Holkham Hall....Holkham, England

 The 3,000 acre park is home to an abundance of wildlife and forms part of a valuable conservation area.  When you approach the landscape garden these deer are a magnificent sight!  It seems almost surreal that so many could be found in one place! 

 First glance of Holkham Hall is amazing!  An architectural gem among England's finest estates!  It is hard to believe that this is still a private family home.  It has been described as the perfect English house from the Golden Age of England's finest homes.

 The small village of Holkham provides a community for those who live and work there.

It is quaint and thriving beautifully!

 "THE VICTORIA HOTEL"  where we enjoyed a delicious meal!

~The interior of "The Victoria Hotel" lobby~

This has been my year to travel! It hasn't always been my honor to travel in this fashion but after rearing and mothering our brood of children for many, many years and having them all so close by, this has been their year to scatter....so to speak.  We were one of those families who did everything together!  I mean everything!  I enjoyed mothering my brood and totally found happiness in being full time Mom, cook, "maid", driver, teacher, sports enthusiast, encourager, spiritual mentor, university fan, and whatever else they might need along the path of growing up!  Today, the five of them are closer than ever in spirit and bond but their dreams are broad and their visions are even broader so they go where their dreams lead them and the opportunites they've been given guide them..... and for that I now have the divine pleasure of visiting some amazing places!  Yes....lucky or a better word is blessed.  Blessed that they still desire to share their lives with us. I enjoy every place they are living!

While visiting Kara and Phil, Kara casually mentioned that there was a beautiful coastal area about an hour and a half from where she and Phil are living in the area of Norfolk, England.  The area is Holkham.  She wanted to visit and my sister Pam and I said...."Why not?"  That was all it took to send us on a wonderful adventure!  Of course, you can travel there by car but our adventure began at the train station where we traveled as far as the train would take us, then we boarded a bus and traveled as far as the bus would take us, and then we walked another five miles to our destination, Holkham Hall!   We were not disappointed!

We enjoyed a wonderful meal at the historic, Victoria Hotel in the village of Holkham and then walked the two to three miles to the home of Sir Edward Coke.  He was regarded as one of the most brilliant lawyers of his time, wisely investing his wealth in land and from these shrewed investments grew the forutne that 150 years later, his descendant Thomas Coke used to fund the building of the house, known as Holkham Hall. Today, one of his descendants lives in the private home with his family. The architectural detail of the home was established in the early 1700's as one of the pioneer movements in England at the time known as the Palladian movement.  The beauty of the exterior and interior was brought to life in the film, The Duchess. Several of the scenes from the movie were set inside the mansion.  Much of the beauty of the interiors can be seen throughout the film.  Holkham Hall is exceptional for many reasons and we were blessed to experience its beauty while visiting England in the Spring of this year.  I hope to go again.  I hope you will enjoy the beautiful photos!  England is a beautiful country and I hope you will travel there to enjoy its beauty!  After all, history lessons are often our own private lessons we've experienced with those we love!