There has been a house on this site for some 1100 years.

Hales Hall, the once great house of the Hobarts, lies within the parish at the south end of Hales Green.

The remaining buildings are late medieval, including the outer Gatehouse, Stewards and Guest Lodgings and the largest brick medieval barn in Britain, restored by the Read family over the last 30 years, and built by Sir James Hobart in the late 1470's.

He became Attorney General to Henry VII in 1485 and subsequently built Holy Trinity Church.

Previous occupants include Sir Roger de Hales in the 13c whose daughter Allice married Thomas de Brotherton, King Edward the First's half brother, and Lady Dionysius Williamson (See tomb in Holy Trinity) who gave £11,000 in the 1670's to help Christopher Wren rebuild London's churches after the great fire in 1666.

The barn and moated gardens are open to visitors, many of whom come from far and wide to see Reads Nursery where National Collections of Citrus, Grapes and Figs may be seen on East Anglia's oldest nursery.

Click here to visit the Hales Hall web site