Somerleyton Halls and Gardens

One of the earliest Victorian homes in Norfolk County, England, is Somerleyton House and Gardens.  These take up twelve acres of land seven miles outside of Great Yarmouth.  Beautifully tended gardens, picnic areas, tearooms, and a well known yew hedge maze compliment this estate which has become very popular for weddings and wedding receptions.  There is also a gift shop available for visitors.

In 1844 this Jacobean manor was remodelled into the Anglo-Italian style it is now, a tradition during the Victorian era.  The yew hedge maze was created in 1846 and is complimented by a garden that is the home for a wide range of trees, borders, plants, and shrubs.  There is a twelve point trail through the garden, but visitors can explore it at their leisure.  A concrete lined pond can be found on the eastern side of the garden, complete with its own island.  Marginal plants of hostas, ligularias, iris and more have been planted there.

Six richly appointed rooms make up the Hall proper, starting with the entrance hall with its twelve oak columns, walls panels in Devon marble and owl and boar carvings about the doors.  The staircase hall is decorated in the Italian Classical style and the windows are decorated with the coat of arms of the fourteen families that have lived at the Hall.

The Ballroom is the largest reception room and is in the Victorian style while the Library contains a twenty-eight feet high ceiling covered in a dragon motif.  The passageway between the Ballroom and the Staircase Hall contains artworks and the dining room was refurbished in the 1960s.