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| Blickling Hall | The Nave of St. Andrews | |
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| St. Andrew's from the south. | The font | |
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| Parish chest dating from about 1600 | The 17th century pulpit | |
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| Brass of Sir Nicholas Dagworth, 1401 | Full length view of Dagworth brass | |
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| 16th century table tomb with heraldic shields of the Clere family | Door behind the pulpit to the rood loft |
Blickling Hall is a National Trust Property and is fully described in an illustrated brochure on sale at the hall; it needs no further comment from me. However, the hall is of interest in the history of the National Trust. Before the Second World War, the National Trust had only a handful of properties. The Clergy House at Alfriston had been acquired in 1896 and Barrington Court was the first country house, acquired in 1907. Chadwick Manor was accepted from the Cadbury family in 1925 and Montacute in Somerset followed in 1931. Octavia Hill, one of the founders of the Trust had been interested in preserving green spaces in London for the environment of residents when so many were being acquired by developers. It was the 11th Marquess of Lothian, who altered course of the National Trust with a speech to the AGM in 1934. This led to the Country Houses Scheme to acquire properties and land at a time when the landed gentry were under increasing financial pressure from taxation and estate duties. The Country Houses Committee was established in 1936 with Lord Esher as Chairman (until 1961) and James Lees-Milne as Secretary. The following year, the National Trust Act allowed the trust to hold land or investents as endowments for great houses without being liable to taxation.
At this time, the Marquess of Lothian was the owner of Blickling and it was given to the National Trust on his death. He was somewhat controversial in being in favour of appeasement of Hitler but held many high offices including ambassador to the USA. His Country Houses Scheme changed the nature of the National Trust into a benefit for the landed gentry and aristocracy, many of whom were allowed to continue residence in part of their property after it was given to the Trust. By the start of the war, the Trust had eight properties but a huge number followed the war as Atlee's Labour government set tax on unearned income at 97.5% which applied to rents received from the tenants of country estates. Death duties also took their toll. Many grand houses had been requisitioned during the war by the Ministry of Defence and were handed back in a ruinous condition having had no maintenance for more than six years and in some cases and having been abused by the servicemen of our gallant allies. (Calke Abbey is a good example). The Trust in its current form became very popular with mainly middle-class people who had the cars to visit rural areas. Octavia Hill would have favoured more parks and green spaces in towns and cities that were accessible to all.
After the Norman Conquest, William I gave the manor of Blickling to the Bishop of Thetford. The present church was built mainly in the 15th century but is probably on the site of an earlier building. The pillars supporting the porch are thought to date from end of the Saxon period. There was a major restoration between 1850 and 1878 but a number of ancient features have been preserved. The restoration was funded by the widow of the 8th Marquess of Lothian. There is a memorial to the Marquess by the renowned Victorian sculptor G. F. Watts. The tower was built in 1878 replacing an earlier one..
The last photograph on the right hand side shows the door behind the 17th century pulpit. This leads to a small spiral staircase that comes to the blank opening above to give access to a rood loft above the screen. Such lofts and indeed rood screens were mainly destroyed in the reigns of Edward VI and Elizabeth I, but some lofts were moved to form west galleries. The brochure on the church suggests that the font is about 600 years old.
The 14th century parish chest with five locks has an inscription stating that it was made by Master Adam Lee and paid for by Robert Filipas.
The church has a number of brasses from the 14th and 15th centuries of which the oldest commemorates James de Holveston, who died in 1378. The largest and most detailed is that of Sir William Dagworth, dating from 1401. He built the first Blickling Hall, which was destroyed for the construction of the current hall. The inscription around the edge, in Latin, reads "Here lies Nicholas Dagworth, Knight, formerly Lord of Blickling who died on the ... day of January AD 1401. To whose soul may God be merciful. Amen."
The table tomb with 16 heraldic shields formerly had a figure on the top. It was built by Sir Edward Clere in the 16th century. He was a second cousin of Lady Jane Grey. He sold the old manor house of Blickling to Sir Henry Hobart, Lord Chief Justice to King James I. Sir Henry then built the current Blickling Hall shown in the top picture.
St. Andrew's Church, Blickling, Norfolk: Notes on the History of the Church by Denis Mead, illustrations by Robert and Teresa Gay - a 14 page pamphlet available in the church for 50 pence.
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