Oxburgh Hall

Situated in a lovely, very rural part of northwest Norfolk, the tiny village of Oxborough is dominated by the presence of the magnificent moated manor house of Oxburgh Hall, which dates from the late fifteenth century and is still the Bedingfield family home despite being in the hands of the National Trust and fully open to the public. The Bedingfields were a prominent Catholic family in Tudor times, and the house is a resonant monument of the era, notable for its priest hole, a small room in which Catholic priests would have hidden if during the time of the Reformation, and a set of wall hangings said to have been embroidered by Mary Queen of Scots. You can tour most of the interior of the house, afterwards climbing up to the roof and exploring the grounds, which vary from the well-kept borders and symmetrical beds close by the house to many and varied walks in the woodlands beyond. There are the obligatory cafés – one inside and one just outside the entrance – and you should also stop by the village church of St John just outside the main gate. This has been partly ruined since it's spire collapsed in 1948, but the Bedingfield family chapel here is intact and home to some amazing terracotta carved tombs from the late fifteenth century that are almost French in style.