Born in 1650 and a one-time student of Christopher Wren, Talman was appointed by William and Mary in 1689 to oversee work on the Royal Palaces. He went on to design a number of houses throughout the country, including parts of Chatsworth House and Hampton Court Palace. He has been described as the country house architect par excellence of his time. In Norfolk, he designed Kimberly House, Near Wymondham.
To mark the 300th anniversary of his death, the Church is seeking to renovate his grave, which had become neglected and overgrown. Rector of St Andrew’s, Keith Dally, said;
“It wasn’t until three years ago when two of his descendants contacted me from America, that we became aware of the significance of the grave. We have commissioned local stonemason, Nick Hindle, to produce a stone bearing the original inscription. This will stand alongside the existing grave which also contains the remains of his wife Hannah. Hopefully, with further funding, we may be able to renovate the gravestone itself in due course”
Rev’d Dally has been working with the Norfolk Association of Architects to highlight Talman as part of its forthcoming exhibition at the Forum in Norwich at the end of October. The exhibition will then transfer to Felmingham in time for the 300th anniversary and unveiling of the stone on Friday 22 November.
