Record Details

NHER Number:7723
Type of record:Monument
Name:Site of Weston House

Summary

The site of Weston House, a three-storey house of 1781 in the Adams style. It was demolished in 1926 after the interiors had been sold off, and the rubble used in the construction of the new Lenwade Bridge. The stables remain, converted to a house, but the outline of the demolished building is visible on aerial photographs. The park (NHER 33733), which contains a gardener's cottage, canal and walled garden, is now largely the Dinosaur Adventure Park.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 1095 1711
Map Sheet:TG11NW
Parish:WESTON LONGVILLE, BROADLAND, NORFOLK

Full description

14 June 1978. Field Observation.
Constructed in 1756, this house was built in Adam style (photograph in S11) but was demolished in 1926 after the interiors were sold off. The rrubble was used to build the new Lenwade Bridge. A visit to the site confirmed that the stables remain and have been converted into a house which has a tall pediment on the northeast. The site of the house is grassed over.
E. Rose (NAU).

1985. Documentary Evidence.
The drawing in the secondary file from (S1) is reproduced from reprint of Parson Woodeforde's Diary (called Weston Hall but in fact is Weston House, now demolished). It depicts a three storey house (top windows smaller) of five bays, with a projecting central bay and a semicircular columned porch. Above is a pilastered and pedimented window while below there is a large eaves pediment. The side wall also five bays and the house has a hipped roof. Outbuildings are visible behind the house.
E. Rose 2 August 1985.

Interpretation: Documentary Evidence.
S12 states that construction date of 1756 for the house must be an error, though it appears in various books. Although the estate was inherited in 1757, Parson Woodforde's diary for 1781 notes that the house was unfinished in that year and was only occupied that August. The Park (NHER 33733) was newly laid out but appears to contain some ancient woodland lumps.
E. Rose (NLA), 13 March 1998.

Interpretation: Documentary Evidence.
Reference (S2) includes a photograph of the House (as above) and confirms the date of 1781. The architect was Thomas Rawlins, maker of memorial tablets in Norwich, and Weston House was his only country house contract.
E. Rose (NLA), 30 January 2001.

13 July 1993. NLA air photography (S5).
Parchmarks of the demolished hall can be seen showing through the grassed parking area.
S. Massey (NLA), 8 February 2001.

6 July 1994. NLA air photography (S6).
The house (converted stable) is visible in aerial photos, including near vertical images.
Parchmarks visible to the immediate northeast probably mark the site of the 18th century house.
A parch mark of a linear feature to the immediate north appears to be a track or road, although its proximity to the house and its angle suggest the two may not be contemporary.
M. Brennand (NLA), 23 February 2001.

Architectural plans for the converted stables (S4, 1997) and a photo of this building (S3) have been included in the secondary file.

November 2007. Norfolk NMP.
The parchmarks of the former hall are visible on aerial photographs of the grassland surrounding the remains of the hall stable complex (S5-S9). The site is centred on TG 1094 1712. The overall layout of the hall is consistent with the representations of the site on historic maps, such as the OS first edition (1887-1891) (S10), although the aerial photographs reveal greater structural details of the interior.

The parchmarks of the road to the north of the hall complex, referred to above as possibly predating the hall, is marked on the OS first edition map as a path through park plantations (S10). It is stated that a number of roads were closed as a consequence of the creation of the Weston Park in the eighteenth century, see NHER 33733. Therefore it is possible that the line of the route, which does appear to be of a different date to the hall due to the angle at which it approaches the building, may represent a remnant of an earlier road.
S. Massey (NMP), 12 November 2007.

Monument Types

  • HOUSE (Post Medieval to 21st Century - 1540 AD to 2100 AD)
  • LINEAR FEATURE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • STABLE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • TRACKWAY (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • GREAT HOUSE (18th Century to Early 20th Century - 1781 AD to 1926 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

  • SHINE

Sources and further reading

---Aerial Photograph: TG1017 A,B.
---Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
---Publication: Woodforde, J. and Norwich, J. J.. 1985. A Country Parson: James Woodforde's Diary 1759-1802.
---Monograph: Pevsner, N and Wilson, B. 1999. Norfolk 2: North-West and South. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. p 768.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1985. In Parson Woodforde country. 6 August.
<S2>Publication: Wilson, R. and Mackley, A. 2000. Creating Paradise: The Building of the English Country House 1660-1880. p 58.
<S3>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1995. £1.8m tag on giant estate. 7 November.
<S4>Drawing: Various. Various. Architectural plans.
<S5>Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1993. NHER TG 1017B - K (NLA 329/SLIDE, HGE15-18) 13-JUL-1993.
<S6>Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1994. NHER TG 1017L - S (NLA 341/HZL10-13, SLIDE) 06-JUL-1994.
<S7>Vertical Aerial Photograph: Ordnance Survey. 1990. OS/90224 035-6 31-JUL-1990 (NMR).
<S8>Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1993. NHER TG 1017J (NLA 329/HGE17) 13-JUL-1993.
<S9>Oblique Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1994. NHER TG 1017AC-AD (NLA 344/GZF18-19) 27-JUL-1994.
<S10>Map: Ordnance Survey. 1887-1891. Ordnance Survey first edition 6 inch (1887-1891) Sheet X.6. 1 inch: 6 chains.
<S11>Archive: Bolingbroke Collection.

Related records

33733Parent of: Weston Park (Monument)

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