NHER 31969 (Designed Landscape record) - Congham Hall Park

Congham Hall (NHER 3605) was erected between 1794 and 1812 when a small area of land (25 acres) was set aside to create a rectangular parkland landscape. (S3) shows that some of the plantation was held by the manor of Congham but by (S4), enclosure had caused extensive re-arrangement of land ownership. This included ‘the lawn’ and ‘the pasture’ which were laid out by 1814; part utilising existing pasture and plantations. The plantation to the east of the pasture seems to have been largely removed by (S4). Only minor changes were made to the estate between 1838 and 1890, as shown on (S5). By (S6) the eastern area of the park was under arable cultivation and the plantations on the west and north-west appear to have been thinned but this could be a difference of representation between (S5) and (S6).
The former straight drive and rectangular enclosures around the house were altered to create a curved drive, pleasure grounds and garden between 1814 and 1838. The Gardener’s Cottage was built in the south-western corner of the park between 1883 and 1904. Remnants of the pleasure ground are still visible (S1). ‘The Pasture’ to the east may have been under arable cultivation in the early twentieth century, but was converted to a cricket pitch in about 1946.
The estate was sold in 1946 to Colonel Hancock, who was responsible for extensive alterations and additions to the house. The majority of the former lawn and pasture are maintained as grassland but areas to the north-west and north-east of the hall are now orchards. Very little free-standing timber now exists in the former Pasture and Lawn. An unpollarded oak of 6m girth lies in the former eastern pasture.
See (S1) for full details.See (S2), (S3), (S4), (S5) and (S6) for further details.
E. Rose (NLA), 30 August 1996.
Updated by E.Nicholl (UEA), 8 November 2011