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In his biography of Sir Samuel Morton Peto, the Revd. Dr. Edward C. Brooks, (Rector of Somerleyton from 1969 to 1983) described him as a major nineteenth century entrepreneur, indeed he was. A serious man with tremendous energy, he was made a Baronet by Queen Victoria in 1855, for his personal support of Prince Albert during the Great Exhibition of 1851, and for his work as an MP over twenty years. His railway building enterprises led to other great honours from distant places like Australia and Canada but more importantly for Lowestoft, he was honoured by King Frederick of Denmark for laying out the Danish Railway system that would lead to a growing export/import trade with the Port of Lowestoft. He went on to develop Lowestoft harbour to the great benefit of the town bringing railway links to Norwich and Ipswich.

Sir Samuel Morton Peto took over the Somerleyton Estate in 1843 when he was probably at the height of his most successful period as a building contractor with a major interest in the development of railway systems. He employed the young architect John Thomas to rebuild Somerleyton Hall in the Italianate style as shown above; his design included a new model village built around a green complete with pretty thatched cottages and a school. Thomas' work at Somerleyton was completed only a few years before he died at the age of forty-nine; a great loss to the world of architecture, he was described by Sir Charles Barry as an 'unassuming self-taught genius'.

Sir Samuel's two books, 'Taxation' and 'The Resources & Prospects of America' show his scholarship at an international level and locally his influence remains throughout the town, his generous gift of fine stained glass windows to grace the Council Chamber, see pics below, are a present reminder. It is not widely known that his company laid out London's Trafalgar Square and erected Nelson's Column in 1843, later going on to rebuild the Houses of Parliament. However, by 1863 Canadian contracts failed to meet expectations and amid a general financial malaise of the time, Sir Samuel Morton Peto sold his Somerleyton Estate to Sir Francis Crossley of Halifax. The two men had much in common, not least a Victorian conscience in matters of public duty and generous support of worthy causes.

Sir Francis died in 1872 at the age of fifty-five, it is thought from overwork, and Lady Crossley moved to Somerleyton with their son Savile who was created Lord Somerleyton in 1916. More of the story and the family tree can be found at www.somerleyton.co.uk/hallgardens/crossley_family_history .

Lowestoft Town Hall (pic bottom right) was designed by John Clemence, an architect brought to Lowestoft by Sir Morton Peto. Clemence began his career in the offices of Prof C R Cockerell and is responsible for many fine buildings in the town including the Lowestoft and North Suffolk Hospital, St Peters Church Kirkley, the Esplanade, Wellington Terrace, Marine Parade and St John's Church. In 1871 he was responsible for the restoration of St Margaret's Church, he died in 1911 and is buried there. He and his assistants Stevens and Selby, earned great respect and have streets named after them among those they created.