17 Iconic Buildings to Explore in Norfolk

Ancient House is a fascinating museum of Thetford life, housed in an attractive, half-timbered, Tudor merchant's house. The museum tells the fascinating history of Thetford and the Brecks region, through displays of industrial heritage, archaeology, photos, costumes, arms and armour, social history, fine art, and natural history.

Baconsthorpe Castle is a moated and fortified 15th century manor house, that are a testament to the rise and fall of a prominent Norfolk family. It was established in the 15th century on the site of a former manor hall, probably by John Heydon I and his father, William. Part of the castle was later converted into a textile factory, but it fell out of use in the 20th century. Today Baconsthorpe is one of the most picturesque - and relatively unknown - moated castles in England.

Burgh Castle Roman Fort is one of the best-preserved Roman monuments in the country. Built in the 3rd century overlooking Breydon Water and the outlet of the River Waveney. After the Roman period, the site may have been occupied by an early Christian monastery; and after 1066 a Norman castle was built inside the Fort walls.

Castle Rising Castle is one of the most famous 12th Century castles in England. The stone keep, built in around 1140 AD, is amongst the finest surviving examples of its kind anywhere in the country. In its time Rising has served as a hunting lodge, royal residence, and for a brief time in the 18th century even housed a mental patient.

Felbrigg Hall is a beautiful country home full of hidden delights. It has fabulous gardens and endless acres of parkland to explore and enjoy. The house and grounds were bequeathed to the National Trust in 1969 by Robert Ketton-Cremer. The hall is Grade I on the National Heritage List for England. Most of the grounds are part of Felbrigg Woods, a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The Hippodrome, Great Yarmouth, is a large venue located parallel to Great Yarmouth's Golden Mile which is available for theatre style conference venue hire. It is one of only two purpose-built permanent circuses in England still in operation, and one of only three in the world with a circus floor that sinks into a pool.

Holkham Hall, an 18th Century Palladian, Stately home, is privately owned and a lived-in family home. It is home to the 8th Earl of Leicester and his family. It is one of England's finest examples of the Palladian revival style of architecture, and the severity of its design is closer to Palladio's ideals than many of the other numerous Palladian style houses of the period.

Houghton Hall is one of the grandest survivors of the Palladian era, built in the 1720s for Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole. It is a showcase of the work of architects James Gibbs and Colen Campbell complemented by the richly ornamented interiors of William Kent, and furnished to reflect Walpole’s wealth and power. It is a Grade I listed building surrounded by 1,000 acres of parkland a few miles from Sandringham House.

The beautiful Hoveton Hall Estate covers 620 acres of parkland, gardens, woodland, arable and grazing land. This fine Regency Hall was built between 1809-1812 and has been owned by the Buxton family since 1946. Its 19th-century iron glasshouse is a must-see for all visitors to the gardens. Throughout the year the gardens host many different events most of which are free to Historic Houses members.

Blickling is a majestic Jacobean house built in 1619-20 by Robert Lyminge, the architect of Hatfield, for Sir Henry Hobart. As well as an iconic historic Jacobean hall, there are 55 acres of wonderful gardens and hundreds of acres of parkland to roam in. With a pub on-site and events happening all year round, you'll discover something new every time you visit.

Horsey Windpump is a windpump or drainage windmill in the care of the National Trust in the village of Horsey, on The Broads near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. The structure is a grade II* listed building. The windpump was working until it was struck by lightning in 1943. It was acquired by the National Trust in 1948 from the Buxton Family and has been restored. The mill's damaged sails were removed in 1956, and replacement sails and fantail were installed in 1962.

This moated courtyard house was built sometime after 1476 for Sir Edmund Bedingfeld. It was a symbol of status and political power. The hall has been listed Grade I on the National Heritage List for England since 1951. This is the highest level of designation. The landscaped and formal gardens of the hall have been Grade II listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens since 1987.

Norwich Castle was designed to be a royal palace, which was built by the Normans in the 11th century. In the thousand years since its construction the castle has been used variously as a military fort, a county jail and, most recently, a museum. Today, Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery is home to collections of fine art, archaeology and natural history, as well as touring exhibitions from national galleries.

The Sainsbury Center for Visual Arts by architect Norman Foster was built in Norwich, UK in 1974-1978. The building, which contains a collection of world art, was one of the first major public buildings to be designed by the architects Norman Foster and Wendy Cheesman, completed in 1978. As a result, the Sainsbury Centre is much more than a conventional gallery, where the emphasis is not on the art of isolation. On the contrary, one of a series of related activities within a single space, full o

Sandringham House is a country house in the parish of Sandringham, Norfolk, England. It is the private home of Elizabeth II, whose father, George VI, and grandfather, George V, both died there. The house stands in a 20,000-acre estate in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The house is listed as Grade II* and the landscaped gardens, park and woodlands are on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.

Strangers Hall is a marvelous Tudor merchant's house, used as a museum of local history since the 1930s. See the Tudor Great Hall, the fine Georgian dining room, and the magnificent stone-vaulted undercroft. Although Strangers' Hall has been the home of many varied members of society, including a solicitor and a dance master, it is most notable as the residence of numerous Mayors of Norwich, having first served this purpose in 1340.