Blickling Estate
Blickling Hall
A National Trust red-brick mansion from the James I era, said to be the birthplace of Anne Boleyn. Its long gallery library is spectacular.
Blickling Estate lies near Aylsham. The surviving red-brick mansion was built between 1616 and the 1620s. The earlier estate belonged to the Boleyn family, and Anne Boleyn is said to have been born here. Most famous is the roughly 40 m long Long Gallery library, which holds over ten thousand volumes beneath a ceiling of ornate plaster reliefs. The estate has formal gardens, lakes, and about 2,000 hectares of woodland trails. Parts of the house close at certain times in winter. Managed by the National Trust, it requires paid admission and is about 30 minutes' drive from Norwich.
Opening hours
Gardens approx. 10:00–17:00; house opening hours per official website
Nearby sights
- Mousehold Heath & St James' Hill
- Plantation Garden
- Cathedral of St John the Baptist
- Strangers' Hall
- Sainsbury Centre
- Elm Hill
- Norwich Lanes
- Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell