How we

Built Britain

The BBC1 series – ‘How we Built Britain’ (shown Summer 2007) looked at the history of the country through our buildings. The first programme featured the East of region – which abounds in outstanding examples of architecture. From Britain’s greatest collection of cathedrals to the award-winning terminal at Stansted Airport. Discover flint and timber buildings, and stately homes dating from Tudor to Victorian times.

Over the next few pages we have listed a selection of key places to visit - check out our web site at www.visiteastofengland.com for opening times and admission prices.

Architecture of the Region

Building stone is virtually non-existent in the , apart from a few special areas:

z (Cambridgeshire) - the famous limestone here was worked from Roman times to the end of the 15th C. Ely and Peterborough Cathedrals are good examples of the stone in use. z Carstone (West ) - this dark brown stone forms a ridge between Rising and . It has been widely used in the area as a building stone, and was once known as the "Gingerbread town". z Puddingstone () - this unusual stone is made up of rounded Flint villages flint pebbles. A large piece sits opposite the church in the village of Standon. It has been used for building walls. z - The Greensand Ridge runs from Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire to Gamlingay in Cambridgeshire. In some places, ‘glauconite’ (an iron-bearing mineral) colours the stone an amazing green - the origin of the name ‘Greensand’. Today you can see it used in local villages, churches, walls and bridges. z Totternhoe (Bedfordshire) - located at the base of the chalk, this stone has been quarried since the 13th C. It is used as a building and ornamental stone (such as St. Albans gateway, Hertfordshire).

Flint - a hard, steely grey mineral - a form of silica, is the region´s most famous and abundant building stone. Since Neolithic times it has been mined from the chalk, such as at Grimes Graves, nr. Brandon in Norfolk - and used everywhere, in both churches and houses. It was either applied rough with , or spilt (knapped) into shape for decoration - such as in beautiful flushwork (a good example being the Guildhall in , Norfolk).

Most of the area’s fine collection of timber-framed buildings were constructed with the wealth of the medieval wool industry. They were Timber-framed houses www.visiteastofengland.com 1 Produced by East of England Tourism pre-fabricated on the ground, then raised into position, using tie beams and roof rafters to secure in place. The spaces between the wooden frame were then filled, normally with a mixture of clay, dung and chopped straw. Finally the completed panel was limewashed.

Over the centuries these Tudor houses have been constantly altered - in the Elizabethan period it became fashionable for them to be covered in plaster, then painted different colours, such as the traditional ' Pink'. Some were also decorated by pressing a wooden mould or comb onto the wet plaster. This was known as pargetting (good examples being the Sun Inn at in , and the Ancient House at Ipswich in Suffolk). Whilst in Georgian times many were given facades. In the well-wooded of Essex and Hertfordshire, the abundance of local timber was put to good use in weather-boarded houses and belfries for churches. Here the traditional colour was black tar used on the doors, and the windows painted white.

Thatch was once the most common form of roofing - until the introduction of and tiles in the 19th C. Originally thatching was a job which could be carried out by the ordinary farm worker, but today it is a specialist craft undertaken by a small band of people. In Essex and Suffolk, wheat straw was the most common material used for thatching. But in Norfolk, the waterways of The Broads provided the ultimate thatch material - Norfolk reed lasting for up to 60-80 years. Today long straw and water reed, together with sedge as a ridging material, are the forms Thatching of thatch in most general use.

The East of England is famous for its . The Romans were the first to make them. Later many pits were dug to collect the abundant clay deposits - and brickmaking was still a going concern until recently in the Marston Moretaine (Bedfordshire) and Peterborough (Cambridgeshire) areas. Strong links with the Low Countries, such as The Netherlands, also saw features such as Dutch gables and pantiles.

Programme 1: A New Dawn (Medieval period)

z Wool Towns and Villages - the (1154-1485) saw the start of the great cloth-making industry of the East of England. From the worsted cloth of Norfolk to the famous Suffolk Wool Towns – it's wealth is seen today in beautiful churches and timber-framed houses, which were endowed by the successful merchants. Lavenham (Suffolk) is Britain’s best preserved medieval village.

z Churches - the East of England is famous for its superb collection of churches. There are fine examples throughout the region, such as Felmersham (Bedfordshire), Isleham (Cambridgeshire), Thaxted (Essex), Stanstead Hedingham Castle (Hertfordshire), Cawston (Norfolk) and Blythburgh (Suffolk).

The shortage and provision of large local stone was probably one of the reasons that a structure special to the region evolved - the round church tower. Flint is mainly small and varies in shape making it unsuitable to make corners. The answer was to mix the uncut flint with mortar to create thick, rounded walls. The of Norfolk is home of Britain's largest collection (120), with 9th C. St. Andrew's Church at East (nr. ) being the oldest. Check out www.visiteastofengland.com for our ‘Pick of the Churches’. z Priory (nr. Swaffham, Norfolk) – built in the 12th C. this Cluniac priory is in the beautiful Romanesque style. www.englishheritage.org.uk z Castle (nr. King’s Lynn, Norfolk) - one of the largest, best preserved and most lavishly decorated in England, surrounded by 20 acres of mighty earthworks. The castle was begun in 1138 by William d’Albini. www.english-heritage.org.uk z Cathedral and Abbey Church of St. Alban, St. Albans (Hertfordshire) – originally the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery, the building was built in 1077 on the hillside resting place of St. Alban, Britain's first Christian martyr. www.stalbanscathedral.org.uk

www.visiteastofengland.com 2 Produced by East of England Tourism z Castle Museum (Essex) – the largest castle ever built by the (around 1076). It was constructed on the Roman temple of Claudius. www.colchestermuseums.org.uk z Cressing Temple Barns (nr. Braintree, Essex) – the site of a Knights Templar settlement dating from 1137. It is made up of a group of remarkable farm buildings - including two magnificent 13th C. timber-framed barns. www.cressingtemple.org.uk z Ely Cathedral (Cambridgeshire) - built on the hilltop site of a 7th C. religious community founded by St. Etheldreda. Building dates from 1081. 14th C. Octagon/. www.cathedral.ely.anglican.org z Castle (Suffolk) – splendid example of a 12th C. castle with impressive wall-walk and fine . www.english-heritage.org.uk z Hedingham Castle, Castle Hedingham (Essex) - finest Norman castle keep in England, built in 1140 by the De Veres, Earls of Oxford. Magnificent banqueting hall spanned by a remarkable 28 foot arch, one of the largest Norman arches in England. www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk z Kings College Chapel, (Cambridgeshire) – the crowning glory of this famous University city. Founded by Henry VI in 1441 - inside is the world's largest fan vaulted ceiling and outstanding stained glass. www.kings.cam.ac.uk z Moyses Hall Museum, Bury St. Edmunds (Suffolk) – rare and important example of domestic , built in 1180. www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk z (Norfolk) – built by the Normans as a Royal Palace 900 years ago. The castle is set on an artificial mound, and regarded as the best example of Norman architecture after the Tower of . www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk z (Norfolk) - this spectacular building was started in 1096. Norfolk flints form its core, but the pale cream limestone for the exterior was imported from Caen in France. The cathedral has the country's second tallest spire, alongside the largest monastic cloisters. www.cathedral.org.uk z Oxburgh Hall, Oxborough (nr. Swaffham, Norfolk) – a 15th C. moated redbrick fortified manor-house with 80ft high gatehouse. www.nationaltrust.org.uk z (Cambridgeshire) - Norman cathedral, built on the site of a Benedictine abbey (founded 655) between 1118 and 1238. Noted for its magnificent Early English (13th C.) three arched west front. www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk z Priory Church of St. Peter, Dunstable (Bedfordshire) – the surviving part of an Augustinian priory founded in 1131. Scene of the annulment of Henry VIII’s marriage to Katherine of Aragon. z St. George’s Guildhall, King’s Lynn (Norfolk) – built between 1410-1420, this is the largest surviving building of its kind in England. www.nationaltrust.org.uk z St. Wendreda’s Church, March (Cambridgeshire) - Britain's most outstanding double with 120 carved angels (their wings widespread). z Church (Essex) - a Norman church (erected in the first quarter of the 12th C.). Reputed site of King Harold’s tomb. www.walthamabbeychurch.co.uk

www.visiteastofengland.com 3 Produced by East of England Tourism Programme 2: Living it Up (Tudor, Elizabethan and Jacobean periods)

z (nr. Saffron Walden, Essex) – palatial Jacobean house remodelled in the 18-19th C. Magnificent with 17th C. plaster ceilings. www.english-heritage.org.uk

z (nr. Aylsham, Norfolk) – Jacobean redbrick mansion with spectacular Long Gallery and plasterwork ceilings. www.nationaltrust.org.uk

z Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich (Suffolk) – 16th C. set in an Layer Marney Tower historic 100 acre park. Now houses museum. www.visit-ipswich.com z Elizabethan House Museum, Great Yarmouth (Norfolk) – late 16th C. house with museum of domestic life. www.nationaltrust.org.uk z Elstow Moot Hall (nr. Bedford, Bedfordshire) – Tudor timber-framed market hall dating back to the 16th C. Beautiful period furniture. www.bedford.gov.uk z (Hertfordshire) – magnificent Jacobean house (built 1607-11). The adjacent Old Palace (c.1485) was the childhood home of Queen . www.hatfield-house.co.uk z , (nr. Sudbury, Suffolk) – mellow, redbrick Tudor mansion with intact Medieval (15th C.) service building, all surrounded by a broad . Famous for annual Tudor recreations of life. www.kentwell.co.uk z (nr. Stevenage, Hertfordshire) – Tudor manor house, re-fashioned in the 19th C. in the Gothic style (turrets and gargoyles). www.knebworthhouse.com z Layer Marney Tower (nr. Colchester, Essex) – a 1520 Tudor-brick gatehouse, the tallest in England at eight storeys high. Italianate terracotta cresting and windows. www.layermarneytower.co.uk z Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge, Chingford (Essex) – timber-framed hunting lodge built for King Henry VIII in 1543. Surrounded by the ancient forest for Epping. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk z Waxham Barn, (nr. Great Yarmouth, Norfolk) – a fully restored, magnificent Elizabethan barn. This thatched building is the longest in the country.

Programme 4: Putting on the Style (Georgian period)

z Georgian Market Towns – the region has some fine examples, such as Woburn (Bedfordshire), Wisbech (Cambridgeshire), Holt (Norfolk) and Bury St. Edmunds (Suffolk). Wisbech has some of the best Georgian street architecture in Britain (such as North Brink and The Crescent). Whilst in Bury St. Edmunds, the Theatre Royal is a rare/outstanding example of a late-Georgian playhouse, built in 1819.

z Felbrigg Hall (nr. Cromer, Norfolk) – one of the finest 17th C. country houses. Stuart architecture and Georgian interior. www.nationaltrust.org.uk z Holkham Hall (nr. Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk) – 18th C. Palladian-style mansion. Part of a great agricultural estate and a living treasure house of artistic/architectural history. www.holkham.co.uk z Houghton Hall (nr. King’s Lynn, Norfolk) – splendid Palladian house built by Sir , first Prime Minister of England. www.houghtonhall.com

www.visiteastofengland.com 4 Produced by East of England Tourism z Ickworth House, Horringer (nr. Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk) – extraordinary oval house with flanking wings, begun in 1795. www.nationaltrust.org.uk z – dates from 1744, with later additions. The only fort in England to have repelled a full scale invasion attempt in 1667. www.landguard.com z Moggerhanger Park (nr. Bedford, Bedfordshire) – recently restored Georgian Grade I listed building designed by Sir John Soane. www.moggerhangerpark.com z Peckover House, Wisbech (Cambridgeshire) – a merchant’s house on the North Brink of the River Nene, built in 1722. www.nationaltrust.org.uk z Wimpole Hall, Arrington (nr. Royston, Cambridgeshire) – magnificent 18th C. Georgian house, part of the grandest working estate in Cambridgeshire. www.nationaltrust.org.uk z (Bedfordshire) – an 18th C. Palladian mansion, set in a 3,000 acre . Home of the Dukes of Bedford. www.woburnabbey.co.uk z Woodbridge Tide Mill (Suffolk) – restored 18th C. tidal mill. Built in 1793 and used until 1957. The machinery works at varying times, subject to tides.

Programme 5: Full Steam Ahead (Victorian period)

z Berney Arms Windmill (nr. Great Yarmouth, Norfolk) – highest remaining Norfolk marsh mill. Built in the late 19th C. www.english-heritage.org.uk

z Coalhouse Fort (Tilbury, Essex) – best example of a Victorian armoured fortress in the south east. www.coalhousefort.co.uk

z Fort (Essex) – 180ft diameter circular fort built in 1808 to defend the port against a Napoleonic invasion. Somerleyton Hall www.harwich-society.co.uk z The Long Shop Museum, Leiston (Suffolk) – Grade II listed Long Shop building (c.1853) is the first production line for portable steam engines. z Museum of Technology, Cambridge (Cambridgeshire) – Victorian pumping station, built in 1894. Inside are original pumps and boilers. www.museumoftechnology.com z Tilbury Fort (Essex) – one of Henry VIII’s coastal forts, remodelled and extended in the 17th C. The best and largest example of 17th C. military engineering in England. www.english-heritage.org.uk z Snape Maltings Concert Hall (nr. Aldeburgh, Suffolk) – built in the mid 19th C. the building was originally one of the largest barley maltings in . www.snapemaltings.co.uk z Somerleyton Hall (nr. Lowestoft, Suffolk) – early Victorian stately mansion in Anglo-Italian style with lavish features and fine state rooms. www.somerleyton.co.uk z Southend Pier, Southend-on-Sea (Essex) – the world’s longest pleasure pier at 1.33 miles. The present one was opened in 1889. www.visitsouthend.com

www.visiteastofengland.com 5 Produced by East of England Tourism Programme 6: Dreams of Tomorrow (Modern)

z Garden and New Cities - the population pressures on London led to the development of the Garden Cities, with Letchworth in Hertfordshire being the first in 1903. The design combined the health of the country with the comfort of the town. Welwyn Garden City (also in Hertfordshire) became the second Garden City in 1920. This created the blueprint for the 'New Towns' of Harlow (Essex), Stevenage (Hertfordshire) and Peterborough (Cambridgeshire).

z Cambridge Science Park (Cambridgeshire) – impressive collection of award-winning and innovative buildings (the first constructed from 1973). The Forum, Norwich www.cambridge-science-park.com z American Air Museum, Imperial War Museum, Duxford (nr. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire) – stunning museum building by architect Sir Norman Foster. Opened in 1997. www.iwm.org.uk/duxford z The Forum, Norwich (Norfolk) – impressive glass-fronted building, housing library, BBC studios and Tourist Information Centre. Opened in 2002. www.theforumnorwich.co.uk z Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich (Norfolk) – inspirational public art gallery by Sir Norman Foster. Opened in 1978, and recently refurbished/enhanced in 2006. www.scva.org.uk z Willis Building, Ipswich (Suffolk) – award-winning building, one of the earliest designed by Sir Norman Foster. Constructed between 1970-75. Has roof-top garden. www.willis.com z Firstsite, Colchester (Essex) – opening in 2008, this is a spectacular new £16.5 million purpose-built visual arts space designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects. A semi-circular shape with golden coloured roof and glass- fronted entrance. www.firstsite.uk.net z Stansted Airport (Essex) – opened in 1991, the bright and airy main terminal is designed by Sir Norman Foster. www.stanstedairport.com

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