Blickling Hall, the seat of the Dowager Lady Suffield, is a large quadrangular mansion of brick, and forms a perfect specimen of architectural taste in the reign of James I., in which reign it was commenced, but not finished till that of Charles I. It has two open courts in the centre, with turrets at the angles, and a large clock-tower over the entrance, standing in a beautiful park of seven hundred acres {46} well stocked with deer, and extending into the adjacent parishes of Oulton, and Itteringham. The entrance from the court in front, formed by the offices and stables, is over a bridge of two arches, across the moat. On an ancient oak door in the front is the date, Anno Domini, 1620. This is within an arch, the key-stone of which bears a grotesque figure, and over the entablature is a rich compartment, bearing the arms and quarterings of Sir Henry Hobart, Bart. The entrance-hall measures forty-two feet, by thirty-three, and is thirty-three feet in height, opening to the great staircase of oak: this is ornamented with various figures, carved in wood, and conducts to a grand gallery, containing statues of Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth. The apartments, which are spacious, are adorned with rich chimney-pieces, ceilings, wainscots, &c., but the paintings are not very numerous or very valuable. The most remarkable room is the library, which is one hundred and twenty-seven feet in length, by twenty-one in breadth, and consequently rather offends the eye, as not being well-proportioned. The ceiling is divided into compartments, containing figures emblematical of the five senses, with others in relief, many of which are not a little grotesque. The library contains upwards of ten thousand volumes, amongst which are some very scarce and valuable works. The grounds are very beautiful. A lake, one of the finest pieces of water in the kingdom, forms the principal ornament of the park and gardens. This extends in the form of a crescent, about a mile in length, and four hundred yards in its greatest breadth, and is skirted by verdant lawns and thickly wooded hills, which give a most charming effect. The conduit and statues are those which formerly adorned the platform of Oxnead Hall, one of the residences of the Earl of Yarmouth, two miles and a half from Aylsham, of which the sole remains are one wing, occupied by a farmer. About a mile from the Hall is a stone mausoleum, built in the form of a pyramid, upon a base of forty-five feet, in which are deposited the remains of the late Earl of Buckinghamshire and his two wives; but the remains of nineteen of his ancestors and relations are deposited in a vault, the coffins standing in an upright position, under the north aisle of the church.