Hales Hall

The warmth of ancient timber and lime plaster give the house an intimately pleasant feel, it is presented with style and an emphasis on comfort with the highest quality fittings present throughout. From the welcoming large open log fires, extensive reception rooms, farmhouse style kitchen and spacious bedroom suites, Hales Hall will suit even the most discerning of buyers.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable points of interest is the knowledge that Hales Hall Barn is the largest secular brick built Tudor barn in England. Except for a sensitive restoration it stands largely untouched with some very special architectural features including rare surviving king and queen posts in the roof and over 180 striking ‘loop-hole’ windows which served as a ventilation system during its centuries old agricultural use storing grain.  

Architectural enthusiasts will see a similarity to the gatehouse at nearby Blickling, which was built by Sir James Hobart’s grandson Sir Henry Hobart after he purchased the estate in 1616, and also similarities with Oxburgh Hall, placing Hales Hall amongst a very distinguished collection of some of the finest buildings in England. 

With its delicate pink brickwork and soaring expanses of ancient mellowed timbers, Hales Hall is a true feast for the eyes and imagination of any history enthusiast. The earliest origins of the hall date back to a deer park and 13th century hall built by the de Hales family who had long established roots in the county and could boast links with the royal family and Dukes of Norfolk after Alice Hales, daughter of Sir Roger de Hales, married Thomas de Brotherton, brother of Edward II.

The present hall as it stands today is a vast surviving wing of a later Tudor hall which was constructed in the late 15th century by Sir James Hobart, who set about rebuilding and aggrandising the previous house on the site after he bought the estate from the de Hales family in 1478.

During a remarkable legal career spanning the turbulent Wars of the Roses, Sir James rose from being the younger son of a Suffolk cloth merchant to become a long-standing Attorney General and privy councillor to Henry VII. A close friend of John Paston, he is frequently mentioned in the famous Paston family letters and was knighted late in life by Henry Prince of Wales, later Henry VIII.  

Alongside glorifying his family legacy in brick at Hales, Sir James was also building with an eye to the preservation of his immortal soul and undertook the cost for the rebuilding of Loddon church as well as considerable repairs to the nave roof of Norwich cathedral where he was eventually buried in 1517.

His youngest son Myles founded the line that built the magnificent Blickling Hall also in Norfolk (its design believed to be inspired by the original family seat at Hales), while the eldest son, Walter and his descendants remained staunchly Catholic and faced huge fines for recusancy.  

By 1647 the Hobart family’s great fortune had all but run out and Hales was acquired by Dionysia, Lady Williamson, widow of a Lord Mayor of London and descendant of the de Hales family. who is noted for reportedly donating over £2,000 (a vast sum at the time) to help Christopher Wren rebuild London's churches after the great fire in 1666. 

Hales then passed to various owners who lived elsewhere including the Earl of Roseberry and, the Crisp family of nearby Kirby Cane Hall. From the 1730s onwards, the present hall and barn was let to farming tenants. They had fallen into agricultural use by the 1960s when it was visited and referenced by distinguished historian and documenter of Britain’s finest buildings Nicolaus Pevsner.

Hales Hall was acquired by the Read family in 1971, who spent the next 30 years restoring it, as documented in their dedicated book on the subject Hales Hall in Loddon. 

Hales was then purchased in 2014 by the celebrated historic building renovators Peter Sheppard and Keith Day of Sheppard Day Associates, who conducted a further award-winning restoration and refurbishment including painstakingly retrofitting the house with every 21st century modern convenience whilst preserving the details and atmosphere of the 15th century. 

In 2017 the Johnston family from Norfolk – who can trace their ancestors back to this corner of the country at the time that Hales Hall was built – acquired the property and have continued the work to breathe new life into this medieval masterpiece.

For those who enjoy the great outdoors, Hales Hall is ideally situated on the edge of The Norfolk Broads National Park, a place which holds a prestigious position in the popular imagination of this country for its unspoilt countryside and reed-lined waterways. 

The house itself is in a peaceful rural setting close to Hales Common, surrounded by farmland and woodland with plenty of opportunity for walking boating, cycling and fishing. The nearby market town of Loddon is within a 10-minute drive of Hales and provides daily amenities including a surgery, butchers, post office, supermarket and a marina with access to The Broads via the river Chet.

Popular local pubs and eateries include The White Horse in Chedgrave, The Duke’s Head at Somerleyton and The Wildebeest in Stoke Holy Cross. The area also has a reputation for winemaking with regular tastings and events held at Flint Vineyard and Chet Vinyard, known for its award-winning sparkling wine. 

The towns of Bungay, with its award-winning delicatessen, and Beccles are both a short drive away, as is the thriving cathedral city of Norwich which provides further choice of amenities, including a wide selection of independent shops and the Sainsbury’s Art Centre.

There is easy access to London by train from Norwich and also Diss, with regular services to London Liverpool Street taking approximately 90 minutes.

The locality is served by a distinguished selection of schools including Greshams, Norwich School, Langley School, and Beeston Hall.