Bressingham Hall

At some point, all birds leave the nest, and I was no different. I scoured the newspaper for affordable accommodations and, in time, found a beautiful place to call my first home.

Bressingham Hall, Diss was a small mansion owned by Alan Bloom, who was in his late 90s. His estate was quite extensive. There was Bressingham Gardens, a beautiful garden open for public viewing; a railway museum housing the steam engines Alan had collected over the years; Bloom’s Nursery, located adjacent to the museum, where visitors could enjoy refreshments and purchase plants; and behind the house, there was a couple of acres dedicated to Alan’s son—an area known as Foggy Bottom. Yes, that was its real name! And that was just what I knew about the estate.

Naturally, I took the room being offered to me—who wouldn’t? Bressingham Hall was a lovely home. On the ground floor, there was a grand kitchen. To the right of the hallway, Alan had several rooms set aside for his personal use, including a bedroom and a lounge where he would sit. Beyond that was another sitting room where he entertained visitors from his long past.

Though not officially a bed and breakfast, Bressingham Hall had its fair share of regular guests who couldn’t resist its charm and would return, often year by year. During my stay, I had the pleasure of meeting some of them.

A magnificent, wide staircase led to the first set of bedrooms. My room—more of a large studio, really—was spacious enough for me to turn it into a small flat. It even had a bathroom next door. I could access my rooms via the main staircase or a nearby, narrow servants’ staircase. Above this floor was yet another level with a few more bedrooms. In total, there must have been five guest rooms available, excluding my own.

After a while, Lynn, who managed the rent, mentioned an opportunity that could help me if I was struggling financially. One of Alan’s nighttime carers had recently left, and they needed someone to fill the role. There were typically three carers rotating throughout the week. The job itself was simple—keeping Alan company, preparing his usual evening meal, and making sure he was settled for the night. He insisted upon the same kind of meal every night (vegetables, cod fish with sauce and potatoes).  He had the same breakfast too – he swore that eating rhubarb from his garden every morning had kept him fit well into his 90s. I suspected that staying active in the garden most of his life had played a role as well. Fortunately, the role required no heavy lifting, because although slightly doubled over, he was a formidable man.

I was more than happy to spend time with Alan. He was sharp as a tack, kind-hearted, and often reflected on his life—particularly on whether he could have done better with his family. Twice a week, I sat with him, listened to his stories, and enjoyed his classical records. He often quoted this scripture to me:

“What is God asking of you, but to exercise justice, to love kindness, and to be modest in walking with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

I always agreed with him—God truly doesn’t ask much of us.

Alan often told me he had no desire to reach 100—he had no interest in receiving a congratulatory letter from the Queen! (I think he was actually scared that it may have been more than just a letter as he was quite a well-known figure locally due to his large estate.)  True to his word, he passed away suddenly during his 98th year. Thankfully, I was not on duty that night.

Hope for the Future

Of course, I shared the sadness of those around me – for Alan Bloom had been a great man!  But I was comforted by my own beliefs that he was at peace.  As the bible says regarding those who have died: For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all – Eccl 9:5,10.  Instead, the dead are figuratively ‘awaiting’ a future time when they will be resurrected (Lu 7:11-15; 8:49-56; Joh 11:38-44) back to earth – I know Alan Bloom will be amongst them and I look forward to meeting him again – John 11:25.

But what a blessing it was, during my time at Bressingham Hall, to regularly walk through what felt like paradise after work or after a pioneer day. His gardens were breathtaking—a beautiful foretaste of God’s wonderful future on earth under Jesus’ Kingdom rule! (Isaiah 35:1,2; Revelation 21:3,4)