The Marble Hall

Despite being called the 'Marble Hall', it is chiefly constructed of Derbyshire alabaster, which is softer and more translucent than marble.

The stone was transported to Holkham by barge along the River Trent to Gainsborough, where it was transferred to a ship and thence by sea to Wells.

The splendid colonnade was copied from that of the Temple of Fortuna Virilis in Rome, while the breathtaking ceiling, taken from the Pantheon, also in Rome, rises to a height of over 50ft.

Local craftsmen, Joseph Pickford and Thomas Carter, who carved the alabaster into shape, dedicated 20 years of their lives to working in the Marble Hall, in The Chapel, and on the fireplaces.

The statues in the niches around the hall are predominantly plaster copies of ancient Greek and Roman Gods, and were bought home from Italy for the first Earl of Leicester, by Matthew Brettingham, son of the executive architect of Holkham Hall.