Helmingham Hall, Stowmarket, England

The following is from the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest.

A walled and moated garden dating from the 16th century, with 19th- and 20th-century modifications, set in a park of 17th-century origin enlarged in the mid-18th century to its present size.

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Helmingham Hall is located beside the village of Helmingham, about 14km north of Ipswich on the B1077. The park is roughly triangular in shape, covers an area of about 160 hectares and lies to the north-west of the village. Helmingham village street and the B1077 form the south-east boundary with South Park Farm at the south tip. Agricultural land and Paris Farm lie to the west, Valley Farm to the east, and North Park Farm to the north. The park boundary is open in some places and enclosed by scattered woodland in others. It is more enclosed to the north and east and more open to the west. The whole area has a gently rolling topography, undulating down to a stream which runs across the southern part of the park before rising steeply in the south-east corner to the church. North of the Hall the land is flat, then dips down to another stream before rising again to the boundary of the park. Together this provides a rural setting of mainly agricultural land, dotted with farm settlements and punctuated by small villages. The Hall and park can be seen from the village and the main view from the Hall is south-east down the oak-lined main drive. The Mount is located in the western section of park and from its summit fine views are enjoyed back towards the Hall and in all directions across the park and wider landscape.

REFERENCES Used by English Heritage

J P Neale View of the seats of noblemen and gentlemen...4, (1818)

F D Morris, A Series of picturesque views... 3, (1871), p 21

Country Life, 4 (10 December 1898), p 720; 120 (9 August 1956), p 282; (16 August 1956), p 332; 179 (26 June 1986), p 1860

C Holme, The gardens of England in the southern and western counties (1907), pp l57-8

N Pevsner and E Radcliffe, The Buildings of England: Suffolk (1975), p 259

Helmingham Hall Gardens, guidebook, (no date)

Tom Williamson, Report on Helmingham Park, (UEA around 1995)

Maps

Richard Tollemache, Estate survey, 1729 (private collection)

Isaac Johnson, Estate survey, 1802 (private collection)

Helmingham Tithe map and apportionment, 1840 (P461/123; FDA 123/A1/1a), (East Suffolk Record Office)

OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st edition published 1887; 2nd edition published 1905

OS 25" to 1 mile: 2nd edition published 1905

Archival items

Agreement between Richard Tollemache and William Dimmock, gardener, dated 1661 (private collection)

The Helmingham Hall and Tollemache family archives are held in a private collection.
 

Description written: October 1998

Amended: June 1999

Edited: December 1999