Holkham Hall, Palladian country house in Holkham, England.
Holkham Hall is a Palladian country house in Holkham, Norfolk, built for Thomas Coke, the first Earl of Leicester. The west facade shows an Ionic portico against yellow brick walls, while symmetrical wings extend on both sides.
William Kent designed the building from 1734, implementing ideas Thomas Coke gathered during his journey through Italy. Completion took three decades and shaped English country house style for generations to come.
The Marble Hall inside rises two stories and displays pink Derbyshire alabaster that shifts in tone with daylight. The library holds over three thousand volumes that visitors can view at long reading tables.
The estate opens from March through October and offers guided tours of the main rooms that can be reserved in advance. The park around the house invites walks and is easier to reach than the interior rooms.
The ceiling of the Marble Hall shows coffers reminiscent of the Roman Pantheon and decorated with gilding and rosettes. In the south wing are living quarters still used today by the Coke family.
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