About Thornham Walks
John Henniker-Major, 8th Lord Henniker and founder of Thornham Walks
Thornham Walks stretch over 12 miles and are open to the public almost every day of the year. The Walks are part of the Thornham Estate and they are managed by the Henniker-Major family, who are committed to continuing the vision of the 8th Lord Henniker.
Covering beautiful parkland and ancient woodlands, some of the highlights of Thornham Walks are detailed below.
The 8th Lord Henniker restored the folly in 2000. The building is a remnant of the formal Victorian gardens and originally took the form of a gothic summerhouse. The Victorian gentry would have taken strolls through the gardens and used the folly as a place to sit and talk.
The Henniker-Major family's pets and horses from years gone by are buried here. The cemetery was renovated at the same time as the folly.
Originally the walled garden was part of 25 acres of formal gardens, maintained by 9 gardeners. After the death of the fifth Lord Henniker in 1902 the garden was neglected and during the 20th century it became derelict and overgrown. In more recent years the walled garden has undergone restoration and redesign and it is now the base for Beyond the Wall, a charitable project working with disadvantaged young people with mixed disabilities and behavioural problems. The project aims to be a stepping stone for its learners to move on into future education or employment and therefore improve their prospects. The garden is open daily to all visitors to Thornham Walks and has a small seasonal plant and produce stall, the profits from which go directly to Beyond the Wall.
Visitors often feel a special connection to Thornham and on occasion they wish to remember loved ones by planting a tree. As a result there are many young trees that have been planted to remember and celebrate lives past and new. We plan to continue this tradition and have dedicated a special woodland area - the Memory Wood - for this purpose. Should you wish to remember and celebrate a loved one by planting a native tree, please contact the Walks at thewalks@thornhamestate.com or on 01379 788345 for further information.
A nuttery was often planted as an attractive feature in a country house garden. It also supplied sticks, hurdles and barrel hoops from the prunings and, of course, nuts.
This was planted by the 8th Lord Henniker. It contains a variety of conifer species and the grass under the trees is managed for wildflowers.
Why not sit in the bird hide and see what you can spot? Birds visit the area regularly and there is always plenty of food for brooding adults and fledged young. A wide variety of birds visit the feeders including blue, great, long-tailed, marsh and coal tits, great spotted woodpecker, chaffinch, robin, nuthatch, pheasant and sparrowhawk.
This part of the estate is only open to the public during the summer months. The area is managed to benefit the butterflies' life cycle, and hopefully to increase their numbers. Some of the species you may spot are the meadow brown, peacock, small tortoiseshell, gatekeeper, speckled wood, comma, skipper and purple hairstreak.
These meadows spend part of the winter partially underwater providing an ideal habitat for wintering wildfowl and waders. The high sandy banks of the River Dove provide ideal nesting sites for kingfishers and otters are resident along the river
Picnic area
Playground
Volunteering opportunities
Compost toilets
Other news
We are very pleased to announce the completion of the Volunteer and Visitor Centre, which is now open and will be officially launched at an event in Spring 2020.
We were grateful to receive 80% funding for the project the under the LEADER scheme, which is delivered by the Waveney Valley Local Action Group (LAG). Funding originates from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). This funding has enabled some incredible projects and without it the Centre would not have been built.
The Centre is the Thornham Walks visitor hub and arrival point and it houses a permanent display about the Thornham Estate and its history. It will provide a year-round space to host events and activities, as well as being available for hire at a minimal cost.
Please come and visit!
