Heveningham Hall

Heveningham Hall is a Grade I listed building in Heveningham, Suffolk. The present house, dating from 1778–1780 and incorporating work from an early 18th-century building, was designed by Sir Robert Taylor for Sir Gerald Vanneck, 2nd Baronet. The interiors of circa 1781–1784 were designed by James Wyatt. The dining room was restored after a fire in 1949 and the east wing, containing the library and drawing room, was gutted by fire in June 1984.

Heveningham Hall in 1967

History

The present-day Heveningham Hall has undergone several rebuilds throughout its history. A house was first built on the site in 1653 by William Heveringham and it stood for about 60 years, when it was rebuilt by John Bence some time around 1714. Dutch-born banker Joshua Vanneck bought the estate in 1752 and shortly before his death in 1777 he brought in Robert Taylor to significantly extend the house.[1]

Following his death, Vanneck's son Gerard Vanneck handed the job of designing the interior to James Wyatt and the park and gardens were laid out by Capability Brown, although the work hadn't been completed by the time Brown died in 1783.[1]

The estate remained in the hands of the Vanneck family until shortly after the death of William Vanneck, 5th Baron Huntingfield in 1969. It was purchased in its entirety by the state in 1970 and remained in public hands until being sold again in 1981.[1]

The hall and grounds were bought in 1994 by Foxtons-founder Jon Hunt and his wife for use as a family home.[2] Since the 1990s the Hunts have carried out extensive work to restore the building and return the grounds to the original Capability Brown designs, working with the noted English landscape architect Kim Wilkie.[3][4]

The house has suffered two major fires. The first in 1949 caused damage to the dining room, while a second in 1984 saw the library and drawing room gutted.[5]

The estate

The estate features an orangery, which is Grade I listed in its own right,[6] as well as a Grade II* listed temple.[7]

The main entrance gates to the estate feature two lodges with pyramid roofs which are also Grade II* listed and are connected to the main house by an underground passage.[8][1]

Events
An aerial view of the 2013 country fair

The hall hosts an annual motorsport and classic car event, the Heveningham Hall Concours d'Elegance.[9] The hall is also the location of the annual Heveningham Hall Country Fair, which raises money for local charity causes through the Heveningham Hall Country Fair Trust.[10]

References
  1. Bettley, James; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2015). The Buildings of England: Suffolk East. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. pp. 283–288. ISBN 9780300196542.
  2. "Inside story of Heveningham Country Fair". East Anglian Daily Times. 7 July 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  3. "Suffolk's beautiful Blyth Valley". Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  4. Grice, Liz (3 May 2012). "Kim Wilkie is Led By the Land". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 26 July 2012. At Heveningham Hall in Suffolk, he persuaded English Heritage to let him create a majestic sweep of grass terracing along the lines of a scheme that Capability Brown designed 200 years ago but died before he could implement.
  5. Historic England. "Heveningham Hall (1183040)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  6. Historic England. "HEVENINGHAM HALL ORANGERY (1377319)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  7. Historic England. "TEMPLE 900 METRES SOUTH SOUTH EAST OF HEVENINGHAM HALL (1284243)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  8. Historic England. "HEVENINGHAM HALL GATE LODGES (1030800)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  9. "Heveningham Hall Concours d'Elegance 2017: picture special | Autocar". www.autocar.co.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  10. "Inside story of Heveningham Country Fair". East Anglian Daily Times. 7 July 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2011.

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