Update 2018: Revised, expanded post now available here: https://handedon.wordpress.com/2018/02/28/narford-hall-norfolk-2/
May 4, 2011 by Stephen McEntee
Update 2018: Revised, expanded post now available here: https://handedon.wordpress.com/2018/02/28/narford-hall-norfolk-2/
A few excellent recent photos of Narford Hall can be found here:
Thanks, ldm – for such a reluctant subject the place does take a good photo.
One person who did manage to see inside back in the ’60s was John Harris who recalls the episode in his memoir, ‘No Voice From the Hall’: ‘It was not Pellegrini’s work that held us fixed – it was the stuffed ostrich standing in the middle of the room – and it moved! It was Mrs. Fountaine…’
My father was the Forestry Foreman in Andrew Fountaines time in Narford Hall..He often went inside(I had to sit in the truck).Inside was not as impressive as we would liked to have believed!!!..This was a home and Unfortunately a lot of things had to be sold to keep this gr8 hall from delapidation…I loved my childhood on Narford Estate..Was never the same when A.Fountaine died..
Interesting stuff, Sharon, and thanks for taking the time to respond. Yes, there’s perhaps a tendency to romanticise such places – ‘Guilty, your Honour!’ – while the reality is often rather more prosaic. And, dubious politics aside, I must confess to a sneaking fascination for the character of the late Andrew Fountaine…
Sharon, i stumbled across this thread whilst trying to find out which military troops were billeted in Narford woods during world war 2. Do you have any family knowledge of any troops being there? I am trying to trace my paternal grandfather, he was Dutch, most likely part of the the princess irene brigade. Any info please get in touch!
i have some knowledge of narford hall..my `family` name has connections to the clarke `family` name late of west acre and ,i would be intrested to chat to you…..
I first met Andrew Fountaine in 1957, and sharing his ‘dubious’ political views I often stayed overnight together with my wife. I agree with Sharon Sands that inside it was not so impressive as outside, as so much of value had to be sold in order to keep Narford Hall standing.
I last met Andrew in Swaffam hospital, a week before he died of the ravages of cancer in 1997 (not 1987 as in the report). We spoke of the campaigns we had been in to restrict mass immigration into Britain before it became popular to do so. He again said “it’s my class and the Tory Party who have betrayed the people and allowed this to happen”. He did not use any derogatory terms in regard to Afro-Asian immigrants, and I never heard him do so over forty years. Unfortunatley, we both mixed with some people in the past who did.
John Bean
Marie Henderson-Campbell was a friend of my family and in August 1966, at the age of 22, I drove to Narford to meet her. As I remember she was in charge of the house though not the owner. (I and my parents had been living in Istanbul – hence the Turkish references). My letter to my parents says:
“I drove up to Kings Lynn to see Marie Henderson-Campbell. This was a fantastic experience. She was …pleasant but firm. Narford Hall was fantastic. One acre of roof alone and 45 (or was it 55?) acres of lake. This was a bird sanctuary.
Fabulous old atmosphere of a Turkish house, but none of the decay. A music room with articles which I recognised as turban stands. A piano which Mendelssohn used to come and play on. Marie showed me a picture which I identified as being Istanbul. Some of the mosques appeared to have been moved by the artist, but it seemed to be a view of the Seraglio done about 200 years ago from where the Hilton now is.
Anyway it was a fabulous place.”
I certainly remember my visit as “time out of mind”, though I never went back. More information welcome.
David Addis (addis@theale.co.uk)
My wife`s grandfather and great grandfather james Howes and Edward Howes were shepherds on the Narford Estate and lived there Edward`s grave is the grave nearest the entrance to Narford Church