Gunton Hall, Gunton Park, is a large country house near Suffield in Norfolk.

Gunton Hall
Gunton Hall, 19th-century lithograph

History

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The estate belonged to the Gunton family in the 12th century, to the Berney family in the 16th century and later to the Jermyn family.[1] The current house was built for Sir William Harbord, 1st Baronet in the 1740s by the architect Matthew Brettingham.[2] In 1775 Harbord Harbord, 1st Baron Suffield, Member of Parliament for Norwich, commissioned James Wyatt to make significant additions to the house.[2] The grounds were developed by Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield, employing William Milford Teulon as the landscaper.[3] However, the hall was almost destroyed by fire in 1882 and lay derelict for nearly a century before Kit Martin, an architect, bought the hall in 1980 and converted it into individual houses.[2] It is surrounded by a 1,000 acre deer park.[4] The boathouse was rebuilt as a studio by the artist Gerard Stamp in 2004.[5]

St Andrew's Church, Gunton in woodland to the east of the hall is a redundant Church of England church. The church was built in 1769 and designed by Robert Adam for Sir William Harbord, to replace a medieval church.[6] It is a Grade I listed building,[7] and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[8]

Gunton Park sawmill is a 1824 sawmill powered by a mill pond on Hagon Beck.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Blomefield, F. (1805). "Topographical History of the County of Norfolk". Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Real-life Downton Abbey rediscovered in Norfolk". EDP24. 28 January 2012. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  3. ^ "Gunton Park, Roughton, England". Parks and Gardens. Parks and Gardens Data Services. Archived from the original on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  4. ^ "The Gunton Arms, History". Archived from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  5. ^ "Greatwater Boathouse". Spirit Architecture. Retrieved 25 July 2017.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Gunton Church". Britain Express. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  7. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Andrew, Hanworth (1373457)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  8. ^ "St Andrew's Church, Gunton, Norfolk". Churches Conservation Trust. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  9. ^ "Gunton Park Sawmill". Retrieved 12 January 2021.

52°51′32.0″N 1°18′26.9″E / 52.858889°N 1.307472°E / 52.858889; 1.307472