Raynham Hall was built in 1630 by the Townshend family, and constitutes a rectangular mansion built of brick and stone dressings. The Hall is widely considered to be one of the finest mansions in the county of Norfolk. Built near the site of a more ancient moated Manor House, Sir Roger Townshend commenced construction in 1619, during the reign of James I and completed around 1630 in the reign of Charles I, while it is believed that Charles II who visited Raynham Hall in 1671. The Hall gained paranormal notoriety in 1936 when photographers Captain Provand and assistant Indre Shira, who were taking shots of Raynham Hall for 'Country Life', captured the now infamous apparition of The Brown Lady. It was 4.00pm on the 19th September, and the pair were photographing the Hall's main staircase. After completing one exposure, Shira saw a misty form upon the stairs, hurrying Provand to immediately take a second shot. Shira then explained that he had seen a shadowy figure on the stairs, and when the negative was developed it showed the famous image. Not only were there many witnesses to the negative being developed, but independent verification declared that it was unlikely that the photograph had ever been tampered with.