[1][3] The village is on the edge of The Broads national park with the River Waveney forming the western boundary of the former parish.

The estate was occupied by Parliamentarian troops a number of times during the Civil War and was purchased by Admiral Sir Thomas Allin in 1669.

It remained in Allin's family until it was acquired by railway developer Samuel Morton Peto, who oversaw the latest rebuilding in 1843.

[6][8][9] The rebuilding process bankrupted Peto and the estate was sold to Sir Francis Crossley, a carpet manufacturer from Halifax, West Yorkshire.

A memorial to two airmen killed in a friendly fire incident during World War II is on Waddling Way, an un-metalled road east of the village which runs towards Flixton.

A Royal Air Force DeHavilland Mosquito nightfighter being flown by two American Navy pilots was mistakenly shot down by British anti-aircraft fire.

It features a French Renaissance inspired loggia and a square belvedere clock tower, although the house has a 17th-century core and some of the wood panelling from the original building has been reused internally.

The rebuilding was led by Samuel Morton Peto, who owned the estate in the 19th century, with the designs for the house the work of sculptor John Thomas.

[19] The estate owns a wide range of assets throughout the local area, including the Somerleyton village pub and a country park at Fritton Lake.

[2][24][25][26] The Lowestoft to Norwich railway line runs through the parish close to the Waveney, crossing the river at Somerleyton Swing Bridge.