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All the United Kingdom England Little Ellingham Clock Tower
AO Edited

Little Ellingham Clock Tower

A unique clock tower in the garden of an elegant Victorian hall.

Little Ellingham, England

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Sam Perkins
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This view is probably the first you’ll see of this building.   By Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0
The tower isn’t exactly one for being photographed. Note the bricked-over clock face facing the camera.   By Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Rising out atop the trees as you drive through the sleepy Norfolk village of Little Ellingham, this utterly unique building is not what you expect to see as you appear out the end of a country road. Yet there it is, sitting on the grounds of the village's grand Victorian hall.

Built in 1855, this one-of-a-kind folly was built alongside the hall itself, and consists of a red-trimmed brick tower topped with a white wooden cupola and three clock faces (it's likely that there was originally a fourth at one point) and supported by two cottages with colossal chimneys that form a roughly cross-shaped base. 

One can't help but wonder quite what possessed the architect to include something this interesting in the middle of Norfolk where barely anyone would see it. As it stands, it is something of a landmark amongst the surrounding towns and villages, and a well-hidden secret of this quintessentially Norfolk settlement.

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Passing through the village, the tower is quite easy to spot, although it may be obscured by surrounding foliage. It is fully visible when standing at the gate of the hall. One is not advised to go past the gate, however, as the hall and its grounds are private property.

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RedGemAlchemist

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May 9, 2025

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Sources
  • Norfolk 2: North-West and South, Part 2 by Nikolaus Pevsner and Bill Wilson
  • Curiosities of Norfolk: A County Guide to the Unusual by Josie C. Briggs
Little Ellingham Clock Tower
Little Ellingham, England, NR17 1JP
United Kingdom
52.555886, 0.95152

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