Blickling

“Nobody ever forgets their first sight of Blickling.” This is the first line of the National Trust Handbook’s description of this 400 year old masterpiece. And it really is a masterpiece. No matter what angle you look at the house, once a home of the notorious Boleyn family, the way that it seems to sit perfectly in the landscape really is a wonder to behold.

Unlike Felbrigg, this house was clearly designed to impress and show the status of its residents. Thanks to my unreliable sat-nav, our journey to the house was somewhat blind but luckily this provided us with an all the better surprise when we finally saw the house. Driving through what seemed to be just another village, we turned to see the façade of the red-brick house, which, again unlike Felbrigg, had a beautiful symmetry about it and looking at the long gravel driveway leading up to the beautiful yet ominous and foreboding front entrance, it was easy to imagine oneself arriving in a carriage or on horseback to visit the house in days gone by.

The day that we visited Blickling was one of the best we had, weather-wise, so it was just as well that the gardens and grounds of this estate were really top-notch. Not only were the ornamental gardens perfectly well-kept, they were also large enough to spend a large portion of the sunny day wandering around, as was the wider estate. And from almost every point of view, we were able to look up and catch a glimpse of the house sitting so regally in its romantic enclave. Although maybe the sun does cause a small amount of bias.

The house was not at all disappointing either. After the country cottage that was Felbrigg, this veritable palace was bursting to let anyone who came there know that it had royal connections. Not only were the furnishings infinitely more lavish and colourful, the small details, such as the artwork on show, the collection of books on display in the long gallery and the intricate mouldings on the ceilings, which in some rooms appeared as somewhat sinister stalactites hanging from above, were clear announcements of the wealth, power and esteem of the residing noble family. Blickling even boasts a state bedroom complete with gilded ceiling, ornate canopy bed and ionic columns.

My personal favourite aspect of the house though was the staff. In some National Trust properties, it is commonplace to see room guides wandering around in period costume while they inform visitors of the details of the room. What was different about the Blickling staff though was that, although they were not actual household staff in the sense that they were in charge of cleaning etc., they did adopt characters to play in fitting with their costume and surroundings. So in one room we saw one woman doing needlework and another ‘dusting’ a table. The most enjoyable part though was when we went down to the kitchens we were greeted by two elderly maids who then curtseyed to us. This was such a nice touch to add more personality and realism to the surroundings, which National Trust properties can lack due to the fact that they’re not occupied. What’s more, being curtseyed to added to my fantasy that we were actual guests of the former owners of the estate.

Of all the week’s visits, Blickling was probably my favourite. Perhaps it was the sun; perhaps it was being able to have our afternoon tea outside. But it was more likely due to being able to spend a complete day in the presence of such beauty.