Henham Park is an estate just north of the village of Blythburgh in Suffolk, United Kingdom. The current owner is Keith Rous, The Sixth Earl of Stradbroke, ‘The Aussie Earl’.
Sir Anthony Rous, Knight of Dennington (Suffolk) purchased Henham in 1544. At this time there was a large red brick Tudor manor on the park, which was burnt down in 1773 while the 6th Baronet John Rous was away. Sir John, later the 1st Earl of Stradbroke, built a new hall in 1790 using the architect James Wyatt with accompanying parkland design by Humphrey Repton. This hall was demolished by the 4th Earl of Stradbroke in 1953 despite attempts by his brother, later the 5th Earl, to keep the house intact.
The fourth Earl died in 1983 with his brother becoming the fifth Earl for only four days before also passing away. Robert Keith Rous – at that time a businessman and sheep grazier in Australia – then inherited Henham and became the Sixth Earl of Stradbroke. This was however not without difficulty and a protracted court battle led to a family feud which still separates the Rous family to this day.
