Norfolk 2: North-West and South

The second Norfolk volume covers an area stretching from the rich farmland along the coast to the deeply rural Suffolk border. On the north coast the fine houses and merchants' premises in the medieval port of King's Lynn are of unique interest. Rural highlights include the Norman keep of Castle Rising, the highly ornamented remains of Castle Acre Priory, and the monumental brick gatehouse of Oxburgh Hall. From a later age are the two supreme examples of the great Palladian country house: Holkham, seat of the Cokes, Earls of Leicester, and Sir Robert Walpole's Houghton, both with sumptuous interiors. In the villages distinctive Norman round towers and great Gothic churches contrast with brick or timber-framed farmhouses, the complex building history of which are carefully unravelled. Outstanding 20th century work includes Tayler & Green's rural housing and the Smithsons' Hunstanton school.