Local Attractions
Felbrigg Hall
National Trust
One of the most elegant country houses in East Anglia, Felbrigg Hall is a mixture of opulence and homeliness where each room reflects Felbrigg’s vibrant history, from the stained-glass windows in the Great Hall to Queen Mary’s teapot in the Drawing Room.
The Chinese Bedroom showcases Felbrigg’s rich global collections, including luxury exports traded by the East India Company, and the eclectic displays in the Cabinet Room show collections amassed on a European ‘Grand Tour’.
Outside, the decorative and productive walled garden is a gardener’s delight, the allotments providing fruit and vegetables for the Squire’s Pantry. You can enjoy watching the hens pecking wherever they wish, with only the sound of the busy bees in the flowers.
The rolling landscape park with a lake, 520 acres of woods and waymarked trails is a great place to explore nature and wildlife. With buggy friendly surfaces on main visitor routes, families can enjoy a relaxing day out.
Felbrigg Hall
A welcoming 17th-century Hall, home to a fascinating collection, one of the largest in the National Trust.
Walled Garden
A delightful Walled Garden with double flower borders, vegetable beds, trained fruit trees and an octagonal dovecote.
Great Wood
380 acres of beech, oak, sweet chestnut, hawthorn and sycamore. Features Victory V avenues commemorating the last squire’s brother.
Ice house
The ice house in the Great Wood dates to the 18th century and was built to look like a ruin.
Tearoom
The Squire’s Pantry offers hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, hot lunches, afternoon tea, cakes and ice creams in the courtyard.
Shopping
Shop filled with locally produced gifts, homeware, books and gardening accessories. Seasonal selection of plants for sale in the courtyard.
Second-hand bookshop
Run by volunteers and stocked full of thousands of good-quality books donated by supporters.
The Great Wood
Planted over several generations, the main purpose of this 380 acre wood was timber production. Today, there are a wide variety of trees of all ages, including ancient beeches, oak, sweet chestnut, hawthorn, ash and sycamore.
V for Victory
Within the woodland you’ll find the Victory V, so called as it’s made up of two tree-lined avenues which, when seen from the sky, look like a V.
The Ice House
You’ll find the Ice House as you walk around the Victory V. Designed to deliberately look like a ruin, the bricks are late 17th century, with one of them dated 1633, but the Gothic detailing suggests they are 18th century.
The Lake
The lake was the perfect place to unwind during long summer days or entertain visiting members of the genteel set who were enjoying holidays in nearby fashionable Cromer. Today, it’s home to plenty of wildlife.
Felbrigg Church
The 14th-century church stands about a quarter of a mile south-east of the Hall. The interior is full of interest and character.
Wildlife at Felbrigg
Barn owls and Little owls hunt over the open fields, and Tawny owls can be found in the Great Wood. The pastures also attract farmland birds such as skylarks and yellowhammers, whilst Great Spotted and Green woodpeckers are often heard hammering nearby.
Eight species of bat can be found at Felbrigg. Old hollow trees provide roost sites for bats, and there are over 100 bat boxes on the estate.
Felbrigg is home to four types of deer: Roe, Red, Muntjac and Chinese Water. Walkers visiting the estate early in the day often catch a glimpse.
In the summer you’ll find a number of colourful dragonflies and damselflies on the estate. The lake and wetlands at Felbrigg provide excellent habitats.
Keep an eye out for hares and stoats, and you might even spot a weasel, casually pottering in the car park or walled garden.
The Walled Garden
Get up close to the double borders and herb beds and breathe in the scent of lavender, sage and mint. You’ll find one of the few octagonal working dovecotes in the country, dating back to the early 1750s.
There are some old figs trained against the south-facing wall of the herb border in the walled garden, thought to have been relocated to its present position around 1750. The figs are the only original plants from the garden of that period.
Planted around 1860 is the ‘Headache Tree’ or ‘Balm of Heaven’, a very rare species in the UK.
The West Garden
Although not as well known as the Walled Garden, the West Garden, which surrounds the house at Felbrigg, is a joy to the senses particularly in spring. Edged with a ha-ha, you can follow the gravel paths through the garden, amongst the trees and shrubs.
Built in 1704, the Orangery was designed to blend with the west wing of the house. In the 19th century the building was given a glass roof which, by 1958, had fallen in and was replaced by the one you see today, which is also now in need of repair.
The Squire’s Pantry
Found in the courtyard, the Squire’s Pantry offers a selection of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, classic cream teas, scones and cakes. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome in the tea-room, and in the courtyard where water bowls are provided.
Children’s lunch boxes, to eat in or take on a picnic, are available and include any five items from a selection.
Pack a Picnic
In fine weather and bank holidays, it can get busy in the Squire’s Pantry, so why not skip the queues and bring your own picnic? Picnic tables are available opposite the courtyard, or find your own quiet picnic spot on the estate.
If you’re looking for a special gift, or to treat yourself, there is something for everyone in the gift shop. The shelves are packed with items ranging from high-quality local food and drinks to cards, books and handmade jewellery.
Second-Hand Bookshop
Find thousands of good-quality donated books in the second-hand bookshop, which you’ll find in the courtyard. All proceeds go towards projects at Felbrigg Hall.
Dogs are welcome at Felbrigg – there’s plenty of space across the parkland for them to explore.
Between 1 March and 31 July, dogs must be kept on a lead throughout Felbrigg Estate and in designated areas due to ground nesting birds.
Dogs are welcome almost everywhere on the Felbrigg estate. The only places they can’t go are the house and the formal gardens, which include the West Garden and the Walled Garden.
You can bring your dog with you into the Squire’s Pantry while you enjoy a cream tea, and into the shop while you have a browse.
