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Oultwood Hall
Oultwood Hall, the original home of Oultwood site, was originally called just plain 'Oultwood'. It is built on the remains of an ancient sand dune overlooking the Waveney Valley in the north eastern corner of Suffolk. The River Waveney is the boundary between the two English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Many local organisations, including the local district council, take their names from this river.The Hall is a mile from both the village of Oulton and a lake called 'Oulton Broad'. This part of England, known as East Anglia, is famous for the 'broads'. This the local name for small lakes formed by stone age peat workings. These broads are important for both wildlife and tourism. It is also where the first prototype hovercraft had its initial test flight.
Although there has been a building on the site since before the middle ages, the main part of the hall was re-built in 1894 following a spectacular fire. The building contains an number of interesting examples of victorian ceiling plaster work. The most unusual of these is in the lounge. This ceiling has a central rose with three cherbs attached and a further twelve forming a fifteen foot circle. Press here to see photos of the cherub ceiling (3k)
The victorian writer George Borrow is the most famous person to have lived at Oultwood. The local pub, 'The George Borrow' is named in his honour.
Between the two world wars, the hall belonged to the Brook family. This is the family that owned Brook Marine, a local shipbuilding yard. Probably the most famous boat that came from the yard in recent time is the Atlantic Challenger. This was the boat in which Richard Branson attempted to break the Atlantic crossing record.
The line drawing below of Oultwood is by the East Anglian artist Martin Creasea.
