The enchanting past and future of a historic family estate
With its historic house set within beautiful formal gardens and miles of rolling English countryside, the Stradsett Estate is one of our county’s most captivating locations
Stradsett revels in its special place in the heart of Norfolk. The very name means ‘settlement by the road’ and the estate has an undeniably ancient pedigree and welcoming geography, nestled at the meeting of several Roman highways – which were so well-travelled that Hadrian-headed coins still unearth themselves nearly two millennia later.
Comparatively modern, the foundations of Stradsett Hall itself date back 1000 years and it is upon these footings that the largely Elizabethan manor sits today. Built in an E-shape in honour of the Virgin Queen, the Hall remained unaltered for centuries; but change was afoot when Thomas Bagge, scion of the King’s Lynn shipping and brewing family, married Pleasance Case in 1768.
Stradsett was one of many estates owned by Pleasance’s father Philip Case, who kept it simply for country sports and promised it upon marriage to his daughter. The Bagge-Case union was a great romance, despite the bride’s father’s misgivings, so when love prevailed the newlyweds delighted in setting up home at Stradsett. Thomas’ businesses thrived and he rose to prominence, declining however a peerage on the grounds that he was just plain Tom and always would be.
By the time tragedy struck and Pleasance died young, pre-deceasing her father, Philip had come to admire his son-in-law to such an extent that he honoured his marriage promise and left not only Stradsett but also his Gaywood estate entirely to ‘plain Tom’.
The next generation had grander ideas. Upon inheriting the estate in 1807, Thomas Philip Bagge began planning a vast new Palladian Stradsett Hall. Starting with it’s grounds, he rejected proposals by the great landscape designer Humphry Repton, instead commissioning J.C. Loudon to create the majestic Stradsett Park. His ambitious plans featured a 26-acre lake, complete with islands planted to resemble the masted ships that had made his family’s fortune. Unfortunately, these works grew so time-consuming (and cripplingly expensive) that the plans for the Hall itself had to be abandoned. Instead, an entire new north side was added to the existing Hall in 1819, at least providing the family with the consolation of indoor plumbing and corridors.
Thomas Philip’s son William went on to inherit Stradsett and, having served twice as the MP for West Norfolk, he gracefully accepted a baronetcy - thankfully immersing himself more in community affairs than in further amendments to the family home. Nevertheless, two centuries later the house still displays the unusual split personality of being a romantic Elizabethan manor on one side and an imposing Georgian mansion on the other. It’s perhaps a fitting identity for a place that happily now leads a double life as both a family home and a working Historic House, welcoming weddings and private events into its hallowed halls and enchanting rose gardens.
Still the seat of the Bagge baronets, Sir Jeremy Bagge remembers his childhood days when (post-war) Thomas Philip’s beloved Park was still ‘under the plough right up to the front door of the Hall’ as the estate farms pulled together to provide as much food for the hungry nation as possible. J.C Loudon’s lake was left undisturbed though, remaining the scene of many an idyllic summer party.
Alfred Bagge, the current incumbent of Stradsett Hall, remarks that “wherever you go in the world you somehow seem to run into somebody who learned to water-ski on Stradsett Lake!” Indeed, such is the family’s renowned dedication to the sport that Sir Jeremy recalls a young Prince Charles, staying as part of a 1964 house party, expressing a desire to take a Sunday morning spin about the lake. “My father thought he couldn’t water-ski before he’d been to church”, recounts Sir Jeremy, “so he rang up the vicar - and the vicar came and held a special service”. Only then was it deemed safe and proper for the heir to the throne to take to the water.
Stradsett Park now delights in its reincarnation as a bucolic showground, capitalising on its roots in both agriculture and leisure. Plans are afoot for a summer camping festival on the shores of the lake - and the return of the Downham Market Round Table Fireworks, the Superheroes Family Weekender and the Stradsett Park Vintage Rally are joyfully anticipated each year. The rally is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024, and Organiser Gordon Carson explains that it offers “the opportunity to showcase to the public the history of farming in the years gone by and highlight how we are preserving the past for future generations”. Fine sentiments that sit well within the estate’s own spirit of embracing the past whilst looking optimistically to the future.
This summer all roads will once again lead to Stradsett, with visitors from the four corners of the British Isles flocking to the estate to enjoy fine family fun with a rich taste of East Anglian history. Just like their Roman-day counterparts, they can rely on a warm Norfolk welcome at Stradsett, the place where the roads meet.
