Brinton Hall

About this place

Brinton Hall stands near Melton Constable in Norfolk.

The house began in the sixteenth century and was extended by the Brereton family in 1822 with a Greek Revival front built in gault brick under a slated roof.

The family has held it ever since.

Historic Houses lists it as a member property; entry is not free to members.

Inside, the oak staircase is reputed to have come from Merton Place, Horatio Nelson's last home.

History

The core of Brinton Hall dates to the sixteenth century. The Brereton family extended it in 1822, creating the Greek Revival front seen today in gault brick. In the 1820s, an arrangement between the Gurney and Brereton families saw the hall used as a county bank. Recent restoration work has included remodelling the west front and unbricking five Georgian windows that had been blocked.

Architecture

The 1822 extension gives the hall its Greek Revival character, built in gault brick under a slated roof over the earlier sixteenth-century structure. Restoration has uncovered five Georgian windows that had been bricked over and reworked the west front.

Worth knowing

The house's oak staircase is reputed to have come from Merton Place, the Surrey home where Horatio Nelson lived out his final years. The Brereton family's collection includes portraits dating from 1660 to 1805, along with textiles such as the Anna Margaretta bedhangings.

Gardens & grounds

The grounds include a woodland garden, a snowdrop theatre, and an eighteenth-century walled garden still used for fruit, vegetables and cut flowers. Parkland beyond is now designated a county wildlife site.