Somerleyton, Suffolk
Somerleyton photos
Displaying 3 of 15 old photos of Somerleyton. View all Somerleyton photos
Somerleyton maps
Historic maps of Somerleyton and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Somerleyton maps
Somerleyton books
Displaying 2 of 6 books about Somerleyton and the local area. View all Somerleyton books
3 Somerleyton photos appear in 3 Frith book titles. You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Somerleyton
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Suffolk memories
Rogerson Hall Holiday Camp, Corton, Suffolk
I was just putting in "Rogerson Hall" on search and came across this site. Wonderful. I went to Rogerson Hall with my Mum and Dad in 1956 and 1957. In 1956, when I was 6, Dad booked the holiday and within one day of being there I developed chicken pox and we had to come home to London. I was heartbroken but to help console me, my wonderful Mum took my tin bucket on to the beach and brought me a bucket of sand to take home to London on the train; can you imagine that? I played with it for days and days. The following year, my Dad made up for the disappointment and we went back there for 2 weeks. I remember so many things as if it was yesterday. Two things I remember more than anything are: the chalets didn't have hot water so we had to go to the standpipes in the middle of the pathways each morning to get hot water and the sandmartins who made their nests in the holes at the side of the beach. I have wonderful photos of the camp with my Dad in the fancy hat competition and doing a tug of war competition. Also there are some of me in the fancy dress competition. Mum and Dad hired a tandem bike with a child's seat in the middle and peddled to Blundestone and back which wore them out but I enjoyed it and I know my teddy did too as he is in the photo. Last month, my husband and I went back to the site. Of course it isn't like the old days at all but it was nice to be there....but to be honest, my heart felt quite choked. Lovely times; lovely memories of a wonderful place.
Shared on 21 October 2008
I have no memories of Corton, I was born there on sept 2nd 1959 @ Rogerson Hall, that is all I know. I did visit this year for about 1 hr as I was in the area but would like to know more about Rogerson Hall and if anybody was around at that time it would be great to here from you, thanks.
Shared on 27 August 2008
I have very happy memories of staying at Rogerson Hall Holiday Camp. We stayed here every year for two weeks in August from about 1962 to 1968. Every year my brother and I took part in the children's fancy dress competition. I can remember the fun of staying in the chalets and how neat and tidy the grounds were kept. I learnt to dance the 'Gay Gordon' with my dad and how to do the twist! My brother learnt how to fly a kite and won a tomahawk in one of the children's competitions.
I remember the sound of the skylarks who nested in the fields surrounding the camp and found it fascinating that Birds Eye grew peas in the field next door which were often harvested when we were staying there.
Oh happy days when I was a child and life was carefree!
Shared on 12 July 2008
I have very happy memories of Rogerson Hall, I started work in the buffet evenings in the summer season, from 1960-1975 approx when it closed. Working for 4 managers Wit, Carvell, Tamlyn and Auntie Mac. I would love to share my memories with others. My name is Peggy Knight.
Shared on 17 March 2008
Extracts From Somerleyton & Suffolk books
Displaying a selection of extracts from Frith books about Somerleyton, inspired by Frith photos.
Somerleyton Hall dates back to Elizabethan times, although it was extensively rebuilt in 1846 by Sir Samuel Morton Peto, who made his fortune out of the railways. The mansion has some lavishly furnished state rooms, and the gardens include a maze.
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Suffolk - A Second Selection Photographic Memories
Somerleyton was built 1844-51 by Sir Samuel Morton Peto, the railway contractor, builder and developer of Lowestoft. The building was designed by John Thomas (who had worked with Peto on the new Houses of Parliament) in the Jacobean style, incorporating the existing house. Pevsner described the Hall as ‘more Jacobean than any original Jacobean house’.
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Suffolk - A Second Selection Photographic Memories
The Winter Garden was a miniature Crystal Palace, 126 feet by 136 feet, with glazed arcades and a domed glass roof. The fountain and statue in the fernery (centre) was made by Joseph Durham in 1868. Under-floor heating allowed tropical and exotic plants to be grown in beds, whilst climbing greenery smothered the pillars and roof. Most of the structure was demolished in 1914, but a small section and some statues survive.
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