The Hall - A History of Hoveton Hall

The House:
The house is built of gault brick with a slate roof and the design is attributed to Humphry Repton and his son John Adey Repton. Built Between 1809 and 1812 it has marked similarities to Sheringham Hall which was Repton’s last commission. It was built by Christobella Burroughes nee Negus and her husband James. The Hall was later extended, possibly by Geoffrey Buxton to the North giving further accommodation and servants quarters.

The Families:
The Negus family were prominent landowners within this area and lived at the then Hoveton Hall (exact site unknown.) According to Faden’s 1797 map of Norfolk it was where the farm house and tea rooms are, however this map is notoriously inaccurate and the house although old enough is probably too small. Henry Burroughes died in 1872 and the house and land were sold to Sir Jacob Preston Bart. The Prestons, who are relations of the present owner’s wife, were very large landowners perhaps owning up to 15,000 acres and several large houses including Beeston Hall (the family seat,) Barton Hall and Hoveton.
The house was almost certainly let out to tenants during their ownership and there is some evidence to suggest that the house was empty for long periods of time. They tried to sell the Hall in 1907 and 1912 but failed to do so and they had to wait until after the First World War when they sold it to Geoffrey and Mary Buxton in 1919. Geoffrey Buxton (who is a close cousin of the present owners) starts the relationship that this family has with the hall and gardens. The water garden and some of the plantings in the woods especially the older rhododendrons and azaleas were planted for him by Waterers Nurseries.
Geoffrey and Mary lost two sons in the war and Bernard his oldest died before him which may explain why the estate was sold on his death in 1930 to the Cradock family. The Hall again appears to have been let out at several points as a number of different families have lived there but was sold in 1936 to Douglas Clark. He was a bachelor who set out to transform the house and gardens. The major change in the house was to the library where he inserted panelling that probably came from the demolished Worstead Hall and there were some improvements in the layout of other rooms. Within the gardens he commissioned the spider gate, built a number of green houses and enclosed all of the flower and kitchen gardens. He retired to Southern Africa and sold the Hall to Desmond Buxton in 1946 who was the father of the present owner. Andrew and Barbara Buxton have restored and improved the gardens, woodlands and park land in to what you see today. They opened the gardens in 1992 to share its beauty and to help contribute to the cost of its upkeep.

Please note the Hall is not open to the public.