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During our holiday to Norfolk, we were kindly gifted entry to some National Trust attractions. We love going to Norfolk and have been many times before- it’s clearly popular with the people of Hitchin too as I met a family from Hitchin whilst on the beach in Wells!
Our first National Trust trip was to Sheringham Park- you can find that review here.
Towards the end of our holiday, once my inlaws had arrived, we went to Blickling Estate, which is somewhere I’ve never been despite having been to Norfolk a number of times, so I was really looking forward to going. We’d loved returning to Sheringham Park, but it was great to be going somewhere new too.
The website states that ‘one day is never enough’ and that is certainly true of Blickling Estate- the breath-taking Jacobean mansion and ancient yew hedges sit at the heart of a magnificent garden and historic park in the beautiful Bure meadows. Surrounding the house, the formal garden is the result of three centuries of inspired planting, and the gently undulating historic parkland is great for exploring on foot or by bike. With over 4,600 acres to explore, Blickling's parkland is the perfect place to explore either on foot or by bike.
Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Blickling Estate was the birthplace of Anne Boleyn, and during the Second World War RAF air crew were billeted here, while its owner, Lord Lothian, influenced Churchill’s actions, so there’s a huge amount of history to uncover here. After the death of Philip Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian (the last private owner of Blickling) in December 1940, the Blickling estate passed into the care of the National Trust, and is maintained for the enjoyment of visitors year-round.
We arrived at the car park (don’t forget to pay at the parking meter) and were welcomed by the Team who gave us our tickets, plus a map and an activity for the children, where they needed to tick off various challenges.
It was a short walk down to the estate (approximately 140metres), where you can choose to enter through the walled garden or the main driveway to the house.
If you are visiting with anyone with mobility issues, then do speak to the team when you arrive as there are lots of ways they can make your visit easier. You can find details about access here (open the ‘Facilities and Access’ section), along with a full PDF you can download.
Mobility scooters are even available to hire for free (donations welcome) from the Estate Barn reception (parkland scooter) and the East Wing Visitor Reception (garden scooter).
The walk up the driveway to Blicking Hall is breathtaking- it’s impossible not to be bowled over by the grandeur of the Jacobean mansion that stands proud in the centre of the estate.
We decided to head to the gardens first, so the boys could run off some steam. As expected, the gardens were beautifully kept and the boys enjoyed taking on the challenges on their activity sheets and exploring the hedgerows, steps and any hiding places they could find!
Round the back of the house, similarly to Sheringham Park, there was a large games area with badminton, egg-and-spoon-racing, bean bag tossing, hula hopping, crafts and more.
Overlooking the lake, it was a really beautiful setting, so we decided to have our picnic there too- even better there were deckchairs available, so it really was ideal to sit back and look across the lake…oh wait, no time for that with hungry children!
After our picnic, we decided to go inside Blickling Hall. After a short time queuing, we found ourselves inside The Great Hall, with a huge sweeping staircase and were given directions by staff on how to move through the house. There were plenty of friendly faces on hand should you have any questions and it was amazing to see the different rooms and how they would have been used. There’s even a lift should you need it!
photo credit: National Trust
For me, the most impressive room (aside from The Dining Room where I could definitely imagine myself at a dinner party!) was the library. Containing over 12,500 volumes, the impressive eighteenth century Long Gallery library is the most prestigious book collection held by the National Trust. They are currently in the midst of a five-year conservation project to catalogue every book in the library. A big story throughout the house, is how it’s under attack from death watch beetle, damp and mould- the National Trust is therefore heavily reliant on donations to help conserve the building to prevent ongoing damage.
After our visit to the house, we decided it was time for an ice cream so headed to the café – via the gift shop of course! There’s a great selection of food and you can sit both inside or outside, so it’s ideal to stop by to rest and recharge with a bite to eat, a drink or an icecream.
The boys (<cough> my husband) were desperate to visit the RAF Museum, so they headed up there and had a lovely time watching the video that was playing and looking at all the memorabilia. The RAF museum isn’t open every day, so it’s worth checking the website.
We’d now spent around 6 hours at Blickling Estate, so everyone was ready for home, but I can completely see why they say ‘one day is never enough’ on the website. We saw and did so much, but there was still the walled garden, various walks, a second-hand bookshop and acres and acres more that we could have explored.
As a family day out, I’d highly recommend it, and have to mention how amazingly friendly, helpful and knowledgeable all the staff were- they really made the trip special for anyone visiting.
You can find out more information on the National Trust website for Blickling Estate here, along with member options should you be interested in joining.
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