Houghton Hall ( /ˈhaʊtən/ HOW-tən) is a country house in Norfolk, England. It was built for the de facto first British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and it is a key building in the history of Palladian architecture in England. It is a Grade I listed building surrounded by 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of parkland adjacent to Sandringham House.
Those who most influenced the initial development of plans and construction at Houghton were:
- Colen Campbell, who began the building (1722)
- James Gibbs, who added the domes
- William Kent, who designed the interiors (circa 1725-1735).
- Thomas Ripley, Kent's rival, supervised much of the building work
The house has a rectangular main block which consists of a rustic basement at ground level, with a piano nobile, bedroom floor and attics above. There are also two lower flanking wings joined to the main block by colonnades. To the south of the house there is a detached quadrangular stable block.
The exterior is both grand and restrained, constructed of fine-grained, silver-white stone the Gibbs-designed domes punctuate each corner. In line with Palladian conventions, the interiors are much more colourful, exuberant and opulent than the exteriors.
The parklands surrounding Houghton was redesigned in the 18th-century by Charles Bridgeman.
Read more about Houghton Hall: History, Directions
Other articles related to "houghton hall, hall":
3, 1725 Stourhead, showing later wings and portico added to Campbell's design in 1840 Houghton Hall, Vitruvius Britannicus vol. 3, 1725 Houghton Hall, as built, with domes by James Gibbs Houghton Hall Mereworth Castle, Vitruvius Britannicus vol 2 ...
... Houghton Hall is a stately home in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, set in 5,800 acres (23 km2) ... The hall is a Grade I listed building ...
... Opened in December 2008 this 39-bed facility in the Orford area of Warrington was run by the hospital trust and offered therapy and rehabilitation for people who no longer require medical care in an acute hospital bed but need some further support before returning home ... Houghton Hall closed in March 2011 with services provided in other settings in the town ...
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