As part of larger research into the West Hall area, work was done in 2000 on West Hall House. A standing building survey was undertaken of the interior and exterior of the building. An investigation into the gardens of West Hall was also done, to look for interesting features, such as the structure of the gardens in the past. A small-scale investigation into the documentary evidence concerning West Hall was also carried out, allowing us to learn much about the manor in the past.

The present West Hall house is believed to stand on the site of a medieval manor, of which there are no structural remains, but many documentary references to an estate of Norwich Cathedral Priory. Therefore, the standing-building survey had a number of important purposes:

1) To complement the standing building survey of West Hall Farmyard carried out in 1999.

2) To identify the developmental sequence of the building and relate these to the history of the manor.

3) To see if any remains of the medieval manor survive within the present standing building.

The manor of Sedgeford had a higher value than any of the other manors owned by Norwich Cathedral Priory. It is thought that the West Hall Manor was divided into two courts, with a separate moat around each, but the precise location of these is unknown today. On the present site a stream runs parallel with the north and west walls of the house and there is also evidence of where this stream continued to the south of the West Hall grounds, although it is at present overgrown and dry. This stream may follow the path of a medieval moat, but would have been unlikely for defence purposes, instead representing the status of the manor.

Ground floor plan of West Hall House. North is at the bottom of the page.

West Hall House may not have any visible structural remains dating back to the manor in the medieval period, but at least six phases of rebuilding can be seen in the fabric of the house itself. The eastern end is the earliest remaining part of the structure, where there is an original chimney appearing to date from circa 1600. Very little of the walls of this eastern section can be seen as they are concealed by extensions to the north and south, and an extension to the west. The eastern wall that remains unfortunately does not contain many original features, such as windows, but has been subject to many periods of rebuilding. The middle section of the house is of a later date than the eastern end. The western end of the house is an 18^th century extension; as it can be seen in the 1797 inclosure map. It is probable however that the western end has been replaced or rebuilt since 1797. The south wall is the front wall of the house and shows the scars of rebuilding phases. It is probable that at the time of this western rebuild there were also alterations to the southern front of the house.

These alterations would have been made as it was important for the front of the house to look symmetrical for aesthetic reasons. The front of the house contains at least one set of blocked windows in the middle section. These windows were probably blocked and replaced when the western end was rebuilt, in order for the front facade to remain symmetrical.

There are two additions on the north side. The eastern one may be of two builds, containing a single storey and the later addition of another storey. There are possible marks on the walls on the west, north and east sides that indicate this. The idea that this has been extended from a single storey outshut to a two-storey outshut is made probable due to alterations to the heights of windows in the lower level. There were three windows at a lower point, of which one was filled in and replaced by two windows that were slightly higher up. It is likely that this would have been the result of a heightening of the wall that allowed the builders more space in which to place the window.

The team discuss West Hall House with an ex-resident Bill Armitage.

The northwest outshut is the most modern part of the construction and contains some renovations where doorways were converted into windows. There is also an outshut at the front of the house, at the eastern end. This outshut is later in date than the eastern section, but is probably only a little later than the middle extension. The outshut is interesting as it has undergone many renovations. This is typical of any structure that is on the facade of the building. The outshut bears the scar of an old conservatory and the effects of internal reorganisation. In this outshut a staircase has been moved from the eastern to the western end. Where the staircase was added is evident as a doorway has been blocked in and a new door inserted at the foot of the stairs.

A brief history of West Hall Manor
A manor at West Hall is referred to as ‘acquired fully’ by Norwich Cathedral Priory in 1205. The manor was owned by Norwich Cathedral Priory, and was worth more than any other Manor owned by the priory, at £76 18s 4½d (Dodwell 1975, xxi). The dissolution of the monasteries spelt the end of the Priory’s ownership and the estate was taken over by the Dean and Chapter of Norwich. However, the manor has been leased out privately since at least the late 1420s. It is known the Le Stranges and the Rolfes held West Hall house, the farm and much of its lands. West Hall House was leased by the Le Stranges for a total of 198 years, one of the longest leases given by the Dean and Chapter. In 1538, the manor and rectory of Sedgeford was let to Thomas Le Strange on a 99 year lease. In 1562, another 99 year lease was arranged with Nicholas Le Strange, that came into effect seventy-five years later (Atherton and Holderness 1996, 668).

The Le Stranges not only held West Hall for longer than many of the other lessees, but gained rights that many other tenants of Norwich Cathedral Priory did not share, such as the control of the manor court. The Le Stranges also escaped paying corn rents on the property as these were introduced after their leases were enforced and therefore were not obliged to pay as other tenants were.

The Rolfes held the leases of East Hall and West Hall farm between 1767 and 1889, at which time the lease was refused extension by the ecclesiastical commissioners (Berry 1979). The Rolfes, like the Le Stranges, were also given much freedom concerning the property. This is seen when William Utten told Edmund Rolfe, ‘they leave the management of that building to your care and judgement’ in 1775 (NRO, DCN 118/5). The property transferred into the hands of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners (as did most of the Dean and Chapter property) in 1869.

Updated by Pauline Fogarty 2004

West Hall House in the 1910s

References
Atherton and Holderness, 1996, ‘The Dean and Chapter Estates since the Reformation’. In Norwich Cathedral; Church, City and Diocese, 1096-1996. eds. I. Atherton, E. Fernie, C. Harper-Bill and Hassell Smith.

Berry, 1979, The Rolfe Papers; The Chronicle of a Norfolk Family 1559-1908 Norwich: Mrs. Veronica Berry.

Dodwell, 1975, The Charters of Norwich Cathedral Priory. Pipe Roll Society.

(NRO, DCN 118/5) – Quoted in Atherton and Holderness, 1996.