100: Holkham Hall

Many see Holkham as Norfolks jewel in the crown. For years at the forefront of agricultural progress, it remains an innovative force on the countys north coast. The great Palladian mansion was created during the 18th century, a time of aristocratic self-confidence, when styles of architecture fashioned on the Continent made their way to these shores to be honed into a unique British style of building. Today the Holkham Estate is one of Norfolks tourist highlights, the hall and park complemented by a working farm and a beach that may be the best in the country.

Who built it?

The Coke family has its roots firmly established in Norfolk soil. Although Sir Edward Coke, born in Mileham in 1552, made his name in the law courts of Elizabeth I and James I, his legacy is in his native county. A brilliant lawyer, he has been credited with interpreting English common law and laying down the principles of the rule of law. Although later in his career he came into conflict with the early Stuart monarchs, his descendants, beginning with the six sons who survived him, benefited from his shrewd investments.

Including Holkham?

Coke bought Neales Manor, one of three in the Holkham parish, in 1609 from the Armiger family. The site has long been settled; in the seventh century Saxon saint Withburga lived here (commemorated by a 13th century church named after her). Cokes son, John, inherited, and lived there until his death in 1661, by which time he owned three Holkham parishes. Holkham Hall as we see it today did not exist, but a manor called Hill Hall near the current site did, and the Coke family lived there until the 1750s, when it was demolished. It was not the most promising spot; thin, sandy soil and strong winds made it difficult to grow crops, so rents were low of which more later. By the early 18th century the horizons of the English aristocracy were widening. It was fashionable for young men to go on the Grand Tour, visiting Europe and immersing themselves in Classical education. With money and time to spare, many built up fabulous art collections and brought them home on their return. Such a man was Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester, direct descendant of the original Coke.

A keen builder?

His parents died young, and Thomas inherited aged just 10. During his six years in Italy he met architect William Kent, who shared his passion for the buildings of the Italian Andrea Palladio. It was there that Thomas planned his great Norfolk mansion, and would be intimately involved in its construction for the remaining 30 years of his life. At his death in 1759, the house still had five years to go before completion. It was worth waiting for. Work did not begin until 1734, as the earl lost money in the South Sea Bubble fiasco. Norfolk builder Matthew Brettingham carried out the work, following Kents plans.

The finished product was a stern mansion, like a vast Roman temple, surrounded by acres of land. Architectural historians describe it as the finest Palladian house in Britain. Its marble hall and statue gallery, featuring Roman and other Classical subjects, are awe-inspiring, but the whole house was designed to impress and succeeds. Paintings by the likes of Rubens and Van Dyck decorated the show rooms. The estate remained a work in progress on an otherwise barren estate for a further century. The earls son and heir having died some years before, his nephew Wenman Roberts inherited. His own early death paved the way for his son, the most famous owner of Holkham.

Coke of Norfolk.

Young Thomas William Coke cut short his Grand Tour to return to Norfolk in 1776. An agricultural innovator, pioneering landlord and MP, he became an important figure during his long life. Although first known in Parliament as Coke of Norfolk to distinguish him from similarly-named MPs, the title seemed particularly fitting. Coke introduced regular Holkham Sheep Shearings, bringing together agricultural experts to discuss production of food for a growing population.

He is credited with improvements to animal breeding and husbandry of cattle, sheep and pigs, and hugely increased the value of his land through crop rotation. He planted more than a million trees at Holkham and created the parkland and wildlife reserve. An idiosyncratic, much-loved, figure he refused a peerage several times before Queen Victoria made him an earl in 1837; he was then 83. At his death five years later thousands turned out to see him buried. Coke is commemorated by a stunning monument built in the park recalling his contribution to agricultural progress.

What happened after his death?

His son added a striking stable block to the hall, and made the estate famous for shooting, while other descendants continued to improve the estate, gradually modernising it over the decades. The second earl reclaimed marshland and planted Corsican pines on the sand dunes on Holkham beach to protect the land from the encroachments of the sea. The Coke family, with its long tradition of military service particularly in the Scots Guards, husbanded the estate for generations. It survived the aftermath of the second world war, when many country estates were too expensive to maintain, and reinvented itself as a modern estate.

What about the park?

The building of the hall transformed the landscape. The old village of Holkham once lay at the end of a marshy tidal inlet near the old manor house. By the 1750s it was all gone, replaced by the lake and park of today. Coke of Norfolk expanded it to its current 3,000 acres; it makes a fine walk. A herd of about 800 fallow deer graze the land. Even better is the huge beach, part of a nature reserve. Thousands of geese, many from Iceland and Russia, migrate here for the winter. The estate, while an award-winning tourist site, also has some 25 tenanted farms as well as its own land, concentrating on arable and livestock. It remains in the Coke family.

Information: 01328 710227.