# Rougham Hall, Suffolk, November 2015.



## HughieD (Nov 27, 2015)

So I’m down in Suffolk with work. I’ve planned it so I can over-night near Rougham and take an early morning pre-work walk in the woods to the ruined house of Rougham – arguably one of the finest derelict halls in the UK. The weather is a bit crap but we can live with that as at least it’s stopped raining. So I park up and set off along the footpath. I find the point at which I have to veer off into the bushes. Five minutes later this grand red-brick ruin comes into sight through the trees. I pull out my camera and switch it on. Nothing. I open the battery compartment. Then the realisation sinks in. I was charging the battery the night before I left. I remember leaving in a hurry. So much of a hurry that I forgot to put the freshly charged battery in my camera. I give out a shriek that frightens all the resident pheasants. Then the humorous side of the situation kicks in. So thank goodness for camera phones. I spend the next hour or so finding out the limitations of my phone’s camera but – hey – at least it is a camera of sorts, there are pictures and I’ll still be able to do a report. So for this report please bear with the standard of the pictures. In the circumstances they are not too bad. Here’s the history bit:

Standing on the site of a former Jacobean manor, the Grade II listed house was built in the 1820s or 1830s in red brick for Philip Bennet to replace an earlier house on a different site. Extensions were later added in the late 19th century and during its restoration in 1878 it had added to it a staircase dated from circa 1700 taken from Finborough Hall, in Suffolk. Here’s an archive picture of the hall in its full glory in 1900:


rougham-hall-archive-1900 by HughieDW, on Flickr

In 1905 the estate was acquired by Sir George Agnew and has remained in the family's ownership since that date. At the start of WWII the house was taken over by the army but hit by a 2,000lb bomb in September 1940 during a series Luftwaffe raids on the area where an ammunition dump was being established. This is an old picture post-bombing in 1944:


RoughamHallold by HughieDW, on Flickr

The house has remained derelict since then. It was listed in 1951 and in 1975 the west tower was demolished. There’s a lovely stables block at the back with impressive clock tower. This is currently inhabited so discretion was the best part of valour here.

Anyhow – the photos are very ‘limited’ so please bear with me.
The first thing I came across was this pet(?) grave in the woods:


rougham25 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Soon the hall comes into view:


rougham24 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And that staircase:


rougham23 by HughieDW, on Flickr


rougham22 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The detail round this window is sublime:


rougham21 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The one of the two former towers that remains. You can see some of the bomb damage on this first picture if you look carefully:


rougham20 by HughieDW, on Flickr


rougham17 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Inside the tower it’s in a poor way:


rougham19 by HughieDW, on Flickr


rougham3 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And the conservatory has seen better days:


rougham18 by HughieDW, on Flickr


rougham2 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A delightful brick entrance arch:


rougham15 by HughieDW, on Flickr


rougham14 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A pair of unusual windows:


rougham13 by HughieDW, on Flickr

The second set of stairs are equally as impressive:


rougham16 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Inside the main part of the building it’s totally gone:


rougham12 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And nature taken over:


rougham11 by HughieDW, on Flickr


rougham9 by HughieDW, on Flickr


rougham8 by HughieDW, on Flickr


rougham6 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A high-and-dry fire:


rougham5 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And one of the hall’s old radiators:


rougham4 by HughieDW, on Flickr

I gave the cellars a miss on this occasion:


rougham7 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Bye bye Rougham….but I hope to return sometime with my proper camera!


rougham26 by HughieDW, on Flickr


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## krela (Nov 28, 2015)

Looks good to me, although a bit of a deathtrap by the looks.


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## Rubex (Nov 28, 2015)

What a fantastic looking building HughieD! Lovely photos


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## HughieD (Nov 28, 2015)

Rubex said:


> What a fantastic looking building HughieD! Lovely photos



Cheers Rubex. Put it on your list as it's a fab place.


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## thorfrun (Nov 28, 2015)

what a lovely old hall, you got better pictures off your phone than i do off my camera


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## Mikeymutt (Nov 28, 2015)

nice one hughie..it's a great place this one.shame it was chucking it down with rain when I went last year.nice report there.


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## Bones out (Nov 28, 2015)

You nailed it with the phone but - what! No safe door shot?


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## HughieD (Nov 28, 2015)

Bones out said:


> You nailed it with the phone but - what! No safe door shot?



Is there a safe there?

EDIT: Ah yes, that safe door. Missed it I'm afraid!


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## Trinpaul (Nov 28, 2015)

Looks great, it really must have been a sight back in it's day.


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## The Wombat (Nov 29, 2015)

Good set there Hughie
What was once a magnificent building is looking a tad dangerous now


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## tumble112 (Nov 29, 2015)

That is a wonderful building, I really like the steps and isn't that radiator fantastic? Great work with your phone btw, forgetting a camera battery is an experience I can well relate to.


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## HughieD (Nov 29, 2015)

Sludden said:


> That is a wonderful building, I really like the steps and isn't that radiator fantastic? Great work with your phone btw, forgetting a camera battery is an experience I can well relate to.



Ha ha, you too eh? Cheers Sludden. I guess it goes to show if you make the best use of what you have got you can still get by!


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## URBANMYTH (Nov 30, 2015)

Really good report great photos!!


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## HughieD (Dec 1, 2015)

URBANMYTH said:


> Really good report great photos!!



Cheers Urbanmyth!


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## UrbanX (Dec 1, 2015)

Nice one, hats off for you persisting and getting it on your phone, all the shots are still beautifully composed. Love the pano shot at the end too! 
Brilliant, thanks for sharing


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## flyboys90 (Dec 1, 2015)

You did all right with your phone these are pretty good shots! Even as the hall crumbles away the remaining architecture still looks splendid.Thanks for showing.


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## Darklldo (Dec 29, 2020)

Is that red colour due to rain or was the building really that colour? It looks unreal. Great photos


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## JayGeeBSE (Dec 29, 2020)

Darklldo said:


> Is that red colour due to rain or was the building really that colour? It looks unreal. Great photos


Some of the shots do look an odd colour. Maybe rain in the phone camera? Having been there I can say the hall is built in very normal red bricks, though some have a white surface (efflorescence?). Can't remember the colour of the lawn steps, but presumably grey stone like the balustrading.


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