Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Holkham

Holkham is a hamlet in North Norfolk, 2 miles from Wells-next-the-Sea.

The area is dominated by the splendid Palladian mansion Holkham Hall, built by William Kent in the 1730s for Thomas Coke (pronounced "Cook"), Earl of Leicester. There is a fine collection of works of art.

There is a splendid array of habitats, with the lovely Holkham Beach, sand dunes, saltings and a forest of Corsican pines built on the well established dunes.

St. Withburga's Church stands on a mound on the estate. It was founded in the Anglo-Saxon period and restored in 1870.

The grounds were laid out in 1762 by Capability Brown. A 120 foot monument is to a slightly later Earl, usually known as Coke of Norfolk, the famous agricultural pioneer.

King Anna of East Anglia had a palace at Holkham. His four daughters, Etheldreda (founder of what is now Ely Cathedral), Sexburga, Ermengilda and Withburga, all became saints.

Places in Holkham

Holkham Hall, Holkham Hall Vinery