location: Wells-Next-The-Sea, Norfolk, England, United Kingdom

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Thomas Coke, the first Earl of Leicester, conceived this Palladian Hall as his vision of an Italian villa on the windswept north Norfolk coast. The family has lived in this house continuously since the 1750s, though at Holkham since 1612. They take great pride and joy in sharing the house and its treasures, the deer park and Holkham beach, with visitors.

Holkham is still privately owned and is the centre of a thriving 25,000 acre agricultural estate which provides resources both to maintain the house, and to ensure that the social fabric of rural life remains intact. However, Holkham has not stood still and has worked hard to move with the times. In recent years, enterprises have expanded to include a holiday park, several shops, property development and an internationally acclaimed inn.

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Welcome to Holkham

Walking and cycling in Holkham Park.

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Architecture, Landscaping & History

This script has been used with the kind permission of Professor James Stevens Curl - www.jamesstevenscurl.com. It was published in the 'Journal of The Gardens Trust xlv/1 (Summer 2017) 113-4, ISSN 0307-1243', under the title 'Garden History'. The article makes reference to the book 'Holkham: The Social, Architectural and Landscape History of a Great English Country House by Christine Hiskey (Norwich 2016)'.

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The Designed Landscape

Layers of Time

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Change and Continuity

Take in the View

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Nature Trail

Geese & Summer Visitors

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The Ice House

Other than St Withburga’s Church, this Ice House may be the oldest building within Holkham Park. Although experts have differing opinions, one authority suggests that the Ice House was in existence well before building operations began on the family wing of Holkham Hall in 1734. Another makes comparison with Ice Houses in Wales, known to have been constructed around 1750-60. The earliest known reference to a building designed specifically for this purpose is to a ‘snow conserve’ built in Greenwich Park for James I in 1619-20.

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St Withburga’s

The flint church of St. Withburga is situated half a mile north-west of the hall. There is evidence of a church here from Saxon times but the oldest surviving tower, which, although heavily rebuilt, dates from the 13th century. A heraldic glass panel in the south-east chapel records restoration work initiated by the Dowager Countess of Leicester in the 1760s, but the church as we see it today owes much to the restoration in 1868-69 by the architect James K. Colling for the 2nd Earl of Leicester.

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Holkham Lake & Landscape

What better way to while away a summer’s afternoon than in a rowing boat on Holkham’s mile-long lake. This stretch of water is a haven for wildlife and a great way to see the Hall and park from a new perspective. Take a book and relax as you gently bob along, or grab your camera or even your binoculars and see what you can spot. As you take to the water, you’ll discover the lake has a couple of islands to navigate, too - hold onto your oars!

This script is 'Holkham Stories' by David Allsop.

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The Walled Garden

An exciting project is underway at Holkham to rejuvenate the 6 acres of walled garden which was originally laid out by Samuel Wyatt during the late 1700s.

Visitors are invited to see how the work is progressing. Their first step will take them through Italian iron-work gates which were brought from Venice in 1908 and into one of the seven sections, known as ‘squares’ and ‘slips’. The walls within the garden act as a windbreak and reflect the sun to create a gentle microclimate. In Victorian times the garden would have provided a constant and varied supply of food and decoration to the hall, ranging from vegetables and flowers to a wide variety of both common and exotic fruits.

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