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Sir Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, who was to became first Prime Minister of Great Britain, was born in 1676. He won a scholarship to Eton following that by going to Kings' College, Cambridge. He was only twenty-four when his father died and he inherited a modest Restoration house and medium sized estate at Houghton, near King's Lynn. He became the first de facto British Prime Minister in 1727, and held that position until 1742. During his time in high political office he determined to build an impressive new mansion filled with magnificent treasures at Houghton.

Begun in 1721, the architects of this great Palladian mansion were James Gibbs and Colen Campbell. The interior was designed and furnished in lavish style by William Kent, to display the fantastic collection of pictures, sculptures, china, tapestries and other furnishings, which Sir Robert Walpole collected during his parliamentary career. Houghton Hall also reflects the brilliant and flamboyant character of one of England's most the brilliant politicians of the 18th century.

Sir Robert died in 1745, followed shortly afterwards in 1751 by his son, Robert, 2nd Earl of Orford, their combined debts put the collection under threat and began four decades of decline under George, the 3rd Earl, culminating in the sale of the pictures to Catherine the Great of Russia.

However, at the end of the century, the 3rd Earl’s elderly uncle, by now the 4th Earl, and his chosen heir, George, 4th Earl and 1st Marquess of Cholmondeley, rescued the estate and the furniture. The estate then passed by direct descent to George, the 5th Marquess, who married the heiress Sybil Sassoon in 1913; he succeeded his father in 1923.

The 6th Marquess collected model soldiers from a young age, military history and regimental uniforms fascinated him, and his collection is on display in the Museum. The present Marquess inherited in 1990 – whilst dividing his time between Houghton and their other important home, Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire – he renewed all the services and carried out much work on the fabric of Houghton, laying greater emphasis on the times of Sir Robert Walpole, as well as commencing a major restoration of the kitchen garden.

For more information about the House, and what you can see in each room, view their extremely comprehensive Website.

Gardens:

Renovation of the 5-acre walled garden began in 1991. The former kitchen garden had fallen into a state of disrepair and Lord Cholmondeley was keen to restore it as a memorial to his grandmother. Although an area of productive kitchen garden has been retained, the larger part of the garden has been laid out as a series of ornamental gardens in various styles.

Areas of particular note include: The rose garden planted with nearly 150 varieties of both new and older roses. The central, box-edged parterre is based on the William Kent design for the ceiling in the White Drawing Room. Further interest comes from the rose arches, the Italian statues of classical figures and a sunken octagonal pool. A less formal outer bed planted in a cottage garden style completes the rose garden.

The Soldier Museum:

The 6th Marquess started collecting model soldiers as a schoolboy. He was fascinated by the campaigns of the Napoleonic period, and had great knowledge of the various battle and parade formations, and of regimental uniforms. Lord Cholmondeley served in the Royal Dragoons during the Second World War, when he was awarded the Military Cross, and later transferred to the Grenadier Guards for a further three years after the war.

However, it was not until the 1950s, after he and his wife had settled down at Cholmondeley, the family estate in Cheshire, that he turned again to his soldier collection. He started ordering figures from several sources in London, often commissioning whole scenes to his specification. There are now examples of many different models in the museum, all painted with great attention to detail.

While the largest tableau is a reconstruction of the Battle of Waterloo, with the figures of Wellington and Napolean standing on opposite hills, many other famous battles and periods of military history are represented. For example, there are scenes from the Franco-Prussian Wars, and two parade scenes depicting the German and British armies c. 1880. The backgrounds to many of the tableaux were painted by Ian Weekley, and were commissioned when Lord Cholmondeley moved the collection to Houghton for the opening of the museum.

Opening Times - 2010:

4th April - 30th September: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays, 11.30 am - 5.30 pm

House: 1.30 – 5 pm (last admission 4.30 pm).

Admission Charges - 2010:

Adult - £8.80
Child (5-16) - £3.50
Family Ticket - £22

Groups (20+):
Adult - £7.80
Child - £2.50

Special visits can be arranged during their open season any day except Saturdays

More information on the garden can be found on The Gardens Guide.