Celebrating local Heritage in 2026

The Heritage Open Days festival has come to an end for another year but a what a fantastic celebration of history and heritage it has been! Well done to all those involved in events throughout Norfolk.

At Whitlingham, we held two events on site this year. A seated talk and a guided walk, both held last week.

Riots, Ruins & Royals

I hosted the talk called 'Riots, Ruins & Royals' in the ruins of Trowse Newton Hall, not far from the Flint Barn Café at the heart of the park. It was fully booked within two hours of tickets becoming available, so there is obviously an appetite and fascination for this local knowledge.

This talk covered the stories of the site from its origins with the Priors of Norwich and the building's creation in the 1450s, all the way through various curious tales, families and scandals, up to the present day where I was able to explain about the recent repairs works which have taken place on the grade II listed structure.

Here are some images relating to the history of the ruins of Trowse Newton Hall and the surrounding land.

1. A Prospect of Trowse Newton Hall - Thomas Bardwell (1704-1767) The avenue of lime trees in this image are still there today, leading down to the building's ruins

2. General John Money and his unfortunate balloon adventure in the late 1700s

3. 1885 map of Trowse with Newton where Trowse Newton Hall (Remains of) is noted

4. Whitlingham Hall, situated at the top of the hill. There is a strong link between the families and events at Trowse Newton Hall and the creation of Whitlingham Hall

• 

• 

• 

• 

Thanks to one of the talk's attendees, I now know an additional fact about the Norwich Priory, so thanks to our kind visitor for that. There is always something more to learn!

One kind participant, Jo, said

We really enjoyed hearing about the ruins and surroundings as well as the history. You really brought it all to life.

Low Ground - High Expectations

This was the title of the guided walk which our regular park volunteer, Leslie, hosted. The weather was not as kind as we had hoped, but participants were in good spirits and had a good stroll with him despite the odd spell of rain they endured.

They walked the south side of the Great Broad path and focused on the marshes that used to be on this land before the broads were created, as well as some colourful characters and local celebratory events in the site's intriguing history.

You can join in!

Even if you missed our Hritage Open Days events this year, you can still find out about the history of this site. Do look out for events and guided walks listed on our What's On page, especially during next September when it will be Heritage Open Days festival once more. Guided walks tend to be scheduled for spring and summer time.

In the meantime, did you know we have heritage trail posts around the park?

They look like this one above, and there are six in total, detailing various information about the site's history, dating all the way back to prehistoric times!

There is no specific trail map to follow, but please see the map below which reveals their locations (at the yellow triangles) if you want to wander and find the whole set. There is a summary of information on each post, but you will find further information and images when you explore using the QR code too.

Come and visit us - What will you discover? 🔍