I recently spent a few days in Norfolk. One of the first places I visited was Oxburgh Hall, which is a National Trust property. 

This beautiful manor house has been occupied by the same family (the Bedingfields) since it was built in 1482. This view is of the entrance to the estate. The wall enclosing the gardens has a series of crenellated towers, this tower containing the entrance gate.

Near the entrance was a small wooded area under planted with wild cowparsley.

A first glimpse of the house. Like many houses of this age it has had various architectural alterations and additions over the centuries. 

Many houses had defensive moats in the past, but not many moats still contain water, so it is lovely to see this example.

The moat is only a few feet deep, but it is full of fish, which I could see swimming about in the fairly clear waters.

Beside the house some gardeners were busy planting out summer bedding plants, in a formal garden.

There is no drawbridge, just an ordinary bridge to cross into the house.

The house does not have huge areas of parkland these days, but there are several different environments where visitors can wander. To one side of the house is a shady woodland walk. The bluebells were just dying down when I visited in late May.

A small woodland cottage which I think was occupied by one of the estate workers. It looks like an Alpine chalet or a house from a fairytale! 

Ancient trees on the edge of the grounds overlook surrounding farmland.

I took a walk around the perimeter of the grounds. I did not want to be stung, so I moved quickly on once I had taken this photo. Mind you, I did not spot any bees. It was a hot day and I think they were resting.

The beehives were of a very traditional design. Lots of pollen for the bees in these meadows.

This meadow was waist-high in cowparsley. So pretty!

Beyond the meadow  there was a small area of woodland. This raised walkway was bordered with daffodils. It must have been a lovely sight a few weeks earlier when they were in flower.

It was wonderful to walk amongst the green shade of these woods. 

I had read in the guidebook that native Monkjack deer could be found in these woods. I didn't expect to see them in the middle of the day, but actually I did disturb a couple of them, but they raised their heels and disappeared into the woods before I could photograph them. 

Native cowslips were in flower. I love these plants and have some in my garden.

View of the house from across the meadows. Buttercups were starting to come into bloom in the fields.

In another corner of the estate was another short woodland walk, with a river running through the woods. You entered the walk by crossing this stile.

The river became wider as you approached the house.

This bridge can be raised to allow a small boat to pass. The river is used to feed the moat with water.

Near the entrance to the house this area was in the process of being turned into an orchard. Small saplings had been planted and box hedging was starting to grow around the edges of the path.

There was a small herbaceous border to the side of the orchard.  

Garden tours take place throughout the day. This group were admiring the formal beds, which were filling up nicely with plants.

Plants were for sale within the courtyard of the house. The wisteria were in full bloom beside the shop.

This is the entrance to the house itself. The heraldic beast were guarding the doorway.

The house itself has an interesting history. The family were Catholic, and when Catholics were persecuted, they created a Priest's hole  (a small hidden space where a person could hide from searchers) which can still be viewed. Mary Queen of Scots was held in custody here, and needlework panels worked by her in the 16th century are on display in the hall. 

It is possible to climb one of the towers and view the estate from the rooftops, which I did. Here you can see the formal gardens, orchard, and beyond the wall, the field used for car parking. 

These very tall chimneys are characteristic of houses of this date. 

Beyond the lawns you can see the walk I took amongst the cow parsley. Fields of rape seed were in flower in the distance.

Tucked away behind the house was a small garden with steps leading down to the water. The figure on the grass was actually a sculpture.

For details of Oxburgh Hall click on the link below- 

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-oxburghhall