| Ketteringham Hall (picture by David Viner) |  |
Ketteringham Hall
Photographer Description of Ketteringham Hall
Ketteringham Hall, located some ten miles south-west of Norwich, Norfolk has a history stretching back over 500 years. It has been the possession of several families and the current owners are the family of Colin Chapman of Lotus Cars fame. This panorama is of the south-easterly face of the hall which descends down to small man-made lakes which are open to licenced fishermen.Ketteringham Hall - Further Information
Situated to the south-west of Norwich with easy access from the A11 and Norwich Southern Bypass, Ketteringham Hall, standing in an estate of 40 acres of woodland and open grassland, has had a long history. The estate itself was known to be in existence during the time of Edward the Confessor (1004-1066) and was mentioned in the Domesday Book when it was in the possession of two Saxon lords: Ulf and Ketel. It is from Ketel that the name of Ketteringham is derived.The hall itself originated in the late 15th century when it was built by Sir Henry Grey. It was inherited by Thomas Heveningham whose family occupied it for nearly 200 years. After a short tenure by the Heron family it was bought by Edward Atkyns whose wife, Charlotte, mortgaged the hall to raise funds for an attempted rescue of Marie Antionette from the revolutionaries in France. The attempt was a failure and Charlotte died penniless in France in 1836.
After a fire in the early 1800s the hall was rebuilt to its present form and in 1836 it was sold to Sir John Peter Boileau whose family resided there until 1948. Their coat of arms with the motto, De Tout Mon Cour (With All My Heart), can still be seen above the front entrance.
During the Second World War the hall became home to the 2nd Air Division of the USA's 8th Air Force when between 300 and 400 personnel occupied nissen huts built adjacent to the hall in what are now woodlands. During this time the Boileau family occupied a small section of the hall.
Two years after being sold to the Duke of Westminster in 1948, the hall was used as a preparatory school until 1965 when Badingham College bought it after their own premises at Fetcham had been sold for development. A large black school bell from this period can still be seen high up on a wall. The college, however, failed to survive and had closed by 1968.
More recently the hall was home to Group Lotus after their founder, Colin Chapman, bought the estate in 1970. The hall itself was used for the development of the Formula 1 cars until Classic Team Lotus folded in 1994. The Lotus factory still resides close by near the village of Hethel. Still owned by the Chapman family, the hall has now been redeveloped into business units and is occupied by several companies.