NHER 1053 (Monument record) - Site of Hales Hall

Hales Hall.
Moated site of hall rebuilt 1510 (scheduled).

A number of buildings survive in what was the outer court of the hall, all of which are now recorded seperately. These include the former gatehouse range (the present house; NHER 60039) and a barn to the south (NHER 60040), both of which date to the early 16th century and are now Listed Grade I. Other listed structures include a small barn (NHER 60041) and a boundary wall (NHER 60041).

See (S15) for descriptions of the house and barn with an accompanying photo, Plate 61.

April 1961. Excavation.
Trial excavation carried out by A.P. Baggs for Norfolk Research Committee. This excavation revealed a number a late medieval walls, but they were not extensive enough to interpret. During the excavation the large existing outer court was surveyed and recorded.
See (S1) for further details and (S18) for photographs. The results of this work are also summarised in (S13) and (S14).

1974.
Flint scraper found.

September to October 1978. Excavation.
Excavations by NRC and NARG.
Revealed the corner tower at the southeast corner of the inner moat, with spur walls running off to the south and west.
The results of this work are summarised in (S15) and (S16). See photograph (S19).

1980.
'Much pottery' discovered by the Hales Hall Trust (set up in 1980 to excavate the site).

1981.
18th and 19th century pottery found in flowerbeds by gatehouse and moat.

1982.
Roman and medieval sherds found.

1983. Excavation.
Four 17th century shoes, a wooden spoon and other finds.
See (S2) in file.

For full details see reports in file.
E. Rose (NLA), 1985.

1999. Earthwork Survey.
The 1982 survey of the site was re-examined and re-drawn with some minor amedments by B. Cushion.
See plan in file. This site was amongst those included in (S4) and the work is also noted in (S17).
P. Watkins (HES), 8 March 2017.

October 2005.
Excellent condition under mown grass. Parchmarks of tower seen in summer months and marked.
H. Paterson (A&E), 24 October 2005.

The surviving portions of the Hall date to the late 15th century, and were built by James Hobart who acquired the Hall in 1478. Only the gatehouse range and an impressive brick barn are still standing, and the rest of the house disappeared in the 19th century. The gatehouse range stands to the north of the site, and is built of brick with blue diapering. The range has restored wood mullion windows and leaded panes, octagonal brick chimney shafts. At the western end of the range is the gateway, which has a four centred brick archway with octagonal angle shafts, finials and crenallations. To the south the gateway has a timber-framed jettied gable. To the south of the gatehouse is the magnificent late 15th century brick barn, which has crowstepped gables and a wonderful roof with king-posts and queen-posts!

The Hall itself originally stood to the west of this courtyard, within a moat of which the northern and eastern arms are still waterfilled. The foundations of some walls are visible within the moat, as well as the foundations of two octagonal corner turrets at two corners of the moat. The moated platform is divided by an earthwork bank, possibly a garden terrace, and a further ditched enclosure has been surveyed extending from the moat to the west.

The present Hall is built on the site of an earlier medieval hall. Roger de Hales probably had a house on the site of the present Hall in the 12th century, and the house was probably associated with a deer park. (S5) notes that a park is recorded close to the Hall in the 13th century, and the distinctive curving outline of the park boundary is still visible on modern maps. The parish boundary of Loddon, which is also the Hundred Boundary, follows the park boundary, suggesting that the park was in existence before 1180 when most parish boundaries became fixed. There are also several references in the late 12th and 13th centuries to a chapel dedicated to St Andrew within the park, which was probably the chapel at Hales Hall.

There are several earthworks to the south and southeast of the barn. These include a hollow way and several ditched enclosures, probably all dating to the medieval period, and possibly related to an earlier Hall.

See (S5) for more details.
S. Spooner (NLA) 18 May 2006

July 2007. Norfolk NMP.
Some of the earthworks described above are visible on aerial photographs (S6)-(S11), centred at TM 3689 9607. The most complex area of earthworks – the enclosures and possible platforms to the southeast of the barn – are clearly visible on the plan published by Cushion and Davison (S4), but additional elements, levelled in the 1980s (see (S10)) are visible to the west of those surveyed, in the area of the modern nursery. The pit at TM 3690 9595 has a relatively modern appearance and may be a quarry or extraction pit.

Across the entire area of the site, previously unmapped earthworks are evident on the aerial photographs, while others, which have been recorded on the ground, could not be identified or are obscured by vegetation. To the west of the moated plaform is a possible second hollow way or enclosing ditch (between TM 3670 9614 and TM 3664 9601). To its north, around TM 3688 9622, a series of parallel linear ditches, visible in 1945, are almost certainly those mentioned by Cushion and Davison (S4); they may represent drainage features. In the northeast corner of the site (at TM 3703 9611), is an area of possible ridge and furrow. The ridges are wide enough to be of medieval date, but the vegetation marks or low earthworks are only visible on one set of aerial photographs (S10) and may be of modern agricultural origin.

Overall little can be added to the interpretation of the site, but the information from the aerial photographs adds to the known plan of this complex site.
S. Tremlett (NMP), 30 July 2007.

February 2011.
Section 17 agreement for part of the moat renewed.
See (S12).
D. Robertson (HES), 14 March 2011.