Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

June 1972. Listed, Grade II.
Heywood Hall is an early 17th century brick building, with a pantiled roof, and a stepped southern gable.
2 storeys and attic.
South chimney with twin diamond shafts.
Complex of moats to northeast.
Information from (S1).

1978.
Site visited by A. Gregory (NAU) after moat cleaned out by mechanical digger depth of 4.8m reached in places before natural.
Complex site; three east to west moated enclosures with central one connected to a north to south moat with channel, 1m square in section, whereas moats were about 3m deep, an overflow or sluice?
In spoil from digging base sherd of unglazed grey medieval cooking pot and possible 2nd century Roman jar base in micaceous grey ware.
Complete profile of late 1st century shouldered bowl found in silt.
One bedroom in present hall said to contain oak beam carved with angels and ears of corn from original hall.
See (S5) in the Illustration Library.
A. Gregory (NAU)

Hollow way with slight banks runs east from present hall front door to TM 1275 8605.
There appear to be two moats in field to north of Hall.
That to north about 55m long with ditches about 4m wide. To south about 35m long.
Mostly waterfilled.
Central island has thick scrubby tree cover.
Irregular pond to south, seems recent, with spoil heap nearby.
Moat to north and west of Hall has recently been dredged with sides scraped back.
Some heaps of dredged material adjacent.
H. Paterson (A&E) 11 May 1999.

November 1999. Earthwork Survey.
Survey at 1:1250, with limitations on accuracy due to dense vegetation.
Earthworks probably represent the moated site of an earlier hall, which may have stood in the southwest of the moated enclosure. The linear features within the enclosure represent subdivision into gardens, orchards and fishponds.
See report (S2) further details and copy of plan (S3). The results of this survey are also summarised in (S4).
B. Cushion (NLA) 11 November 1999. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 30 March 2015.

8 July 1996. NLA air photography.
Site visible (Hall and location of earthworks).
However, trees make the earthworks unclear on the photographs.
H. Clare (NLA), 25 September 2001.

A 19th-century drawing of Heywood Hall appears in (S6), which was published in 1849. Also illustrated are two carved panels depicting a duck hunt that apparently remained "…in one of the upper rooms, having, no doubt, been removed from their original situation". It is suggested that these dated to the reign of Charles II (i.e. late 17th century).
P. Watkins (HES), 20 August 2020.

Monument Types

• POND (fish, Unknown date)
• SITE (Unknown date)
• GREAT HOUSE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• HOLLOW WAY (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• MOAT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• SITE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• GREAT HOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Associated Finds

• POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Protected Status

• Listed Building
• SHINE

Sources and further reading

Related records - none

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: Diss (Parish Summary)
• The Archaeology of Norfolk's Orchards (Article)