Langley Park, Chedgrave, (also known as Langley Park School), Norwich, England

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

A mid-18th-century hall by Matthew Brettingham set in a landscape park attributed to Lancelot Brown who drew up a plan for the north park in 1765, accompanied by mid-19th-century formal gardens now much simplified.

LOCATION, AREA, BOUNDARIES, LANDFORM, SETTING

Langley Park lies in south-east Norfolk, on the north-east side of the A146 Norwich to Lowestoft road. Although it sits on the western fringes of the Norfolk Broads the character of the surrounding landscape does not reflect that of the Broads, being more undulating and well treed. The A146 forms the south-west boundary and minor country roads bound the park to the east and north. A dense plantation known as The Thicks backs onto farmland and forms the west boundary. In the south-east corner of the park lies Chedgrave village. Langley Park covers some 250 hectares including the gardens and woodlands. The ground is virtually level in the north park and falls gently away south and west of the Hall. Apart from a small section in the north-east corner perimeter belts enclose the park on all sides, thus closing views into the Hall and its landscape.

REFERENCES Used by English Heritage

Country Life, 62 (2 July 1927), pp 16-22

N Pevsner, The Buildings of England: North-west and South Norfolk (1962), pp 239-42

D Stroud, Capability Brown (1975), pp 129-31

Journal of Garden History 11, (1991), numbers 1 and 2, pp 73-4

T Williamson, The archaeology of the landscape park, BAR British Series 268 (1998), pp 259-60

Maps

Estate map, around 1730 (private collection)

Lancelot Brown, Plan for Langley Park, 1765 (private collection)

W Faden, A new topographical map of the county of Norfolk, 1797 (Norfolk Record Office)

A map of the Langley Estate in the county of Norfolk, 1816 (DS 157 (34) Cab II), (Norfolk Record Office)

A Bryant, Map of the county of Norfolk, 1826 (Norfolk Record Office)

OS 6" to 1 mile: 1st edition published 1892; 2nd edition published 1908

OS 25" to 1 mile: 2nd edition published 1906

Illustrations

Francis Wooton, George Proctor and friends in Langley Park, around 1742 (private collection)