A History of Bylaugh and its hall

England with all thy faults, I love thee still-- My country! and, while yet a nook is left
Where English minds and manners may be found, Shall be constrained to love thee. 
William Cowper 
Task (bk. II, l. 206)
William Cowper is one of our local poet heros and has a street named after him in the nearby town of Dereham where he spent his last years

The great estate at Bylaugh was acquired by Sir John Lombe in 1796. Although the details remain a little unclear, it is rumoured that he won it from Richard Lloyd in a card game, some say as the result of Lloyd’s butler drugging his wine. Sir John died in 1817. However, others declare that it was exchanged with the Holkham Estate for land owned by Sir John Lombe in the middle of the Holkham Estate.

Sir John Lombe having no childred, the estate passed to his brother Edward. Sir Richard Lloyd in a card game, some say as the result of Lloyd’s butler drugging his wine. Sir John died in 1817. However, others declare that it was exchanged with the Holkham Estate for land owned by Sir John Lombe in the middle of the Holkham Estate.

Sir John Lombe having no childred, the estate passed to his brother Edward. Sir John's will stated that before the full trust monies could be divided, 100,000 pounds must be spent on the building of a Stately Home in the position it now stands surveying the Wensum valley in all its beauty.

After some years of little activity, the Court of Chancery instructed that the trust money be used. The architect Sir Charles Barry (of Houses of Parliament fame) later a partnership of his son Charles Barry Jnr and Richardson Banks) was commissioned to design a suitable house. William Andrews Nesfield advised on the exact position of the house and was responsible for laying out the grounds and gardens, a job which was most important and commenced several years before the building.

The house was started in 1850 and completed in 1852. Together with the Victoria Tower of the Houses of Parliament, they were  the first buildings to employ steel in their supporting structure. The predecessors of the sky-scrapers that did not appear until  many years later. The exterior stonework, the balustrades and the terrace walling are of magnesian limestone from Ansen, known as Ansen Stone, also the same as the Houses of Parliament. A difference is that Bylaugh retains its original stone (where it was not damaged or removed in the 1950's attempt at demolishing), whereas the Houses of Parliament has had its stone replaced several times.

Upon the completion of the hall Sir Charles Lombe requested that the trustees release the remaining monies. They refused and demanded that the still substantial allocated balance be spent on enhancing the house and grounds. This money was spent on constructing the stables, the clock tower, the estate walls and various lodges.

For many years the house and grounds were leased to Sir Charles Knox D’Arcy, the founder and owner of what is now British Petroleum (BP).
The estate was managed through these years by Horners. a firm which has now joined forces with Brown and Co of Norwich. 

The 1st World War led to the Evans-Lombe family subsequently selling the house and the park, including its many tenanted farms and smallholdings, by auction, in 1917. The auction jointly by John D.Woods and Irelands. Not everything was sold at this auction, and in fact it appears that it was Harrods who eventually sold the house itself a few years after the main auction. Other unsold lots were then sold by Case and Dewing of Dereham. 

The house was requisitioned by the RAF in the 2nd World War. At one time much occupied by WRENS, then famously later in the war by Bomber Command as a command centre particularly for dam busting, and even more secretly, radar jamming. There is an 'end of war picture of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the thirty-fourth President of the United States (1953-1961) amidst members of the 8th army outside Bylaugh Hall in about 1945.

In 1950, even whilst Ancient Monuments were trying to list the property, it was suddenly stripped of its lead roof, and interior fittings and walls and effectively ruined. It was later listed by English Heritage as a Ruin.

Since 2000, the Vince family have been busy bringing the house and its immediate surroundings back to life. They have relied on a dedicated team of Norfolk craftsmen and builders whose dedication to the project has saved this remarkable building.  Much of the restoration work is now completed, just 2 parts of the hall remaining in their devastated condition.

Bylaugh Hall now has a great future with a devoted team of managers, events coordinators, cleaners and waitresses (to mention a few) who are bringing culture and life to the building and opening the doors to the people of Norfolk and the people of England.

 The Pictures

Top - The Hall in 2007
2nd - The original steels over Ballroom
3rd -  The Hall in about 1900
4th -  Work in the Quadrangle beneath the Clock-tower
5th -  Scaffolding to rescue chimneys
6th (above) - The Entrance Hallway in 2005
7th (below) - a view through the building before restoration commenced taken in 2004

William Wilkins architect
The basis for the design of the present Bylaugh Hall may perhaps have derived from  Cockerell's 1832 designs which I cannot at present locate or as this article suggests - these early designs drawn by the great Victorian classical architect - William Wilkins. For article click here

Airfields and Bomber Command
There is an interesting aerial view of Bylaugh Park which must have been taken in about 1998 or before. The hall is still surrounded by trees and almost completely invisible. They have put their red circle round the wrong clump of trees , in fact  the hall is beneath the trees much farther to the right. http://www.norfolk-airfields.co.uk/bylaugh.html

The Bomber Command that occupied Bylaugh Hall as a headquarters make a small mention of the hall on their website
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/s18no2group.html
and for those interested in 2nd World War history - this website would give one much of interest to search out in Norfolk.

Elsing Mill and paper making
Elsing Mill is privately owned, however, one cannot help but admire these wonderful buildings as one crosses the Wensum bridges on the way to Elsing and Lyng from Bylaugh Hall. The pump house is also an intriguing piece of industrial archaeology and with the mill, well documented on this website.
http://www.norfolkmills.co.uk/Watermills/elsing.html
I always wondered though why the Paper Makers pub is in Swanton Morley and not Elsing, if Elsing mill started off as a paper mill. So I emailed Jonathan Neville - and lo and behold back came this answer -

"The Paper Makers pub was not named after Elsing Mill but after Swanton Morley Mill -
have a look at www.norfolkmills.co.uk/Watermills/swanton-morley.html and all will be revealed!"

Bylaugh Church and other churches
We are very lucky with our little church at Bylaugh. The church warden keeps it locked although arrangements can be made to view.
Simon has produced a fascinating website which covers all the churches for miles and miles around - and visiting churches in East Anglia makes for a fabulous holiday for everything else one sees in the process.
The history and architecture of Bylaugh Church is well documented on Simon's website - so do have a look and enjoy your visit.
http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/bylaugh/bylaugh.htm

Bylaugh now has a great future as well as an interesting past!