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How Hill House is a large, Edwardian manor house located in How Hill, an area in Ludham, Norfolk. The house is on the River Ant and is part of the Broads National Park. It was designed by the English architect Edward Boardman in 1903, who intended it to be his family's country retreat. The Boardman family owned the house until 1966 before its sale to Norfolk County Council, and then to Norwich Union. The house is currently owned by the Broads Authority who lease the building to the How Hill Trust. The house was designated a Grade II listed building in 1987.
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History
The English architect Edward Boardman, who had been a prolific building designer in Norfolk for a number of years, decided to build a family retreat within the area known locally as How Hill. He purchased the land, designed the house, and had it built over a period of three years, completing it in 1903. On his death in 1910, and after some major expansion, the Boardman family continued to live in the house before making it their permanent residence in 1918. The house became the property of Edward's son, the athlete Christopher Boardman, who was notable for winning a gold in sailing at the 1936 Summer Olympics. The house remained in the Boardman family until 1966 when it was sold to Norfolk County Council for £37,000. It then became a residential education centre before closing in 1983. The house was then sold to the insurance company Norwich Union who then leased it to the How Hill Trust.
Architecture
How Hill House was built to a vernacular Jacobean style in roughcast brick and is laid out in 2-and-a-half storeys. The roof is supported by gabled with moulded timber bargeboards and is covered in thatched roof. The interior remains original and includes a panelled hall, staircase and sitting room. A sun parlour was added to the west of the house in 1910 but was moved six years later. A third, matching chimney stack was added the same year.
Grounds
Just prior to the alteration period in 1910, Edward Boardman had 70,000 trees planted on the estate and set out the formal gardens to the south and the west of the property. His son, Christopher, was given an oak sapling by Adolf Hitler for winning a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Christopher planted it within the grounds but it sustained damage during a storm in 1987 and was severely pollarded by the How Hill Trust. The tree is one of only four remaining oaks in the United Kingdom that were donated by the dictator prior to the Second World War.
Recent history
The How Hill Trust took over the house permanently in 2002 and currently still occupy the building, although it is now owned by the Broads Authority. It was designated as a Grade II listed building in 1987.