Riddlesworth Hall is a country house, and was formerly used as a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

. It is located in

Riddlesworth Riddlesworth is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 147 in 48 households at the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland. St Pet ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

History

It was acquired by Silvanus Bevan III (1743–1830) in 1792.British Listed Buildings
/ref>The Regency Town House: The Bevans
/ref> It later became the seat of the Compton-Thornhill baronets, including Sir Thomas Thornhill, 1st Baronet (1837–1900) and Sir Anthony John Compton-Thornhill, 2nd Baronet (1868–1949). The second baronet had no heirs and the hall was converted for use as a school.Select English

Architecture

It was designed by architect

Thomas Leverton Thomas Leverton (c.1743 – 23 September 1824) was an English architect. Life He was born in Waltham Abbey (town), Waltham Abbey, Essex, where he was baptised on 11 June 1743, the son of the builder Lancelot Leverton. Having learned his father' ...

(1743–1824) as a

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...

three-storey manor house in 1792. It is surrounded by 12 hectares of parkland. It was listed by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

as a Grade II building on 21 July 1951.

Riddlesworth Hall Preparatory School

In 1946, Riddlesworth Hall School was established as a predominantly girls' school but later catered to both boys and girls aged 2 to 13. In October 2015 it was announced that Riddlesworth had joined the Confucius International Education Group, which runs several international schools in China, Spain & USA. Riddlesworth was rebranded Confucius International School-Riddlesworth Hall (CISRH) as a result. The school ithen underwent a refurbishment and development programme. Full and part-time boarding was available for children from age 7. Enrollment was intentionally kept small.. Pupils were allocated to four

houses A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

, which were named after prominent British women. Points were awarded for "achievement, effort, behavior and generosity of spirit". Notable former pupils include

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

The school was formally closed in April 2023.

References

External links

School Profile
at the

Independent Schools Council The Independent Schools Council (ISC) is a non-profit lobby group that represents over 1,300 private schools in the United Kingdom. The organisation comprises seven independent school associations and promotes the business interests of its ...

website *

Independent Schools Inspectorate The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect private schools in England. These schools are members of associations, whi ...

Inspectio
Reports
{{authority control English Heritage sites in Norfolk Country houses in Norfolk Defunct schools in Norfolk Grade II listed houses Grade II listed buildings in Norfolk Georgian architecture in England Houses completed in 1792 Bevan family