Remains Of Winter Garden Of Somerleyton Hall

SOMERLEYTON SOMERLEYTON PARK TM 49 NE 4/53 Remains of Winter Garden of Somerleyton Hall GV II Remains of the Winter Garden which was attached to the north of Somerleyton Hall. Circa 1846, by John Thomas for Sir Morton Peto. Red brick with stone dressings. The north and east colonnaded corridors survive, the latter glazed. There are moulded semi-circular arches with keys and a stone cornice and pierced parapet supported on bracket capitals in the form of sculptured female heads adorned with wreaths. The parapet was originally surmounted by urns. To the north is a symmetrical 9-bay facade stepped forward in 3 sections to an entrance with flanking paired columns. The inner entrance to the east range is flanked by female figures in niches. Both corridors contain sculpture which decorated the gardens, notably: 2 Spanish Dancers (by J. Hautman of Munich); Venus at Her Toilet, The Sitting Nymph, Pandora (?) (by A. Hautman of Florence), Hymen (by Bystrom of Rome) and others by Thomas. The Winter Garden, elaborately heated and lit by gas, was described in the estate sale catalogue (1861) as 'a crystal building in the Renaissance style with mosque dome' and 'unsurpassed by anything of its kind in Europe'. Both the Winter Garden and adjoining Palm House were largely dismantled in 1914. The surrounding park and gardens are included in the HBMC County Register of Gardens at Grade II*.

Listing NGR: TM4926597834