EnglandMay 28, 2024, by Anouk Ardesch

Sleep (and so much more) at Wolterton Park, England

Wedding, Castle, Accommodation, romance, Travel

England, May 28, 2024, by Anouk Ardesch

Sleep (and so much more) at Wolterton Park, England

England is the place to be to be for the most beautiful pieces of heritage: churches, castles, fortresses and stately homes: you will find it in abundance. In the Norfolk area there are no fewer than 650 medieval churches spread across the landscape. Rolling views overlooking the sea, narrow roads with overhanging trees and more than enough stately homes and castles for a top holiday. That's what you will find there too Wolterton Park, one of the most beautiful castles you will see in the area.

Wolterton Park is an eighteenth century estate with five beautiful holiday homes, and the Wolterton Hall for your exclusive use. Construction of the building started in 1722 and it was completed in 1742. It has been completely restored over the past seven years, and you can now spend the night there.

You can also find more unique places closer to home: We have a list of many nice and special accommodations in the Ardennes.

Wolterton Park

First let's go back to history: construction started in 1722 and lasted until 1742. Construction was led by Horatio Walpole, the brother of the first Prime Minister of Great Britain, Sir Robert Walpole. The house is part of North Norfolk's 'Power Houses', along with Houghton Hall, Holkham Hall en Raynham.

There are many houses in the Norfolk area with a similar history, but these can only be visited during certain hours or have been converted into hotels. Also beautiful of course, but less private and less that unique holiday feeling that Wolterton Park does have!

Renovation

Wolterton Park stood empty for almost 30 years until it was bought by Peter Sheppard and Keith Day. Previously, the property has always remained in the Walpole family. Peter and Keith have restored and renovated everything down to the last detail. The Hall, the holiday homes, the stables and the parks were renovated, but always with the aim of preserving the historical elements as best as possible. A big job, because the entire surface is enormous (more than 33.000 m2). Expensive, very expensive, so it became a major financial challenge.

A solution was soon found for this problem: renting out the accommodations. The Hall is divided into four parts, where you can also spend the night. It will cost you a penny, but hey, you will have a unique overnight stay. And who doesn't like that?

Activities at Wolterton Park

There is no need to worry here, because as soon as you arrive at the estate, the House Manager offers a complete concierge service and arranges all activities, books restaurants, and ensures that the chef always cooks something delicious from the garden. And for all those activities, you don't even have to leave the site. You can do everything, at your own location. You can do: canoeing, cycling, archery, clay pigeon shooting, horse riding, golf, tennis, table tennis, croquet, or badminton.

Every year they continue to innovate with the activities they offer and try to accommodate everyone as much as possible.

The hard effort was recognized two years ago, as Wolterton Park won the Historic Houses Restoration Award in 2022.

The accommodations

The Hall has eleven bedrooms and is divided into four different rooms. The Hall is the only accommodation that you cannot always book. You can only rent the entire house six times a year for exclusive use. When you can't book it, the owners live there. The rooms all have original marble fireplaces, original paintings and furniture, which the Walpole family purchased.

The East Wing is the Regency Wing of the Hall, with enormous windows overlooking the park and lake. There are seven bedrooms, each with its own character, where the original paintings hang and furniture that was once purchased by the Walpole family. You can spend the night in this wing with a maximum of fourteen guests.

The Garden House is an elegant with high ceilings and large windows. It borders the communal garden, but also has a private garden area. There are a total of three bedrooms and three bathrooms and can accommodate up to six people.

The Steward's house is built around a small courtyard overlooking the horse stable. Spread over two floors, it has three bedrooms with three bathrooms, so you can sleep up to six people here.

The Treasury is perfect for two people and is the smallest of the properties you can rent (but still large!). It is a cozy self-contained house, with a fireplace, private garden and a brick bathroom.

Willow Cottage is located on the edge of the estate and is the newest holiday home. It was the first cottage of its kind on this site and was in fact in the ancient village of Wolterton in 1332. Completely renovated and expanded, and ideal for a quiet overnight stay with up to six people.

The Gatehouse is located at the entrance of the estate. A monumental building, full of history, which has been kept intact. You can spend the night here with a maximum of five guests.

The location can also be rented for event(s). Think of a wedding, for filming, for drinks, or for team outings. There are five different accommodations available that can be booked individually or as a whole. If you want to book everything, you can have exclusive use of the Hall, the. East wing, the Steward's house, the Treasury, the Garden House, the Gatehouse, and also the park and grounds.

Wolterton Hall and its surrounding area offers a unique place, and is like no other. To keep this location so special, they only rent out the location for a wedding six times a year. It will certainly cost you a few cents, but (if all goes well) you will only experience that wedding once.

Wolterton Park

Sleep (and so much more) at Wolterton Park, England