I have visited Holkham Hall on more than one occassion due to the proximity of the buidling to Norwich which is where my daughter lives, it is genuinely stunning and I felt priveledged even as a paying visitor to be allowed to see the buidling and all its grounds.
The first Earl of Leicester, Thomas Coke, conceived the Palladian Hall as his vision of an Italian villa on the windswept north Norfolk coast, the same family has lived there continuously since the 1750s and I for one appreciate what they have acheived.
This grand estate has hosted open air events in the Deer Park since 2006 with Jose Carreras, Jools Holland and others such as Status Quo, Girls Aloud and Elton John providing a high level of entertainment.
The family have 200 employees in order to maintain the property and its grounds, they have done a maginficent job and I would emplore anyone with an interest in architecture to go and visit it, truly beautiful. I am as you will no doubt be aware very keen and interested not just in "Doors for the Home" but for traditional architecture and carpentry techniques, this buidling has them in spades, take a look at the Marble Hall (see below) when you go, stunning.............and cheaper than going to Rome to see similar structure and finishes.
Despite being called the 'Marble Hall', it is chiefly constructed of Derbyshire alabaster, which is softer and more translucent than marble.
The stone was transported to Holkham by barge along the River Trent to Gainsborough, where it was transferred to a ship and thence by sea to Wells.
The splendid colonnade was copied from that of the Temple of Fortuna Virilis in Rome, while the breathtaking ceiling, taken from the Pantheon, also in Rome, rises to a height of over 50ft.
Local craftsmen, Joseph Pickford and Thomas Carter, who carved the alabaster into shape, dedicated 20 years of their lives to working in the Marble Hall, in The Chapel, and on the fireplaces.
The statues in the niches around the hall are predominantly plaster copies of ancient Greek and Roman Gods, and were bought home from Italy for the first Earl of Leicester, by Matthew Brettingham, son of the executive architect of Holkham Hall.
Edited by Chippy for www.DirectDoors.com
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