Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Little Ellingham Clock Tower
AO Edited

Little Ellingham Clock Tower

A unique clock tower in the garden of an elegant Victorian hall.

Little Ellingham, England

RedGemAlchemist profile photo
Added By
Sam Perkins
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
This view is probably the first you’ll see of this building.   By Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0
The tower isn’t exactly one for being photographed. Note the bricked-over clock face facing the camera.   By Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Rising out atop the trees as you drive through the sleepy Norfolk village of Little Ellingham, this utterly unique building is not what you expect to see as you appear out the end of a country road. Yet there it is, sitting on the grounds of the village's grand Victorian hall.

Built in 1855, this one-of-a-kind folly was built alongside the hall itself, and consists of a red-trimmed brick tower topped with a white wooden cupola and three clock faces (it's likely that there was originally a fourth at one point) and supported by two cottages with colossal chimneys that form a roughly cross-shaped base. 

One can't help but wonder quite what possessed the architect to include something this interesting in the middle of Norfolk where barely anyone would see it. As it stands, it is something of a landmark amongst the surrounding towns and villages, and a well-hidden secret of this quintessentially Norfolk settlement.

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Related Tags

Follies Clocks

Know Before You Go

Passing through the village, the tower is quite easy to spot, although it may be obscured by surrounding foliage. It is fully visible when standing at the gate of the hall. One is not advised to go past the gate, however, as the hall and its grounds are private property.

Community Contributors

RedGemAlchemist profile photo

Added By

RedGemAlchemist

Published

May 9, 2025

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Norfolk 2: North-West and South, Part 2 by Nikolaus Pevsner and Bill Wilson
  • Curiosities of Norfolk: A County Guide to the Unusual by Josie C. Briggs
Little Ellingham Clock Tower
Little Ellingham, England, NR17 1JP
United Kingdom
52.555886, 0.95152

Nearby Places

The Devil's Punchbowl

Thetford, England

miles away

Grime's Graves

Lynford, England

miles away

Statue of Maharaja Duleep Singh

Thetford, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,548
Stories 145

Nearby Places

The Devil's Punchbowl

Thetford, England

miles away

Grime's Graves

Lynford, England

miles away

Statue of Maharaja Duleep Singh

Thetford, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,548
Stories 145

Related Places

  • Automatons clock at Thornton’s Arcade

    Leeds, England

    The Ivanhoe Clock

    Since 1877, the characters of Sir Walter Scott’s “Ivanhoe” have been keeping time in this Leeds arcade.

  • David Sassoon Clock Tower

    Mumbai, India

    David Sassoon Clock Tower

    This slender 19th-century clock tower stands at the entrance of a famous garden and zoo.

  • Yarm Castle

    Stockton-on-Tees, England

    Yarm Castle

    Turrets, ramparts and towers, this Teesside castle has them all, but it's not all as it seems.

  • The bell dragon clock, facing 21st street.

    Baltimore, Maryland

    The Clock House

    An antiquarian horologist’s mysterious home in Old Goucher.

  • The Temple

    Scotland

    The Temple

    A folly hidden in the woods that once became home to a cowherd.

  • Berne, Indiana Clock Tower

    Berne, Indiana

    The Berne Clock Tower

    This symbol of the town's Swiss heritage is a tribute to the Zytglogge in Bern.

  • Floral Clock

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Floral Clock

    The oldest floral clock in the world still functions today.

  • Weltzeituhr

    Berlin, Germany

    Weltzeituhr

    Check the time in 145 countries at once with this East German relic.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.