Langley Hall is a red-brick building in the

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

style, formerly a country house but now a private school, located near

Loddon, Norfolk Loddon is a small town and civil parish in Norfolk, England, about south-east of Norwich. The town lies on the River Chet, a tributary of the River Yare within The Broads. The name "Loddon" is thought to mean ''muddy river'' in Celtic in refe ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. It is a

grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ire ...

. The house was built in the Palladian style of nearby

Holkham Hall Holkham Hall ( or ) is an 18th-century country house near the village of Holkham, Norfolk, England, constructed in the Neo-Palladian style for the 1st Earl of Leicester,The Earldom of Leicester has been, to date, created seven times. Thomas ...

, though much smaller: a large principal central block linked to two flanking secondary wings by short corridors. It was later enlarged with the addition of corner turrets by George Proctor and wings by Sir William Beauchamp-Proctor, and addition of a

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

portico in the 19th century. The interior of the Hall boasts fine plaster decorations in the library attributed to the court sculptor of

Frederick V of Denmark Frederick V ( Danish and Norwegian: ''Frederik V''; 31 March 1723 – 14 January 1766) was King of Denmark–Norway and Duke of Schleswig-Holstein from 6 August 1746 until his death in 1766. He was the son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophi ...

, Charles Stanley. The fine ceiling in the ladies' boudoir, on 'Music and Entertainment', was painted by Andien de Clermont prior to his return to France in 1755. The Hall was originally built c.1730 for Richard Berney, on 25 hectares (60 acres) of land that until the Dissolution of the Monasteries belonged to

Langley Abbey Langley Abbey was an abbey of Premonstratensian Canons in Langley Green, now in the civil parish of Langley with Hardley, Norfolk, England. The monastery was founded by Robert fitzRoger in 1195. There are remains of the church and barn as we ...

. It was sold a few years later to George Proctor, who commissioned

Matthew Brettingham Matthew Brettingham (1699 – 19 August 1769), sometimes called Matthew Brettingham the Elder, was an 18th-century Englishman who rose from humble origins to supervise the construction of Holkham Hall, and become one of the country's best-known ...

to remodel the building. In 1744, the estate was inherited by Proctor's nephew, William Beauchamp who, in compliance with his uncle's will, changed his name to Beauchamp-Proctor and who was created a baronet the following year. The family later changed their name to Proctor-Beauchamp. He completed the building work and employed

Lancelot Brown Lancelot Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783), more commonly known as Capability Brown, was an English gardener and landscape architect, who remains the most famous figure in the history of the English lan ...

to advise on the landscaping. In 1785 new entrance lodges were built to the design of architect

John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor of architecture at the R ...

. The estate remained in the Proctor-Beauchamp family until the 20th century. During the second world war the house was occupied by the army and the pasture land ploughed. After the war the house and grounds were bought by Langley School, an independent boarding and day school, and the lodges separately sold.

References

External links

Langley School Website

Geograph - Picture of Langley Hall
{{Coord, 52.5530, 1.4674, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Country houses in Norfolk Grade I listed buildings in Norfolk