Record Details

NHER Number:2175
Type of record:Building
Name:Thursford Old Hall, The Old Coach House and Dovecote

Summary

Thursford Hall was an Elizabethan building, possibly by Robert Lyminge, builder of Blickling Hall, and is thought to have been rebuilt in 1820 and 1857. The 1857 rebuild produced a two storey H-plan building in high Victorian Jacobean red brick. The building was demolished in 1918. Today the only surviving parts are a service wing of the 16th century, a dovecote of the mid 19th century, a 17th century stable court and 19th century stable, and a barn with gothic tracery in the owlholes.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TF 9832 3358
Map Sheet:TF93SE
Parish:THURSFORD, NORTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

Full description

Site of Hall.
Elizabethan, demolished 1919. Had Victorian additions. Wing of 1900 survives also outbuildings (one dated 1857). Dovecote, and foundations survive.
From (S1), (S2), (S3).

1983 Listing (S4) calls the Old Hall and says in fact a service wing, 16th century altered in 1857, and not 1900 as above.
1857 work for Scott-Chad family, two storey H-plan in High Victorian Jacobethan red brick and cement. Four bay west front; porch with Dutch gable. Gables with central stacks and windows each side; all visible work of 1857. Dovecote is mid 19th century red brick three storeys, circular plan, header bond; bullseye window on second storey; finial missing but nesting boxes survive.
Old stable court survives as 'Old Coach House' - basically 17th century but very much Victorianised. Stepped gables and stepped dormers; two moulded sound holes (presumably means owl holes) but stack is modern. Mid 19th century stable attached.
Barn with six bay windbraced roof, four tiebeams, stepped gables - east has gothic tracery in owlhole - carriage doors inserted in 19th century.
E. Rose (NAU), 26 June 1985.

1 August 1990. NAU aerial photography.
Demolished section of Old Hall visible as parchmarks.
D. Edwards (NLA).

Rev. Armstrong visited the building 8 August 1876 and stated that the 19th century work had been well blended with the original and there was a beautiful chapel (Diary).
E. Rose, 17 September 1997.

See newspaper article on dovecotes in file.
M. Horlock (NLA), 19 August 2002.

Copy of (S5) in file for NHER 8956 suggests the original building was by Robert Lyminge, builder of Blickling Hall, and notes rebuilding in 1820 as well as 1857.
E. Rose (NLA), 31 January 2005.

Monument Types

  • BARN (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • GREAT HOUSE (16th Century to 19th Century - 1540 AD? to 1820 AD?)
  • STABLE (16th Century to 21st Century - 1600 AD? to 2100 AD)
  • GREAT HOUSE (19th Century - 1820 AD? to 1857 AD)
  • DOVECOTE (19th Century to 21st Century - 1830 AD? to 2100 AD)
  • GREAT HOUSE (19th Century to World War One - 1857 AD to 1918 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

  • Listed Building
  • Listed Building
  • Listed Building
  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Aerial Photograph: TF 9833 A-C.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2002. Pure content. 17 August.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Monograph: Pevsner, N. and Wilson, B. 1997. Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. p 697.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2010. New lease of life for rusty relics of the steam age. 24 September.
---Photograph: 1989. Photographs of dovecote at Thursford Hall, Thursford. Colour.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Post-Medieval. Thursford.
<S1>Monograph: Pevsner, N. 1962. North-East Norfolk and Norwich. The Buildings of England. 1st Edition. p 332.
<S2>Article in Serial: Cozens-Hardy, B. 1961. Some Norfolk Halls. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XXXII pp 163-208. p 163.
<S3>Map: Bryant. 1826. Bryant's Map of Norfolk.
<S4>Designation: English Heritage. National Heritage List for England. List Entry 1373799.
<S5>Article in Serial: Garnier, R.. 2004. Merton Hall.. Georgian Group Journal. Vol XIV, pp 131-166. vol XIV, p 158..

Related records - none

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