Fornham Hall

Fornham Hall was a large 18th-century country house near Bury St Edmunds. It was demolished in 1957.

Fornham Hall c. 1820

History

The Fornham estate was bought in 1731 by Samuel Kent, a rich London grain merchant[1] who became a local MP.[1] Sir Charles Kent, Bt (Samuel's grandson) employed James Wyatt to design a large new house on the estate in the 1770s.[1] He also became a local MP (for Thetford) and was High Sheriff of Suffolk for 1781.[2]

The house was acquired by Bernard Howard (subsequently 12th Duke of Norfolk) in 1797[1] and expanded on the Duke's behalf by the architect Robert Abraham in the 1820s.[3] It was sold in 1842 to the second Lord Manners[4] who sold it on to Sir William Gilstrap in 1862.[5]

The estate was acquired by the War Office in 1939 and used for training purposes by the Royal Engineers during World War II[6] before the house was demolished in 1957.[5]

The grounds include the tower of the ruined church of St Genevieve.[7]

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fornham Hall.
  1. Robinson 2011, p. 96.
  2. "KENT, Sir Charles, 1st Bt. (?1743-1811), of Fornham St. Genevieve, Suff". History of Parliament Online. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  3. "Database of Houses: Fornham Hall". The DiCamillo Companion. Archived from the original on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  4. Hanson, Cedric; Freeman, Richard. "A Brief History Of Our Community". Fornham St Martin Cum St Genevieve Parish Council. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  5. Robinson 2011, p. 98.
  6. "Airfield Information Exchange".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. Knott, Simon (2008). "St Genevieve, Fornham St Genevieve". Suffolk Churches. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022.

Sources
  • Robinson, John Martin (2011). Felling the Ancient Oaks: How England Lost its Great Country Estates. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978-1-84513-670-3. OCLC 726820904.

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