Man dies after being trampled by cattle on National Trust estate

The National Trust says it is “shocked and saddened” by the death of a man in his seventies at one of its properties this week.

The man was seriously injured by cattle while walking in the parkland surrounding Felbrigg Hall, a 17^th-century Jacobean country house just outside Cromer in Norfolk.

Two ambulances, a paramedic car and the East Anglian Air Ambulance were sent to the scene at approximately 1145 on Monday 13 July following reports of the incident. The man died at the scene despite efforts to save him.

Norfolk Police said the man’s death was “not believed to be suspicious”. The force is working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to establish the full circumstances of the incident.

The estate features a walled garden, wood, pastures and wetlands, and is popular with walkers. It closed to visitors after the incident and reopened on Wednesday following the conclusion of initial police inquiries.

A National Trust spokesperson said: “Emergency services were called to the parkland at Felbrigg Hall on Monday 13 July after a member of the public was seriously injured while walking. Despite the efforts of the paramedics, the person tragically died at the scene.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by this news, and our thoughts and condolences are with their family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. As an investigation is under way, we are unable to comment further.”

A social media post by Felbrigg Hall in March 2024 announced that “cows and their calves from a tenant farm can now be found grazing the fields surrounding the hall”.

Signage in the parkland advises visitors to take caution due to the presence of livestock.

The Felbrigg estate has been part of the National Trust portfolio since 1969, when the last squire of Felbrigg, Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer, bequeathed the house and its contents to the charity. It is home to one of the National Trust’s largest collections.