Building record MDR13341 - The Card House, Hopton Hall, Hopton

Close to the south-western end of Hopton Hall is a detached derelict building referred to as the 'card house', a building with the specific purpose of being used for gaming and entertainment. It is perhaps first shown in any detail on a map of 1846 and may have been built by Philip Gell (died 1842), whose programme of remodelling of the Hall included a new dining room and a writing room for his wife Georgina. The inclusion of a separate lodge for entertainment and for gaming may have been part of the overall scheme. A photograph in a book published in 1927 shows the building after a fire had destroyed its roof and left it badly damaged. Today the building looks much the same, but with more vegetation having taken hold on its brickwork. A historic building assessment was carried out prior to proposed partial rebuilding, which will return the building to use. The assessment found that the structure appears to consist of two different parts. On the south side is a single room deep, two-storey part that faces towards parkland to the south, but has a curving west wall. On the north side is an open-fronted single-storey lean-to with an internal dividing wall forming two compartments. Differences in the brickwork and straight joints indicate differing dates for the two halves. There also appears to be a slight difference in alignment between the north and south parts. The evidence points to the north part being the remains of the earliest structure, probably with two rooms, the west one heated and with a sizeable west-facing window. Joist holes at the west end indicate an upper floor, which may have been added when the south building was built. The brickwork suggests a possible late 17th/early 18th century date for this structure, although its precise form and purpose remain unknown. The south building was added to the earlier one, probably in the late 18th/early 19th century. This structure was at least two storeys high, although where its staircase was situated is unclear. The building faced away from the main Hall, and its lower floor was well lit from the south and west sides, thereby benefiting from the afternoon and evening light. The retention of the earlier structure (and its possible heightening) shows that it retained a subsidiary purpose, perhaps for stabling. After the card house suffered the fire damage and fell into disuse, the earlier part still proved useful and appears to have been retained for storage. (1)