Spixworth Park

Spixworth Hall
The former Spixworth Hall, Norfolk, the seat of the Longe family from 1693 to 1952.
Location within Norfolk
General information
Type	Historic house
Architectural style	Elizabethan
Town or city	Spixworth, Norfolk, England
Coordinates	52°40′47″N 1°18′26″E / 52.6796°N 1.3073°E / 52.6796; 1.3073
Completed	1607
Demolished	1952
Design and construction
Architect	William Peck

Spixworth Hall was an Elizabethan stately home situated in the civil parish of Spixworth, Norfolk, located just north of the city of Norwich on the Buxton Road, until it was demolished in 1950.

Location

The Hall was located in Spixworth, close to the Buxton road and was 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Norwich and some 10 miles (16.1 km) south of North Walsham.

History

The hall was constructed by William Peck in 1607. The park itself was 200 acres which ran parallel to the present Buxton Road whilst the complete estate was in excess of over 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) situated on the edge of Norwich with land bordering the present Norwich International Airport. Both Longe Road and William Peck Road are named in honour of the former owners of Spixworth Hall.^[1]

The Longe family, who were considerable land owners, owning Reymerston Hall, Norfolk, Hingham Hall, Norfolk, Dunston Hall, Norfolk, Abbot's Hall, Stowmarket and Yelverton Hall, Norfolk, bought the estate from the Pecks in 1693. Spixworth Hall and the surrounding parkland remained in the Longe family for 257 years until 1950, when it was demolished.^[1] In 1920, the hall was tenanted to Reginald and Maud Gurney of Gurney's Bank, Norwich who had recently moved from Earlham Hall. Many buildings of the former estate still remain including the gate house, dove cote, stable block and the ice house.^[1] The Longe family were traditionally clergymen and lawyers.

The hall's library consisted of one of the most extensive collections of first-edition books of any stately home in the UK with works by William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Miquel de Cervantes. As was fashionable with large households, records show that the Longe family kept animals including a large monkey who used to live in the stable block and a bear who lived in the butler's cottage and the wine cellar.^[1]

There are in existence, but now dispersed, a number of paintings of notable Bacons and Longes, perhaps the most famous being the Gainsborough of the Longe family in Spixworth Park. This must have been painted pre-1788 for that is the year in which Gainsborough of Sudbury died. The superb Temple cabinet which housed Sir William Temple's old medals and seals stood in the library. Another treasure was Dorothy Osborne's plain gold engagement ring engraved ‘the love I owe I cannot showe’. Sir William Temple of Moor Park was married to Dorothy Osborne and they were close friends of the Longes. Until 1787, when it was unbricked, an alcove in the gallery contained the ‘soul’ of Sir William Peck. Documents do not state when this act occurred, but it is documented that Sir William desired this ‘bricking up’ to save his soul from adversaries.^[1]

The hall viewed from the South drive

Longe family

A number of the Longe family served as High Sheriffs of Norfolk and High Sheriffs of Suffolk:

High Sheriffs of Norfolk:

• 1641 Robert Longe, of Reymerston Hall. Amitted to Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge in 1599. Migrated to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, as scholar, 06 Jul., 1603. Graduated with LL.B in 1606. Admitted at Lincoln's Inn, 17 November 1607.^[2]
• 1644 Robert Longe, of Fowlden. Educated at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, matriculated 15 December 1612.^[2]
• 1752 Francis Longe, of Spixworth Hall (1726–1776). Educated at Westminster School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge.^[2]
• 1757 Israel Longe, of Dunston Hall. Educated Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 1656. Admitted to Middle Temple, June 30, 1756.
• 1726 Francis Longe, of Spixworth Hall, and Reymerston Hall.
• 1786 Francis Longe, of Spixworth Hall.
• 1975: Desmond Evelyn Longe of Woodton Grange, Bungay, Suffolk. President of the Norwich Union Insurance Company during the 1970s and appointed Chairman by 1980. S.O.E agent. Codename, Refraction. Commander of the inter-allied mission Eucalyptus (1944). Mission Eucalyptus served as the inspiration for the greatest spy fictional hero of all time, James Bond, codenamed, secret agent 007.^[3]

High Sheriffs of Suffolk:

• 1984: Nicholas Longe of Grange Farm, Hasketon, Woodbridge.

Other notable members of the Longe family:

William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England. Founder of New College Oxford, Winchester College and New College School

• William of Wykeham (1320 or 1324 – 27 September 1404), son of John Longe of Wickham, served as Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor of England. He founded New College Oxford and New College School in 1379, and founded Winchester College in 1382. Wykeham (Longe) also served as the clerk of works when much of Windsor Castle was built. Descendants of Wykeham and distant cousins to the Longe family include the Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes family whose descendants include explorer, Ranulph Fiennes and actor, Ralph Fiennes.^[4][5]
• John Longe (1549–1589). Scholar at Eton College and later admitted to King's College, Cambridge in 1564.^[2] Appointed Archbishop of Armagh, Ireland^[6][7] Elected member of the Privy Council of Ireland in 1589.
• Rev John Longe (b. 25 July 1731 - d. 18 Sept 1806). Oppidan at Eton College.^[1] Admitted age 17 to Magdalene College, Cambridge in 1748. Matric. 1748-9 ;B.A. 1752 ;M.A. 1756. Ordained deacon at Cambridge on 24 March 1754 by Bishop of Chester.^[2]Chaplain to King George III.^[1]
• Rev John Longe (b. 15 Apr 1765 – d. 13 Mar 1834). Educated at Norwich School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.^[2] Vicar of Coddenham. 1789, ordained priest at Norwich Cathedral. Norfolk County magistrate. Author of The Diary of John Longe, Vicar of Coddenham (1765–1834), edited by Michael Stone, general editor Richard Wilson, 2008.^[8][9]
• Rev Robert Longe (7 Dec 1800 – 6 Oct 1873) son of the Rev John Longe (b. 15 Apr 1765 – d. 13 Mar 1834), was a landscape artist. He succeeded his father as vicar of Coddenham from 1834 where he remained until his death. He was the grandfather of former artist, William Verner Longe.^[10]
• Francis Davy Longe (b. 25 Sept 1831 – d. 20 Sept 1905), Inspector Local Government Board, First-Class cricketer, descendant of Pocahontas. Educated Harrow School, Oriel College, Oxford and Inner Temple. Author of An Inquiry into the Law of 'Strikes', 1860. A Refutation of the Wage-Fund Theory of Modern Political Economy as enunciated by Mr. Mill, MP and Mr. Fawcett, M.P., 1866. A Critical Examination of Mr. George's Progress & Poverty and Mr. Mill's Theory of Wages, 1883. Lowestoft in Olden Times.^[11]
• Henrietta Charlotte Longe, youngest daughter of Robert Bacon Longe, J.P., (b. 30 Mar 1830 - d. 20 Jan 1911) married Charles Arthur Bathurst Bignold, son of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Bignold and great-grandson of Thomas Bignold, founder of the Norwich Union Fire Insurance Company.
• William Verner Longe (b. 27 April 1857 - d. 19 Sept 1924), artist. Works include 'Eclipse Stakes 1893 - Orme wins again', 'The Grand National 1899 - Over the water', 'The Princess of Wales Stakes 1896' and 'Jacana 1923'.^[12]

Abbot's Hall, Stowmarket, was placed into trust by Ena and Vera Longe, daughters of Herbert Davy Longe to become a museum. Since 1967, it has served as the Museum of East Anglian Life

• Vera Mabel Wilhelmina Longe (1904–1985), daughter of Herbert Davy Longe, was an artist and co-founder of The Stowmarket Art Club in 1960. She and her sister Ena, both unmarried, placed 70 acres of farm land together with Abbot’s Hall, its gardens, as well as 18/20 Crowe Street, in trust to be used as a Museum which opened in 1967 and is now The Museum of East Anglian Life.^[13]
• Col. Francis Bacon Longe, of Spixworth Park, C.B., J.P, (b. 31 Oct 1856 - d. 2 June 1922) Lord of the Manor of Spixworth Park.^[14]
• John Charles Longe (born 1859 - d. 21 May 1939) Educated at Sherborne School and Jesus College, Cambridge. Ordained deacon (Worcester) 1882; priest, 1883; C. of Upton-on-Severn, Worcs., 1882-7. V. of Linton, Cambs., 1887–1905, R. of Catton with Stamford Bridge, Yorks., 1905–19, R. of Yelverton with Alpington, Norfolk, 1919–39. Holder of Royal Humane Society bronze medal (1887) for saving life.^[2]
• John Norman Sullivan Longe, OBE.^[15]

References