Ingoldisthorpe Hall

Ingoldisthorpe Hall is a gorgeous ginger-bread of a house – the local stone from which its wings were built is called carrstone, or ginger-bread stone.

The hall is part of a larger estate, which includes three cottages; Groom’s Cottage, Gardener’s Cottage and Ivy Cottage. In total, the estate (also known as Mount Amelia) can accommodate up to 34 guests.

The Hall itself has nine bedrooms, one of which is a family room with beds for four. It can sleep up to 20 guests in 9 double rooms (four of which – including the family room – are en-suite, and three of which are four-posters). There are two further bathrooms and three loos on the ground floor. One of the rooms – Bara’s Bedroom – has a sink and roll-top bath beneath the window, excellent for contemplating the gentle movement of the trees against the Norfolk sky.

Downstairs, there’s a sitting room and drawing room, a games room (with table tennis and table football), and a reading room, for escape into scurrilous novels. There’s a large dining room, which seats 20, and a good-sized kitchen, with a table for eight and an Aga, and a double electric oven, so cooking for a full house is as stress-free as possible (though you could always use the excellent caterers).

Outside, there’s a terrace with seating, leading onto lawns and parkland, and plenty of space for hide-and-seek, or treasure hunts. There is a large (six-person) hot tub available for guest use.

Groom’s Cottage and Gardener’s Cottage are adjacent, and each sleep four guests. Ivy Cottage can sleep 6, and has a bedroom on the ground floor. There’s a downstairs loo, but the bathroom is upstairs.

Edmund’s Choice Of Extraordinary Feature

“This is a great house for a large party, with much to recommend it. I’m a particular fan of the South-West terrace, which delivers some of the very best of Norfolk’s spectacular sunsets.”

About the Location

The estate is in the edge of Ingoldisthorpe village, close to the Royal Sandringham estate.  It’s about 25 minutes’ drive from Kings Lynn. Kings Lynn is a two-and-a-half hours’ train journey from central London.

Things To Do

The Ingoldisthorpe Estate itself offers about 30 acres of park land to explore, and there are footpaths and cycle routes. There are some great beaches within easy reach – Snettisham is about 11 minutes’ away in the car. There’s also Hunstanton (with its dunes one end, slot-machines and fair ground the other), and Brancaster, which is vast and sandy and is perfect for children who need to run wild and loud.

If you’d like to organise some distractions for your party, the house can help you arrange archery, fishing, shooting, golf, murder-mysteries…kayaking, cycling. Some activities can be arranged on the estate, others will be elsewhere.

Weddings

The Hall has capacity for 80 guests seated, and 100 standing. Marquees are possible, should you have a larger guest list.