There’s nothing like a castle is there? A glimpse of an
English castle reminds us of fantasies of knights and princesses and with all
the romanticism attached. And for those interested in the real history of
castles, we all know that behind the romantic façades exists a practical
building designed for defence and sanctuary, as well as providing a show of
power to the little people who need to be controlled. What now seems to be synonymous with English history, the medieval castle was actually a concept brought to our island by the Normans who came from France to conquer the Saxon kingdom. Many of these fortresses built during the Norman Conquest of 1066 now lie in ruin and Norfolk’s Oxburgh Hall is a much more modern construction built by the Bedingfeld family in the 15th century as more of a manor house than a defensive castle. Nevertheless, it still has some of the features that we would expect from the home of a fairy princess. Surrounded by a moat and towers and with walls topped by typical battlements, for which in 1482 Edward Bedingfeld had to obtain a retrospective licence to crenellate from King Edward IV, this historical gem of West Norfolk really transports you to another age.
We visited Oxburgh on a rainy day, giving the place a
special atmosphere common in films about medieval England. Compared to the
other houses that we visited, this was the alternative attraction thanks to its
appearance of a fortified castle. Adding to this, the interiors and furnishings
of the hall were much darker, making it easy to imagine a knight of the Wars of
the Roses wandering through its rooms having crossed the moat begging for
sanctuary.
And speaking of sanctuary, Oxburgh is probably most
well-known for its priest hole. Due to the Bedingfeld family being Catholic, a
priest hole is exactly what it sounds. During the Reformation and the
subsequent persecution of papists during the 16th and early 17th
centuries, wealthy families who were still clinging onto the ‘old faith’ took
it upon themselves to welcome the leaders of the now illegal religion into
their homes. Of course, if they were caught assisting such ‘criminals,’ things
could go incredibly bad for the family. So in a void in the house, a secret
room was installed in order to hide the catholic priest. And luckily enough we
were able to climb down through the tight trapdoor, which was no easy task, and
then enter the comparatively spacious hiding place beyond. 
Following our experience down the priest’s hole, we were
then able to see the bedrooms where King Henry VII and his queen, Elizabeth of
York had once slept and best of all the rooms were filled with artefacts ranging
from royal warrants dating back 500 years and tapestries sewn by Mary, Queen of
Scots and the Countess of Shrewsbury; the Bess of Hardwick Hall that we had
visited a few weeks ago. We were also able to climb up the original stone spiral
staircase to the room, from where I’m told it is possible to see Ely Cathedral
on a clear day.
As for servant’s quarters, Oxburgh was a little lacking;
however we were able to take our afternoon tea in the kitchens, which at least
is one step closer to doing it in the drawing room of the one of these great
houses.
By far the most unique part of this visit though was the fact
that, according to one of the guides, we had been following the current Lady
Bedingfeld around the house as she was visiting with her grandchildren. Unlike
most other National Trust properties, Lord and Lady Bedingfeld still live in one
of the towers of their ancestral home.
Oxburgh may be a ‘fake’ castle not built for war and certain
architectural features may have been added during the Gothic-revival period of
the 19th century but it is still one of the most romantic historic
places I have ever visited.
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