An Elizabethan diplomat's mansion in Essex with rare wall paintings, seen today only on pre-booked guided tours
Access unclearno public right of way confirmed — check locally before setting out
Sir Thomas Smith, a Tudor diplomat, built Hill Hall in the Essex countryside between 1568 and 1577. He had travelled widely around Europe, and the mansion’s long, columned front copies the Renaissance houses he admired on those travels, making Hill Hall one of the earliest built in that style in England.
The gardens and parkland around Hill Hall are registered separately, Grade II, and cover around 83 hectares. Inside, rare wall paintings survive from Smith’s time, painted scenes that count among the finest examples English Heritage looks after anywhere. Hill Hall itself has since been divided into separate private homes, though, and the paintings are not on general view. English Heritage opens parts of the house only to visitors who have booked a guided tour in advance, so this is one to plan ahead for rather than turn up at. Epping Forest is a short way north.
