Royal Norfolk Jubilee Tour
BACKGROUND
The itinerary is based on a group of ten although can be tailored for smaller groups if required or a maximum of twelve. It is ideally suited to those looking to combine a stay in a quintessential English country house, Sennowe Park, located in the county of Norfolk,
about two hours’ drive north east of London and within easy reach of central London, Stanstead Airport and Norwich Airport by road, together with opportunities to visit sites associated in Norfolk with the Royal Family and Royal history, including a Residence of
HM the Queen, Sandringham.
All activities are hosted and managed by More Than Good Manners throughout. The itinerary is ideally based over a weekend during the months April - October to allow guests access on an exclusive basis to several of the properties included in the itinerary
at times when they are not normally open to the public, although can be offered during weekdays as well.
Dates are on request of the client and please note subject to availability and access to some of the properties included. Transportation to and from is not included in the itinerary but may be arranged by More Than Good Manners on request.
Overnight accommodation is based at Sennowe Park which is a wonderfully flamboyant example of Edwardian architectural self-confidence. It was designed by George Skipper, who was described by Sir John Betjeman as ‘to Norwich rather what Gaudi was to Barcelona’. Skipper built the house just after 1900 for T.A.Cook who was the grandson of Thomas Cook, the founder of the famous travel agency.
The house stands high on a knoll overlooking parkland which stretches down to the lake, where a magical boathouse sits at the water’s edge. It is the central focus of a fine sporting and agricultural estate on which shooting and hunting are enjoyed in much the same way today as when the house was built. The estate is also notable for its conservation, woods and wildlife, with sightings of some 180 different species of bird recorded.
Today the grandson of T.A.Cook lives at Sennowe with his family. The house is run very much on traditional lines as a family home, characterised by children, dogs and log fires.
The family have completed a very extensive renovation of the building over recent years, with the result that it now offers great comfort as well as a warm, welcoming, and informal English country house feel. When not engrossed in a book in the library , the visitor will be drawn naturally towards outdoor activities, which include horses (the stables are particularly fine, as carriages were a great passion of T.A.Cook), as well as beautiful walks around the lakes and woods, and include a swimming pool in an especially picturesque setting. Accommodation is based on twin or double rooms, all with on suite facilities.
Further information about Sennowe Park can be found on the More Than Good Manners website by clicking here.
THE ITINERARY (Based On Two Nights’ Accomodation
ONE DAY
12.00 Guests arrive at Oxburgh Hall. Owned by the National Trust and still home of Sir Henry and Lady Bedingfeld a family who for over 500 years have been closely linked to the Royal Family. Oxburgh Hall, built in 1482 by Sir Edmund Bedingfeld has remained the home of the family ever since. Sir Henry Edgar Paston-Bedingfeld, 10th Baronet is an Officer-at-Arms of the College of Arms in London.
He currently serves as Norroy and Ulster King of Arms, the junior of the two provincial Kings-at-Arms, to which office he was appointed 20 September 2010.
He had previously served as York Herald since 1993 and before that as Rouge Croix Pursuivant since 1983. Sir Henry is an Honorary Vice-President of the Cambridge University Heraldic and Genealogical Society.
As one of the premier Roman Catholic families of England, the Bedingfelds were given a baronetcy in 1661 by Charles II. Henry VII stayed at Oxburgh Hall in 1487, and therefore his room has been called the Kings Room ever since. A key feature of Oxburgh Hall is a display of tapestries which Mary Stuart (Mary Queen of Scots) completed during her captivity at Tutbury Castle. The so called ‘Marian’ hangings were the result of many hours of labour by Mary, and Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury (the famous 'Bess of Hardwick'), who sewed companionably to pass the time. For those with an historical interest in royalty and heraldry a visit to Oxburgh Hall is a must.
12.30 Lunch in the Dining Room at Oxburgh Hall.
13.30 Tour of Oxburgh Hall, with the host, Sir Henry Edgar Paston-Bedingfeld, and a representative of More Than Good Manners, followed by afternoon tea.
16.30 Depart Oxburgh Hall.
17.30 Arrive Sennowe Park. Welcome and brief tour of house by a representative of the Temple - Richards family.
19.30 Informal dinner at Sennowe Park.
Overnight at Sennowe Park.
DAY TWO
09.00 Depart for Sandringham, the Norfolk country home of Her Majesty The Queen. The group will be escorted by a senior member of the Estate staff through the glorious grounds that surround Sandringham House. A brief history of the grounds and gardens will be given on the walk.
Guests will then have the splendour of Sandringham House to themselves with plenty of time to view each room, ask questions of the knowledgeable guides and also have the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful collections of porcelain, jade, rose quartz, silver Russian gilt and bronzes, admiring the family portraits and photographs and studying the Victorian and Edwardian decor and furnishings in a home that was created to be the epitome of style in 1870.
12.30 Lunch at Victoria Arms Holkham (extra costs – on application)
14.00 Private tour of Holkham Hall, where ‘The Duchess’ was filmed. Holkham Hall is an eighteenth-century country house located on the north coast of Norfolk. The hall was constructed in the Palladian style for Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester by the architect William Kent, aided by the architect and aristocrat Lord Burlington.
Holkham Hall is one of England's finest examples of the Palladian revival style of architecture. The Holkham estate, formerly known as Neals, had been purchased in 1609 by Sir Edward Coke, the founder of his family fortune. It is the ancestral home of the Coke family, the Earls of Leicester of Holkham.
16.00 Depart for Sennowe Park for late afternoon tea, after which guests are free to enjoy the house and grounds.
20.00 Black tie dinner at Sennowe Park.
DAY THREE
12.00 After a morning free to explore the park and gardens of Sennowe Park, we depart for Houghton Hall, built in the 18th century by Sir Robert Walpole, Britain's first Prime Minister, is one of the grandest surviving Palladian houses in England.
The work of architects James Gibbs and Colen Campbell was complimented by the superb interiors of William Kent and opulently furnished to reflect Walpole's status. The 7th Marquess Cholmondeley has restored Houghton Hall to its former grandeur retaining many of its original furnishings.
Houghton Hall's park and gardens are set in 350 acres of fine parkland, home to a herd of white fallow deer. The original walled garden has been recreated to feature a formal rose garden with over 150 varieties, herbaceous borders, fruit and vegetables.
The Model Soldier Museum is a unique collection of over 20,000 model soldiers. Spectacular battle scenes are depicted from the Battle of Waterloo to the
Second World War.
12.30 Lunch at the Stables Restaurant, Houghton Hall (extra costs – prices on application).
13.30 Tour of Houghton Hall.
16.00 Guests depart for London.