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Reputedly home to the headless ghost of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, Blickling Hall is a magnificent Jacobean house near Norwich in Norfolk, and is one of the many historical estates looked after by the National Trust on behalf of the general public.

Blickling Hall is a grade one listed building and due to topography and changes to local land management practices is at significant risk from flash flooding.

With the increase in torrential downpours that we have seen over the past few years, rain falling in the locality drains into the river meadow , overwhelming local drainage, bridging the road and threatening parts of the Hall itself.

Whilst work is planned to improve the drainage systems, a need was identified for an emergency ‘first line of defence’ and after considerable research, Floodgates were selected to fulfill this role.

Eight Floodgates have been purchased to protect key areas of the building, especially the basement area which happens to contain the main electrical intake for the Hall.

Lee Fish, Senior Building Surveyor with the National Trust, said, “As a grade one listed building, it was very important to find a solution that was sympathetic to such an important building and did not require any permanent modification to the fabric of the building.

It was also a key criteria to find a solution which could be put in place easily, and at a moment’s notice, by the Hall’s staff.

Floodgates were the only solution that fulfilled both these criteria with the added reassurance that, having been certified with the BSI kite mark and endorsed by the Environment Agency, we knew that they would actually do the job.”

He continued, “We are now carrying out a similar project for the Elizabeth House Museum at Great Yarmouth.

The museum, on the South Quay in Great Yarmouth, has already flooded twice within the last year and, as it is salt water from the Yare estuary, the damage caused is significant.

With the help of the team at Floodgate, we have worked out that five Floodgates will provide the necessary protection to ensure that this will not continue to happen.”