The estate belonged to the Gunton family in the 12th century, to the Berney family in the 16th century and later to the Jermyn family.^[1] The current house was built for Sir William Harbord, 1st Baronet in the 1740s by the architect Matthew Brettingham.^[2] In 1775 Harbord Harbord, 1st Baron Suffield, Member of Parliament for Norwich, commissioned James Wyatt to make significant additions to the house.^[2] The grounds were developed by Charles Harbord, 5th Baron Suffield, employing William Milford Teulon as the landscaper.^[3] However, the hall was almost destroyed by fire in 1882 and lay derelict for nearly a century before Kit Martin, an architect, bought the hall in 1980 and converted it into individual houses.^[2] It is surrounded by a 1,000 acre deer park.^[4] The boathouse was rebuilt as a studio by the artist Gerard Stamp in 2004.^[5]

St Andrew's Church, Gunton in woodland to the east of the hall is a redundant Church of England church. The church was built in 1769 and designed by Robert Adam for Sir William Harbord, to replace a medieval church.^[6] It is a Grade I listed building,^[7] and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.^[8]

Gunton Park sawmill is a 1824 sawmill powered by a mill pond on Hagon Beck.^[9]

History

See also

References