Morley Old Hall

Morley Old Hall stands beside a moat in the village of Morley Saint Peter, twelve miles from Norwich. Built around 1600 for John Sedley, an architect in Henry VII’s service, the house follows a U-shaped plan with two storeys and attics. Its brick walls and plain-tiled roofs rise from the water’s edge, encircled by the moat on all sides. The design reflects late 16th-century craftsmanship, with symmetrical façades and mullioned windows. Inside, original features remain largely intact beneath later alterations. The house has been home to two notable figures from modern history. Field Marshal Sir Edmund Ironside, who commanded Home Forces in the Second World War, owned it for a time. In the 1970s it passed to Janet Shand Kydd, first wife of Peter Shand Kydd and stepfather to Diana, Princess of Wales. These connections lend the building a quiet resonance beyond its architectural merit. Visitors find a moated manor house whose exterior still shows its 1600s origins. The brickwork and roofline follow the U-plan, with attic windows set above the main floors. Inside, some rooms preserve historic joinery and plasterwork from the Sedley period. The moat surrounds the house on every side, creating a reflective setting for the brick façades. The approach crosses a small bridge over the water, giving a clear view of the symmetrical plan and tiled roofs.