DiCamillo Companion
England

Somerleyton Hall

  • Earlier Houses: There has been a manor house on, or near, the site of the current house since the 13th century.

    House & Family History: Somerleyton is the poster child for new money emulating old. Sir Samuel Peto (his son was the famous landscape designer Harold Peto) made a fortune as a railroad contractor and property developer in the 19th century and was determined to show the world that he'd arrived. He took a small 17th century house and gargantuanized it into a Victorian house in the popular Jacobean style. Inside there is stained glass by Ballantyne of Edinburgh and over-the-top carving by Willcox of Warwick, complemented by work by Grinling Gibbons. In 1863 Somerleyton was sold to the Halifax carpet manufacturer Sir Francis Crossley, another man "in trade" who'd done very well for himself. Somerleyton features prominently in W.G. Sebald's 1995 novel, "The Rings of Saturn."

    Collections: Somerleyton contains a fine collection of paintings, with works by Wright of Derby, Stanfield, and Landseer, the latter two artists' pieces set into paneling in the house's formal rooms. There is also an important collection of statues.

  • Architect: Joseph Paxton

    Date: 19th century
    Designed: Glasshouses

    View all houses

    Architect: William Andrews Nesfield

    Date: 1846
    Designed: Gardens for Sir Samuel Morton Peto

    View all houses

    Architect: John Thomas

    Date: 1844-51
    Designed: Rebuilt House for Sir Samuel Morton Peto

    View all houses
  • John Bernard (J.B.) Burke, published under the title of A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland, among other titles: Vol. I, p. 38, 1852.

    John Preston (J.P.) Neale, published under the title of Views of the Seats of Noblemen and Gentlemen in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, among other titles: Vol. IV, 1821.

  • Title: Burke's & Savills Guide to Country Houses, Volume III: East Anglia
    Author: Kenworthy-Browne, John; Reid, Peter; Sayer, Michael; Watkin, David
    Year Published: 1981
    Publisher: London: Burke's Peerage
    ISBN: 0850110351
    Book Type: Hardback

  • House Listed: Grade II*

    Park Listed: Grade II*

  • "Tales of the Unexpected" (1979 - TV series). "Lovejoy" (1986–94 - TV series). "Interceptor" (1989 - TV series). "The Lost Prince" (2003 - TV movie, as the schoolroom at York Cottage, interiors and exteriors of Sandringham House, and interiors of Barton Manor). "The Crown" (2020 - TV series, as Sandringham House).
  • Current Seat / Home of: Hugh Francis Savile Crossley, 4th Baron Somerleyton; Crossley family here since 1863.

    Past Seat / Home of: SEATED AT EARLIER HOUSES: Sir Peter Fitzosber, 13th century. SEATED AT CURRENT HOUSE: John Wentworth, early 17th century. Admiral Sir Thomas Allin, mid-17th century. Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1844-63. Sir Francis Crossley, 1863-72; Savile Brinton Crossley, 1st Baron Somerleyton, until 1935; Francis Savile Crossley, 2nd Baron Somerleyton, until 1959.

    Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust

    Primary Current Ownership Use: Private Home

  • House Open to Public: Yes

    Phone: 01502-734-901

    Fax: 01502-732-143

    Email: [email protected]

    Website: https://www.somerleyton.co.uk/

    Historic Houses Member: Yes

VISIT AND HELP PRESERVE HISTORIC BRITISH HOUSES

Help preserve Britain’s privately owned country houses by joining Historic Houses. Use code DICAM7 for a £7 discount off a new membership that will give you access to hundreds of historic houses.

Join Now

The DiCamillo Companion does not receive any compensation from the Historic Houses Association.