- Source: Giffords Hall, Stoke-by-Nayland
Giffords Hall (also called Gifford's Hall) is a Tudor manor house two miles north-east of Stoke-by-Nayland in Suffolk, England. It was described by Nikolaus Pevsner as “one of the loveliest houses of its date in England”. It takes its name from the powerful Gifford family, who owned it in the 13th century, alongside the similarly named Gifford's Hall, Wickhambrook.
History
In 1216, Richard Constable began the now-ruinous chapel near the house, dedicating it to St Nicholas. His son, William, would later "amply" endow the chapel.
The manor of Giffords would gain its name from the Gifford family, who had large landholdings in the area, when Peter Gifford came to hold the manor in the reign of Henry III. Philip Mannock purchased the manor in 1427 or 1428. The Mannock family would then hold it for 460 years.
Architecture
The current house is a mainly 16th century house built for the Mannocks, incorporating older fabric, some of which may date to the Gifford family's ownership. It has a hall with a hammerbeam roof and a 2-storey Tudor red brick gatehouse.