Melford Hall

The exact date that this handsome red-brick property was begun remains unknown but, from the little documentary evidence that exists, it would seem to have been around the mid 16th century. Certainly William Cordell, an eminent lawyer, was granted the old hall and manor of Melford in 1547 by Henry VIII. Prior to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the lands belonged to Bury St Edmunds Abbey and the hall was a particular favourite of the Abbots.

Known to have been one of the wealthiest manors during medieval times, it is possible that the monastic hall was a substantial property, and that at least some of the fabric was incorporated into the lavish new Melford Hall built by William Cordell. A descriptive account survives of the occasion when Elizabeth I was extravagantly entertained in the grand mansion in 1578, suggesting that the rebuilding work was complete by this time. During the Civil War the house was sacked, all the furnishings were either stolen or destroyed, and even the deer in the park were carried away.

Melford Hall was eventually restored and re-furnished by Robert Cordell in the latter half of the 17th century, and a further redecoration programme was carried out during the 1730s/1740s. After the Cordell line died out the house was sold to Sir Harry Parker, who had recently inherited the family baronetcy. Coming from a family of distinguished naval officers, successive members of the Parker family introduced several nautical paintings into Melford Hall, especially in the library, but also retained many of the Cordell's portraits to provide a pictorial history of the owners. For more than 200 years the same family have lived at Melford Hall, each generation adding their individual touches to the house and maintaining it in good order. The last major work was carried out after the Second World War, when fire seriously damaged the north wing of the house.

Remarkably, the external appearance of Melford Hall remains virtually unchanged since Cordell's time. At some point the eastern wing of the property vanished, and the north wing was rebuilt, but other work has been mainly restricted to improving the comfort and security of the house. It presents an unmistakable Elizabethan skyline with its slender, towering chimneystacks and its many domed turrets. This was the home of a wealthy man who chose to live in a village made prosperous by the wool trade, and today there are still many legacies of that time to see in and around Long Melford.