Fornham Hall

Fornham Hall, Suffolk (1818) by John Preston Neale

Fornham Hall was a large 18th-century country house near Bury St Edmunds. It was demolished in 1957. The Estate included manorial land is part of the parish of Fornham St Genevieve.

History

The Fornham estate was bought in 1731 by Samuel Kent, a rich London grain merchant^[1] who became a local MP.^[1] Sir Charles Kent, Bt (Samuel's grandson) employed James Wyatt to design a large new house on the estate in the 1770s.^[1] He also became a local MP (for Thetford) and was High Sheriff of Suffolk for 1781.^[2]

The house was acquired by Bernard Howard (subsequently 12th Duke of Norfolk) in 1797^[1] and expanded on the Duke's behalf by the architect Robert Abraham in the 1820s.^[3] It was sold in 1842 to the second Lord Manners^[4] who sold it on to Sir William Gilstrap in 1862.^[5]

The estate was acquired by the War Office in 1939 and used for training purposes by the Royal Engineers during World War II^[6] before the house was demolished in 1957.^[5]

The grounds include the tower of the ruined church of St Genevieve.^[7]

References

1. Robinson 2011, p. 96.
2. "KENT, Sir Charles, 1st Bt. (?1743-1811), of Fornham St. Genevieve, Suff". History of Parliament Online. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
3. "Database of Houses: Fornham Hall". The DiCamillo Companion. Archived from the original on 14 December 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
4. Hanson, Cedric; Freeman, Richard. "A Brief History Of Our Community". Fornham St Martin Cum St Genevieve Parish Council. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
5. Robinson 2011, p. 98.
6. "Airfield Information Exchange".^{[dead link‍]}
7. Knott, Simon (2008). "St Genevieve, Fornham St Genevieve". Suffolk Churches. Archived from the original on 13 August 2022.

Sources

• Robinson, John Martin (2011). Felling the Ancient Oaks: How England Lost its Great Country Estates. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978-1-84513-670-3. OCLC 726820904.

52.2825°N 0.6966°E / 52.2825; 0.6966