Invitation to View in Suffolk
Invitation to View offers a delightful and unique chance to see some of Suffolk's most famous and exclusive homes by private appointment. This is an amazing opportunity to view historic houses and halls not otherwise open to the public.
Invitation to View organizes single visitors or couples into groups in a tour style both effective and highly popular. While welcoming new visitors every day, Invitation to View also boasts veteran fans known to visit twenty or more of their available houses! Many visits are hosted by the owners themselves, allowing each tour to be individual and tailored to the location and the particular group - feel free to ask questions, whether about colour schemes, antiques, history or family scandals!
Please find details of the properties in Suffolk open to the public this year, and please click on the Invitation to View link above to book tickets.
INVITATION TO VIEW – SUFFOLK PROPERTIES 2011
THE ABBEY, EYE
This monastic complex was founded in 1080 as the Priory of St Peter, Eye, by Robert Malet, a Norman baron, in memory of his father, William Malet, who fought with William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. It was a Benedictine priory and the church was designed as a mirror image of Bernay Abbey in Normandy, France. The ground plan and photographs of Bernay are on display at The Abbey. In 1137 King Stephen granted a charter to Eye Priory - a grand document which is now in the British Museum. A copy and translation can be seen at the Abbey. This complex which had been granted to Thomas a Becket was only returned to the crown after his murder in Dec 1170. In 1385 King Richard II granted another charter, which freed the priory from French control and thus the burden of subsidies, as their income had been greatly reduced. With the dissolution of the monasteries in 1537, the complex was granted to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and the fabric of the magnificent church was pillaged. The prior's lodgings attached to the church were spared and are now called The Abbey. The brick facade hides a medieval stone and timbered building. The large garden features in many magazines with its courtyards and remains of the church and priory. Visitors are welcome to view the garden and glasshouses.
Tour approx 2-2.5 hours, £13 including tea, coffee or cold drinks and biscuits. Bed and breakfast by appointment, tel: 01379 870263
Tour Dates 2011
May Wed 4, 10.30 am
May Wed 18, 10.30 am
June Wed 1, 10.30 am
June Wed 15, 10.30 am
June Wed 22, 10.30 am
June Wed 29, 10.30 am
July Wed 6, 10.30 am
July Wed 20, 10.30 am
BARSHAM OLD HALL
Major Iron Age workings have just been discovered near this restored C15 house. Owners include Sir John Suckling (comptroller to James I) and his son, John, the Cavalier poet. Visit includes tour of Barsham Church, which has strong Nelson and Trollope connections. Herb, garden and house plants for sale in nursery.
Tour approx five hours, £24 including coffee on arrival, buffet lunch followed by coffee, farewell cup of tea (proceeds to church restorations).
Tour Dates 2011
May Tue 24, 11.00 am
June Tue 28, 11.00 am
July Tue 19, 11.00 am
Aug Tue 16, 11.00 am
Sept Tue 6, 11.00 am
BAWDSEY MANOR
Architectural extravaganza, 1880-1900, for Sir Cuthbert Quilter with Gothic, Flemish, Tudor and Oriental styles. It stands high above the Deben with artificial Pulhamite cliff facing North Sea. Radar was developed here. Choice of 2-hour or 5-hour tour. Start at Bawdsey Quay (parking there.)
Tour A (house, grounds, gardens): two hours, £16 inc tea and home-made cakes.
Tour B (radar Exhibition, house, grounds, gardens): £27.50 (£32.50 on 16 Nov) inc buffet lunch. This starts with a visit to the Magic Ear Exhibition in the Transmitter Block (please see Bawdsey Radar), followed by a buffet lunch at the manor and a tour of the house and gardens. Visit lasts about five hours. B&B available at Bawdsey Manor House.
Tour Dates 2011 for Tour A (£16.00)
May Wed 4, 2.00 pm
May Wed 18, 2.00 pm
Sept Wed 14, 2.00 pm
Sept Wed 28, 2.00 pm
October Wed 12, 2.00 pm
Tour Dates 2011 for Tour B £27.50 (£32.50 on 16 Nov)
May Wed 11, 11.00 (inc RADAR Exhibition and buffet lunch)
May Wed 25, 11.00 am (inc RADAR Exhibition and buffet lunch)
Sept Wed 7, 11.00 am (inc RADAR Exhibition and buffet lunch)
Sept Wed 21, 11.00 am (inc RADAR Exhibition and buffet lunch)
October Wed 5, 11.00 am (inc RADAR Exhibition and buffet lunch)
November Wed 16, 11.00 am (inc RADAR Exhibition and festive seasonal lunch) £32.50
BEDFIELD HALL
The isolated 9th century site was moated around 1300 and is adjacent to the 11th century church. The earlier part of the house, built in 1421, was enlarged and modernised with two wings of 1620 and 1630. Until the Dissolution, the manor was held by Eye Priory. For the last 25 years, the house and garden have been the home and working space of artist Timothy Easton and his wife, Christine. Timothy is also an architectural historian and a specialist on the painted surfaces of 16th and 17th century buildings. Here at Bedfield Hall, most of the rooms have their early 17th century decorative schemes intact or restored. The first owner-occupier since around 1100 was a wealthy farmer, Thomas Dunston (resident 1610-1657). He was responsible for the layout of the painted rooms, two enriched plaster ceilings and, in his new kitchen, a remarkable painted and inscribed ceiling with magical symbols to ward off witches. The sub-divided two-acre gardens around the house have five connecting bridges over the water. There are formal yew hedges and topiary with potager, shrub roses, iris beds and a woodland area. The tour starts in the church, continuing in the garden (weather permitting) and on to the house.
Tour approx two and a half hours, £15.50 including tea or coffee, home-made cakes and biscuits.
Tour Dates 2011
June Wed 1, 2.30 pm
June Wed 29, 2.30 pm
July Wed 6, 2.30 pm
BRUISYARD HALL
One of only four abbeys of the Poor Clares, Bruisyard Hall was founded by Maud, Countess of Ulster, in 1364 and was occupied by many courtly ladies. It still retains a great sense of peace. The Hall was rebuilt by the Hare family after the dissolution of the monasteries and incorporates a "priest’s hole" as they remained staunchly Roman Catholic under Elizabeth I. It was inherited by Sir Thomas Rous in 1611 and remains in this family.
Tour approx two hours, £15 including tea or coffee, cakes and biscuits.
Self-catering accommodation.
Tour Dates 2011
April Thu 14, 2.00 pm
July Thu 21, 2.00 pm
Sept Thu 8, 2.00 pm
BUXLOW MANOR
This red-brick manor house, dated 1678, is still in the Elizabethan E-plan. The two projecting wings have Dutch gables with segmental pediments at the top. In a niche at the top of the E is a unique medieval (late 15th century) statue of an East Anglian angel. The informal gardens of five acres include a spring garden, Japanese cherries, 200 shrub roses and specimen trees. Nelson and naval memorabilia.
Tour approx 2 hours, £15 including drinks and canapés.
Tour Dates 2011
April Sat 30, 5.00 pm
May Thu 19, 5.00 pm
June Thu 16, 5.00 pm
June Thu 23, 5.00 pm
July Thu 14, 5.00 pm
Sept Sat 10, 5.00 pm
COLUMBINE HALL
Bought by present owners in 1993 as a dilapidated 1390s, moated manor, empty for seven years. Much artifice in its restoration using skill, trickery and MDF. Work uncovered fireplaces, floorboards and timber-framing to create a much-featured house from an unloved building. Owners reveal all.
Tour 2 hours, £15 including tea and home-made cakes. Picnic in grounds.
Owners’ books, plants on sale.
Tour Dates 2011
June Sat 4, 2.30 pm
July Sun 9, 2.30 pm
July Thu 14, 2.30 pm
July Wed 27, 2.30 pm
August Tue 16, 2.30 pm
August Sun 28, 2.30 pm
CROWS HALL
An avenue of double oaks leads to a mellow Tudor building with fine detailing, surrounded by a large, fish-filled moat. The site dates from the Anglo-Saxon period. The house has recently undergone an award-winning restoration. The adjoining barn, also 16th century and earlier, is one of the longest in the country, part of which is thought to have been an early court hall. Fine garden setting.
Tour approx 2 hours, £15 including tea or coffee, cakes and biscuits.
Tour Dates 2011
April Wed 20, 2.30 pm
May Thu 12, 2.30 pm
June Fri 10, 2.30 pm
July Tue 19, 2.30 pm
August Tue 16, 2.30 pm
Sept Wed 7, 2.30 pm
EARSHAM HALL
Large, authentic Queen Anne house with medieval origins is home to an enthusiastic extended family and a haunting of ghosts. ‘Butcher’ Cumberland visited and Sir John Soane made improvements; survived years as a boys’ school. Antique and furniture showrooms here.
The owner suggests you should arrive early to get the most from your trip by visiting the furniture showrooms in the oldest parts of the house. There is home-made lunch on offer in the tearooms of the main courtyard, which is where visitors are served afternoon tea at the end of the tour.
Tour two to two and a half hours, £16.50 inc tea, coffee and biscuits on arrival and full afternoon tea following tour. Lunch available at tea room.
Tour Dates 2011
April Wed 6, 2.30 pm
May Tue 10, 2.30 pm
June Thu 9, 2.30 pm
July Wed 6, 2.30 pm
Sept Wed 14, 2.30 pm
October Thu 13, 2.30 pm
GELDESTON HALL
Small country house overlooking the Waveney valley built by the Kerrich family in 1780s and owned by them until 1930, restored by current owners over the last 20 years. Sheltered by woodland on the north and east, the gardens have been replanted and extended to create a series of contrasting spaces.
Tour approx 2 hours, £13 including tea, sandwiches, scones and cake.
Tour Dates 2011
June Fri 3, 2.30 pm
June Mon 6, 2.30 pm
July Fri 1, 2.30 pm
July Mon 4, 2.30 pm
Sept Fri 2, 2.30 pm
Sept Mon 5, 2.30 pm
GLEMHAM HALL
The huge 16th-18th century house and its owner, Phililp Hope-Cobbold, are equally exuberant – a double wow factor. As is the haunted staircase and fine 200-acre park designed by Repton and known for its ancient oaks. The whole bought by the Cobbold brewing family in the early 20th century.
The red brick mansion, originally of the Elizabethan period, was built (around 1560) by the de Glemhams, a family which took its name from Great (Magna) and Little (Parva) Glemham. Considerable structural changes were made to the Hall between 1712 and 1722, giving it an overall Georgian façade. The Hall remained in various branches of the North family (Lord Guilford) for more than 200 years (1709-1923). In 1923 it was purchased by the Cobbold brewing family and became the home of Captain John Murray Cobbold, founder and first chairman of Ipswich Town Football Club as a professional club and his wife Lady Blanche, a daughter of the 9th Duke of Devonshire. Captain Cobbold - then Colonel - was killed in 1944, when a flying bomb destroyed the Guards' Chapel in London. Glemham Hall is a lived-in home, now occupied by their grandson Major and Mrs. Hope-Cobbold and their family. He is Patron of Ipswich Town Football Club, was High Sheriff of Suffolk 2005-2006 and is a Deputy Lieutenant for the county.
Tour approx 2 hours, £15 including tea, coffee, squash, cakes and biscuits except where otherwise indicated in the calendar.
Tour Dates 2011
March Sun 13, 10.30 am
March Sun 27, 10.30 am
April Mon 25, 2.30 pm (Easter egg tea)
May Mon 2, 2.30 pm
May Sun 29, 10.30 am
June Thu 23, 2.30 pm
July Sat 2, 2.30 pm
July Wed 13, 2.30 pm
July Sun 17, 10.30 am (inc cellar tour and wine tasting) £25
July Wed 27, 2.30 pm
August Sun 7, 10.30 am
August Wed 17, 2.30 pm
August Mon 29, 2.30 pm
Sept Wed 7, 2.30 pm
October Sun 9, 10.30 am
Dec Sun 4, 10.30 am
Dec Tue 13, 6.00 pm (Ghostly tour, witches brew, two-course supper with wine
HAUGHLEY HOUSE
Late medieval manor, built just outside ruined Norman castle, with C18 additions. Owner is the Lord of the Manor (a title previously held by Henry II and Mary Tudor.) Features include priest hole in a chimney, two brickedup tunnels and manorial documents on display. Three-acre garden with walled kitchen garden.
Tour two and a half hours, £19.50 with two-course lunch including home-produced organic meat and vegetables. Wine for sale if required.
Tour Dates 2011
April Thu 14, 12 noon
April Fri 22, 12 noon
May Tue 10, 12 noon
May Sun 22, 12 noon
June Thu 9, 12 noon
June Fri 24, 12 noon
July Sun 17, 12 noon
Please see Haughley House.
HEATH FARMHOUSE
Classic 16th century Suffolk farmhouse with wings added in C17-C18. Original timbers have traces of Tudor colouring and witch protection marks. All 18 rooms shown. There are shutter grooves, a rare game larder and St Cross bricks. Also owner’s collection of commemorative biscuit tins and china.
Tour two and a half hours, £11 including afternoon tea with home-made scones and meringues, tours including buffet lunch £16, tour 18 Dec £18 including buffet supper.
Tour Dates 2011
May Fri 20, 11.30 am (buffet lunch)
June Fri 24, 2.30 pm
July Fri 15, 11.30 am (buffet lunch)
August Wed 31, 2.30 pm
Sept Thu 22 11.30 am (buffet lunch)
October Fri 14, 2.30 pm
Dec Sun 18, 6.00 pm
Dec Sun 19, 6.00 pm (candlelit supper, house decorated for Christmas)
HENSTEAD EXOTIC GARDEN
The tropics in Suffolk with 100 palms, 20 bananas, 200 bamboos and 30-foot tiered walk leading to a ‘Thai’ pavilion. Three ponds, streams, ruined walled garden and tea in gingerbread summerhouse with verandah. ‘Jaw-droppingly impressive’ says press. Featured on BBC Gardener's World and in Daily Telegraph and Homes & Gardens.
New for 2011: garden now extended into ancient woodland, larger tea area, further paths and buildings.
Tour approx 2 hours, £10 including tea, coffee or soft drinks and home-made cakes. Exotic plants and owner’s book for sale.
Tour Dates 2011
May Sat 21, 2.30 pm
June Sat 18, 2.30 pm
July Sat 16, 2.30 pm
August Sat 6, 2.30 pm
August Fri 26, 2.30 pm
Sept Sat 17, 12 noon
HIGH HALL
Timber-framed Elizabethan manor, on three floors built around 1600. Despite a chequered past, it is substantially unaltered with its original seven flight oak staircase and panelled drawing room. Sculptures by the owner displayed in the nine acres of gardens and meadows, and the tour includes a visit to her studio.
Tour approx 1.5 hours, £13 including tea/coffee, cakes and biscuits.
Tour Dates 2011
May Wed 18, 11.00 am
June Wed 1, 11.00 am
June Wed 29, 11.00 am
HINTLESHAM HALL
Façade built by Richard Powys ca 1720 conceals E-shape Elizabethan mansion of which chimneybreasts remain. The Drawing Room, built ca 1690, has a Carolean plaster ceiling 'among the best of late C17 anywhere in East Anglia' (Pevsner). Red Cross wartime hospital, famous hotel (both Robert Carrier and Ruth Watson were owners.) Guests at the 4-star hotel have recently encountered the many friendly ghosts. Please see Hintlesham Hall for more information.
Tour approx 4 hours, £42.50 inc coffee on arrival, 3-course lunch with aperitif, canapés, wine, water and tea/coffee with petits fours.
Tour Dates 2011
Feb Tue 15, 11.00 am
March Mon 21, 11.00 am
April Tue 12, 11.00 am
May Wed 18, 11.00 am
June Mon 6, 11.00 am
August Wed 17, 11.00 am
Sept Mon 12, 11.00 am
Sept Mon 26, 11.00 am
October Mon 24, 11.00 am
November Tue 29, 11.00 am
Dec Mon 5, 11.00 am
Dec Tue 6, 11.00 am
KERSEY MILL
Kersey Mill is a delightful group of buildings curved to catch the sun. It is a quintessentially English scene with a four-story white water mill, a William and Mary fronted millhouse (not included in tour) and all the malting/barn/stables that went with a privately operated mill. It has remained virtually untouched since it ceased working in 1929. It is an ancient site – there having been a water mill established since before the Domesday Book.
The present owner purchased the property in 1978 when it was derelict. The local council were about to take over and convert the whole complex into 16 private dwellings. The owners changed the course of the brook (it is the continuation of the water splash in Kersey village) to the front of the buildings and built a brick two arched bridge over which the property is accessed. This was to alleviate flooding from the sluice area. The maltings is currently used as a venue for weddings and other events, both private and corporate. The gardens have been developed since the late 20C. The site posed many difficulties including rapid temperature changes and scouring and silt deposits near the stream. There is a Mediterranean garden as well as country house borders, roses and topiary. In 2011 it is intended to open a river walk and have plants for sale.
Tour 11/2-2 hours, £14 including tea, coffee and home-made cream tea or cake.
Licensed bar, parties can book lunch (01473 820200).
Tour Dates 2011
Apr Tue 26, 2.30 pm
May Tue 17, 2.30 pm
May Tue 31, 2.30 pm
June Tue 14, 2.30 pm
July Tue 5, 2.30 pm
Aug Tue 2, 2.30 pm
Aug Tue 30, 2.30 pm
Sep Tue 13, 2.30 pm
LANGHAM HALL
Georgian gem circa 1756. Set in parkland and large gardens. Historic walled garden (3.7 acres) containing the National Alpine Campanula collection (under Sue Wooster) and fully renovated working vegetable fruit and herb garden (under Phil Mizen). Also sunken garden, shrub and herbaceous borders around the house. Hall houses collection of early 20th Century New English Art Club artists. Church can be included in tour.
Tour two and a half hours, £14 (inc £1 to church) including tea, sandwiches and cakes.
Tour Dates 2011
May Tue 17, 2.30 pm
June Tue 21, 2.30 pm
July Tue 12, 2.30 pm
July Tue 26, 2.30 pm
August Tue 9, 2.30 pm
Sept Tue 6, 2.30 pm
LINDEN HOUSE
Linden House is a classic example of a country town house, situated centrally in one of the smallest towns in England. Featured in the authoritative work, 'Suffolk Houses', Linden House dates from the sixteenth century at which time it was a timbered and plastered village farmhouse. Around 1780 it was restored, given a brick skin and became the smart town house it is today. The entrance hall, staircase and box doorframes are the principal features of the house. Former occupants include the six Thompson sisters, two of them leading suffragettes. One of the TV series of Agatha Christie's 'Miss Marple' thrillers was filmed here. The owner will lecture on the history of the house and town. Linden House is the perfect venue for anyone walking the Eye Town Trail, an easy circular tour of architectural, social and historical interest. Coffee and refreshments are served on the sunny side lawn, secluded from the main street.
Tour approx 2 hours, £10 including tea/coffee with cakes and scones.
Tour Dates 2011
August Fri 5, 10.30 am
August Fri 12, 10.30 am
MIDDLETON HALL
Named after Middleton family, owners for ca 200 years until 1504. Tudor house originally built by Elisabeth Holland, mistress of the infamous third Duke of Norfolk, before 1546. Extended by Sir Henry Woodhouse before 1595 when he married Cecily Gresham. The famous plaster ceiling with its heraldic Gresham grasshopper survives in the present dining room. House and superb gardens, including ‘Tudor’ garden by designer Mark Rumary, restored from 1991.
Tour 2 hours, £13 including tea or coffee with home-made cakes and scones.
Tour Dates 2011
April Tue 19, 2.30 pm
May Tue 3, 2.30 am
May Sat 14, 10.30 pm
OTLEY HALL
Still a family home, this beautiful 16th century moated hall is set in 10 acres of gardens in the tranquil Suffolk countryside. A Grade I listed building, the house is a perfect example of unspoiled late medieval architecture. Particularly impressive are the Great Hall and Linenfold Parlour, both of which look out onto the Rose Garden. According to Farrer (Old Suffolk Houses, Vol. 6), these two rooms are unequalled in Suffolk. Notable features include a cross or screens passage, richly carved beams, superb linenfold panelling and 16th-century wall paintings celebrating the marriage in 1559 of Robert Gosnold III and Ursula Naunton. Outside, the lofty chimneys, herringbone brickwork and vineleaf pargetting give a tantalising glimpse of a glorious past. Otley Hall garden was placed 6th in a poll recently undertaken by The Independent in the "Top 50 Best British Gardens to Visit".
Tour one and a half hours, £13.50 including tea or coffee and cakes. Tour 8 Dec £16.00 including mulled wine and festive nibbles in the Great Hall.
Tour Dates 2011
April Thu 7, 11.00 am
May Thu 19, 11.00 am
June Tue 28, 2.00 pm
July Thu 28, 2.00 pm
August Thu 11, 11.00 am
Sept Thu 22, 11.00 am
Dec Thu 8, 4.00 pm (Mulled wine and festive nibbles in the Great Hall)
OUSDEN HOUSE
The house is a spacious and interesting conversion of a Georgian stable and coach house. A remarkable garden has been created over the last 15 years, comprising approximately eight acres, making good use of the surrounding landscape. It includes herbaceous borders, rose garden, formal courtyard, a long double crinkle-crankle yew hedge, water garden, lake and ornamental woodland.
Tour 2-21/2 hours, £15 including tea with sandwiches, home-made cakes and biscuits.
Tour Dates 2011
April Thu 14 2.00 pm
May Thu 19, 2.30 pm
June Thu 23, 2.30 pm
ROOS HALL
A Grade I red brick Tudor manor house dated 1583, Roos Hall is an important example of Elizabethan classicism in the Waveney Valley vernacular tradition. Set in its medieval parkland with river frontage, the hall retains original fireplaces and panelling. Bought by Sir John Suckling (father of the poet and Secretary of State to James I) in 1613.
Tour approx 2 hours, £15.00 including tea and cakes.
Tour Dates 2011
June Tue 28, 2.00 pm
SAXHAM HALL
Two-storey Palladian house by Joseph Patience dating from the 1790s with generous portico, pediment with arms and columns outside. Inside is an elegant staircase and fine painted ceiling. Described on completion as 'having something of the air of the Italian villa', the main part of the house remains very similar to the original architect's drawings despite Victorian wings having been added and removed in the intervening years. The park, woods, lakes and follies are reputed to be by Capability Brown; there is a Moorish temple, polygonal lodge and tea house.
Family home, unchanging and off-the-beaten track, used in several TV period dramas.
Tour approx two and a half hours, £14 including tea or coffee with sandwiches, cakes and biscuits.
Tour Dates 2011
April Tue 12, 2.30 pm
June Tue 7, 2.30 pm
June Wed 29, 2.30 pm
SOUTH ELMHAM HALL
South Elmham Hall is a 13th century former bishop's palace standing within a four-acre moated site. The 16th century exterior of the Grade I listed house hides a medieval first floor hall, where the Bishop of Norwich held court and entertained. Many features survive including probably the earliest domestic wall paintings in Suffolk. The tour includes a walk through the former deer park (good shoes recommended) to South Elmham Minister (once described as one of the most romantic and enigmatic ruins in England) and 11th century chapel built to commemorate the site of a Saxon 7th century minister. The garden of South Elmham Hall includes a ruined gatehouse, and a grove of mature trees. The Hall is at the centre of a traditional mixed farm, which has won awards for conservation and wildlife management.
South Elmham Hall was at the centre of an ancient Episcopal estate with the Bishops See of Elmham dating from the 7th century. Nothing remains from the earliest settlement except pottery scatter on the settlement sites. The Vikings are said to have plundered and burned the East Anglian Minsters. South Elmham Manor was gifted to the Priory of Norwich on the Foundation of Norwich Cathedral in 1100 by the then Bishop Herbert de Losinga. Herbert also stocked a deer park. Bishop Walter de Suffield is said to have 'lived at South Elmham in great splendour' Bishop Henry de Spencer had a licence to crenulate in 1387. Held by the Bishops until 1450 and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Then acquired from Henry VIII by Edward (later to become) Lord North. The Norths remodelled the Medieval Palace into a hunting lodge, they in turn sold in 1617 when it became part of the Flixton estate. Later in the 19th century it was home to the Stewards and managers of that estate.
Recent work reveals more of the original C13 bishop’s palace than thought. Features include Suffolk’s earliest domestic wall paintings. Tour includes deer park walk and Minster and chapel ruins.
Tour approx three and a half hours, £26.50 including 2-course lunch, tour, walk to Minster, and cream tea. Candlelit tour on Friday 16 Dec includes a two-course Christmas supper with glass of wine.
Tour Dates 2011
April Mon 55, 12.30 pm
July Thu 14, 12.30 pm
Sept Thu 15, 12.30 pm
Dec Fri 16, 6.00 pm (candlelit tour with glass of wine and 2-course Christmas supper)
WEST STOW HALL
The Hall gatehouse was built by Sir John Crofts in 1520. It has terracotta figures as finials and contains a 16th century wall painting of the Four Ages of Man. The coat of arms of Queen Mary of France, Henry VIII’s sister, is displayed above the entrance. She later became Duchess of Suffolk. The gatehouse was joined to the main house by a colonnade with a gallery above in about 1570.
The main house consists of two large timber frames joined by iron ties. The front downstairs rooms are very heavily timbered with some side uprights rising through the house to the roof. They may have been re-sited from the earlier medieval manor house that stood on the site. Certainly they are older than the 16th century. The lounge has one of the largest inglenooks in Suffolk. The rear frame includes a great reception hall, heavily carved beams and interesting detail. It is said to date from the early 16th century but again there is some evidence that the frame predates the gatehouse. The house originally extended northwards across the lawn and into what is now woodland.
The house was partially faced in brick in the 1840s by the Rev. Beynon, the wealthiest clergyman in England. His builder complained that the house was full of voids, which are indeed still there.
The Hall is surrounded by well-designed and interesting gardens, woodland and an orchard.
Tours 2-21/2 hours, £14 including tea or coffee and cakes. Accommodation.
Tour Dates 2011
Mar Thu 24 2.30 pm
Apr Thu 14, 10.30 am
Apr Wed 20, 2.30 pm
May Tue 10, 2.30 pm
May Thu 19, 2.30 pm
June Thu 2, 10.30 am
June Tue 14 2.30 pm
June Fri 17, 2.30pm
July Fri 22, 10.30 am
July Tue 26, 2.30 pm
WINGFIELD COLLEGE
Hidden behind the Georgian facade is the original chantry college of priests, founded in 1362. Inside are the medieval Great Hall, part of the 14th century cloister and Tudor and Georgian interiors. Four acres of gardens include a walled kitchen garden, medieval fishponds, meadows, woods and an eccentric topiary garden. Tour includes Wingfield Church.
Wingfield College is a remnant of the chantry college founded by Sir John de Wingfield in 1362. Sir John was a soldier of high reputation in the reign of Edward III, and Chief Counsellor of the Black Prince. In 1355 he accompanied him to Languedoc, and some letters of Sir John's written during the campaign still survive as important records of the War. He fought at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 and made a fortune from ransom money, by ransoming captured members of the French aristocracy.When he died of the Plague in 1361 he left in his will the request for the establishment of a chantry college, next to the church at Wingfield.
It is believed that the College buildings took the form of a quadrangle of timber-framed buildings grouped around the mediaeval hall. The college had a Master and nine Secular Chaplains and three choral scholarships for boys. These were required to live at the college, pray for Sir John, the Black Prince and Edward III, run a boarding school and minister to local parishes. Sir John's daughter and heiress married Michael de la Pole, later 1st Earl of Suffolk. Subsequent benefactors included William de-la-Pole, Earl of Suffolk, 1428; and John de-la-Pole, 1491.
During the Wars of the Roses the de la Pole family suffered badly and the 5th and the last Earl was beheaded by Henry VIII. The College came under the patronage of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor, Henry VIII's sister. In 1542 the college was dissolved and given to the Bishops of Norwich. The College was then leased to a series of tenants and a large part of the building was demolished.
The remaining wings were remodelled in provincial Palladian style in the later 18th century by Squire Buck (or Brick - the manuscript is unclear). The Georgian appearance concealed the 14th century building and its medieval origin was largely forgotten. Some Historians and Antiquarians suspected that what was then called College Farm may still retain parts of the old bnuilding, including the Wingfield vicar Reverend Aldwell in his book "Wingfield" in 1921. However it was not until 1971 that careful restoration by the then owner Ian Chance finally revealed the hidden 14th century structure and proved that the lost college had amazingly survived.
Tour two and a half to three hours, £13.50 including tea and home-made cakes. Tour includes de la Pole tombs in Wingfield church.
Tour Dates 2011
May Thu 5, 2.00 pm
May Fri 27, 2.00 pm
June Sat 25, 2.00 pm
Sept Fri 9, 2.00 pm
Sept Sat 24, 2.00 pm
For more information including how to book a tour, please check out Invitation to View.
Have you viisted one of Invitation to View's properties in Suffolk? Tell us all about your experience by emailing us at suffolkguides.admin@suffolktouristguide.com.
You may also be interested in viewing the following - -
English Heritage in Suffolk
Historical Places in Suffolk
Invitation to View organizes single visitors or couples into groups in a tour style both effective and highly popular. While welcoming new visitors every day, Invitation to View also boasts veteran fans known to visit twenty or more of their available houses! Many visits are hosted by the owners themselves, allowing each tour to be individual and tailored to the location and the particular group - feel free to ask questions, whether about colour schemes, antiques, history or family scandals!
Please find details of the properties in Suffolk open to the public this year, and please click on the Invitation to View link above to book tickets.
INVITATION TO VIEW – SUFFOLK PROPERTIES 2011
THE ABBEY, EYE
This monastic complex was founded in 1080 as the Priory of St Peter, Eye, by Robert Malet, a Norman baron, in memory of his father, William Malet, who fought with William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. It was a Benedictine priory and the church was designed as a mirror image of Bernay Abbey in Normandy, France. The ground plan and photographs of Bernay are on display at The Abbey. In 1137 King Stephen granted a charter to Eye Priory - a grand document which is now in the British Museum. A copy and translation can be seen at the Abbey. This complex which had been granted to Thomas a Becket was only returned to the crown after his murder in Dec 1170. In 1385 King Richard II granted another charter, which freed the priory from French control and thus the burden of subsidies, as their income had been greatly reduced. With the dissolution of the monasteries in 1537, the complex was granted to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and the fabric of the magnificent church was pillaged. The prior's lodgings attached to the church were spared and are now called The Abbey. The brick facade hides a medieval stone and timbered building. The large garden features in many magazines with its courtyards and remains of the church and priory. Visitors are welcome to view the garden and glasshouses.
Tour approx 2-2.5 hours, £13 including tea, coffee or cold drinks and biscuits. Bed and breakfast by appointment, tel: 01379 870263
Tour Dates 2011
May Wed 4, 10.30 am
May Wed 18, 10.30 am
June Wed 1, 10.30 am
June Wed 15, 10.30 am
June Wed 22, 10.30 am
June Wed 29, 10.30 am
July Wed 6, 10.30 am
July Wed 20, 10.30 am
BARSHAM OLD HALL
Major Iron Age workings have just been discovered near this restored C15 house. Owners include Sir John Suckling (comptroller to James I) and his son, John, the Cavalier poet. Visit includes tour of Barsham Church, which has strong Nelson and Trollope connections. Herb, garden and house plants for sale in nursery.
Tour approx five hours, £24 including coffee on arrival, buffet lunch followed by coffee, farewell cup of tea (proceeds to church restorations).
Tour Dates 2011
May Tue 24, 11.00 am
June Tue 28, 11.00 am
July Tue 19, 11.00 am
Aug Tue 16, 11.00 am
Sept Tue 6, 11.00 am
BAWDSEY MANOR
Architectural extravaganza, 1880-1900, for Sir Cuthbert Quilter with Gothic, Flemish, Tudor and Oriental styles. It stands high above the Deben with artificial Pulhamite cliff facing North Sea. Radar was developed here. Choice of 2-hour or 5-hour tour. Start at Bawdsey Quay (parking there.)
Tour A (house, grounds, gardens): two hours, £16 inc tea and home-made cakes.
Tour B (radar Exhibition, house, grounds, gardens): £27.50 (£32.50 on 16 Nov) inc buffet lunch. This starts with a visit to the Magic Ear Exhibition in the Transmitter Block (please see Bawdsey Radar), followed by a buffet lunch at the manor and a tour of the house and gardens. Visit lasts about five hours. B&B available at Bawdsey Manor House.
Tour Dates 2011 for Tour A (£16.00)
May Wed 4, 2.00 pm
May Wed 18, 2.00 pm
Sept Wed 14, 2.00 pm
Sept Wed 28, 2.00 pm
October Wed 12, 2.00 pm
Tour Dates 2011 for Tour B £27.50 (£32.50 on 16 Nov)
May Wed 11, 11.00 (inc RADAR Exhibition and buffet lunch)
May Wed 25, 11.00 am (inc RADAR Exhibition and buffet lunch)
Sept Wed 7, 11.00 am (inc RADAR Exhibition and buffet lunch)
Sept Wed 21, 11.00 am (inc RADAR Exhibition and buffet lunch)
October Wed 5, 11.00 am (inc RADAR Exhibition and buffet lunch)
November Wed 16, 11.00 am (inc RADAR Exhibition and festive seasonal lunch) £32.50
BEDFIELD HALL
The isolated 9th century site was moated around 1300 and is adjacent to the 11th century church. The earlier part of the house, built in 1421, was enlarged and modernised with two wings of 1620 and 1630. Until the Dissolution, the manor was held by Eye Priory. For the last 25 years, the house and garden have been the home and working space of artist Timothy Easton and his wife, Christine. Timothy is also an architectural historian and a specialist on the painted surfaces of 16th and 17th century buildings. Here at Bedfield Hall, most of the rooms have their early 17th century decorative schemes intact or restored. The first owner-occupier since around 1100 was a wealthy farmer, Thomas Dunston (resident 1610-1657). He was responsible for the layout of the painted rooms, two enriched plaster ceilings and, in his new kitchen, a remarkable painted and inscribed ceiling with magical symbols to ward off witches. The sub-divided two-acre gardens around the house have five connecting bridges over the water. There are formal yew hedges and topiary with potager, shrub roses, iris beds and a woodland area. The tour starts in the church, continuing in the garden (weather permitting) and on to the house.
Tour approx two and a half hours, £15.50 including tea or coffee, home-made cakes and biscuits.
Tour Dates 2011
June Wed 1, 2.30 pm
June Wed 29, 2.30 pm
July Wed 6, 2.30 pm
BRUISYARD HALL
One of only four abbeys of the Poor Clares, Bruisyard Hall was founded by Maud, Countess of Ulster, in 1364 and was occupied by many courtly ladies. It still retains a great sense of peace. The Hall was rebuilt by the Hare family after the dissolution of the monasteries and incorporates a "priest’s hole" as they remained staunchly Roman Catholic under Elizabeth I. It was inherited by Sir Thomas Rous in 1611 and remains in this family.
Tour approx two hours, £15 including tea or coffee, cakes and biscuits.
Self-catering accommodation.
Tour Dates 2011
April Thu 14, 2.00 pm
July Thu 21, 2.00 pm
Sept Thu 8, 2.00 pm
BUXLOW MANOR
This red-brick manor house, dated 1678, is still in the Elizabethan E-plan. The two projecting wings have Dutch gables with segmental pediments at the top. In a niche at the top of the E is a unique medieval (late 15th century) statue of an East Anglian angel. The informal gardens of five acres include a spring garden, Japanese cherries, 200 shrub roses and specimen trees. Nelson and naval memorabilia.
Tour approx 2 hours, £15 including drinks and canapés.
Tour Dates 2011
April Sat 30, 5.00 pm
May Thu 19, 5.00 pm
June Thu 16, 5.00 pm
June Thu 23, 5.00 pm
July Thu 14, 5.00 pm
Sept Sat 10, 5.00 pm
COLUMBINE HALL
Bought by present owners in 1993 as a dilapidated 1390s, moated manor, empty for seven years. Much artifice in its restoration using skill, trickery and MDF. Work uncovered fireplaces, floorboards and timber-framing to create a much-featured house from an unloved building. Owners reveal all.
Tour 2 hours, £15 including tea and home-made cakes. Picnic in grounds.
Owners’ books, plants on sale.
Tour Dates 2011
June Sat 4, 2.30 pm
July Sun 9, 2.30 pm
July Thu 14, 2.30 pm
July Wed 27, 2.30 pm
August Tue 16, 2.30 pm
August Sun 28, 2.30 pm
CROWS HALL
An avenue of double oaks leads to a mellow Tudor building with fine detailing, surrounded by a large, fish-filled moat. The site dates from the Anglo-Saxon period. The house has recently undergone an award-winning restoration. The adjoining barn, also 16th century and earlier, is one of the longest in the country, part of which is thought to have been an early court hall. Fine garden setting.
Tour approx 2 hours, £15 including tea or coffee, cakes and biscuits.
Tour Dates 2011
April Wed 20, 2.30 pm
May Thu 12, 2.30 pm
June Fri 10, 2.30 pm
July Tue 19, 2.30 pm
August Tue 16, 2.30 pm
Sept Wed 7, 2.30 pm
EARSHAM HALL
Large, authentic Queen Anne house with medieval origins is home to an enthusiastic extended family and a haunting of ghosts. ‘Butcher’ Cumberland visited and Sir John Soane made improvements; survived years as a boys’ school. Antique and furniture showrooms here.
The owner suggests you should arrive early to get the most from your trip by visiting the furniture showrooms in the oldest parts of the house. There is home-made lunch on offer in the tearooms of the main courtyard, which is where visitors are served afternoon tea at the end of the tour.
Tour two to two and a half hours, £16.50 inc tea, coffee and biscuits on arrival and full afternoon tea following tour. Lunch available at tea room.
Tour Dates 2011
April Wed 6, 2.30 pm
May Tue 10, 2.30 pm
June Thu 9, 2.30 pm
July Wed 6, 2.30 pm
Sept Wed 14, 2.30 pm
October Thu 13, 2.30 pm
GELDESTON HALL
Small country house overlooking the Waveney valley built by the Kerrich family in 1780s and owned by them until 1930, restored by current owners over the last 20 years. Sheltered by woodland on the north and east, the gardens have been replanted and extended to create a series of contrasting spaces.
Tour approx 2 hours, £13 including tea, sandwiches, scones and cake.
Tour Dates 2011
June Fri 3, 2.30 pm
June Mon 6, 2.30 pm
July Fri 1, 2.30 pm
July Mon 4, 2.30 pm
Sept Fri 2, 2.30 pm
Sept Mon 5, 2.30 pm
GLEMHAM HALL
The huge 16th-18th century house and its owner, Phililp Hope-Cobbold, are equally exuberant – a double wow factor. As is the haunted staircase and fine 200-acre park designed by Repton and known for its ancient oaks. The whole bought by the Cobbold brewing family in the early 20th century.
The red brick mansion, originally of the Elizabethan period, was built (around 1560) by the de Glemhams, a family which took its name from Great (Magna) and Little (Parva) Glemham. Considerable structural changes were made to the Hall between 1712 and 1722, giving it an overall Georgian façade. The Hall remained in various branches of the North family (Lord Guilford) for more than 200 years (1709-1923). In 1923 it was purchased by the Cobbold brewing family and became the home of Captain John Murray Cobbold, founder and first chairman of Ipswich Town Football Club as a professional club and his wife Lady Blanche, a daughter of the 9th Duke of Devonshire. Captain Cobbold - then Colonel - was killed in 1944, when a flying bomb destroyed the Guards' Chapel in London. Glemham Hall is a lived-in home, now occupied by their grandson Major and Mrs. Hope-Cobbold and their family. He is Patron of Ipswich Town Football Club, was High Sheriff of Suffolk 2005-2006 and is a Deputy Lieutenant for the county.
Tour approx 2 hours, £15 including tea, coffee, squash, cakes and biscuits except where otherwise indicated in the calendar.
Tour Dates 2011
March Sun 13, 10.30 am
March Sun 27, 10.30 am
April Mon 25, 2.30 pm (Easter egg tea)
May Mon 2, 2.30 pm
May Sun 29, 10.30 am
June Thu 23, 2.30 pm
July Sat 2, 2.30 pm
July Wed 13, 2.30 pm
July Sun 17, 10.30 am (inc cellar tour and wine tasting) £25
July Wed 27, 2.30 pm
August Sun 7, 10.30 am
August Wed 17, 2.30 pm
August Mon 29, 2.30 pm
Sept Wed 7, 2.30 pm
October Sun 9, 10.30 am
Dec Sun 4, 10.30 am
Dec Tue 13, 6.00 pm (Ghostly tour, witches brew, two-course supper with wine
HAUGHLEY HOUSE
Late medieval manor, built just outside ruined Norman castle, with C18 additions. Owner is the Lord of the Manor (a title previously held by Henry II and Mary Tudor.) Features include priest hole in a chimney, two brickedup tunnels and manorial documents on display. Three-acre garden with walled kitchen garden.
Tour two and a half hours, £19.50 with two-course lunch including home-produced organic meat and vegetables. Wine for sale if required.
Tour Dates 2011
April Thu 14, 12 noon
April Fri 22, 12 noon
May Tue 10, 12 noon
May Sun 22, 12 noon
June Thu 9, 12 noon
June Fri 24, 12 noon
July Sun 17, 12 noon
Please see Haughley House.
HEATH FARMHOUSE
Classic 16th century Suffolk farmhouse with wings added in C17-C18. Original timbers have traces of Tudor colouring and witch protection marks. All 18 rooms shown. There are shutter grooves, a rare game larder and St Cross bricks. Also owner’s collection of commemorative biscuit tins and china.
Tour two and a half hours, £11 including afternoon tea with home-made scones and meringues, tours including buffet lunch £16, tour 18 Dec £18 including buffet supper.
Tour Dates 2011
May Fri 20, 11.30 am (buffet lunch)
June Fri 24, 2.30 pm
July Fri 15, 11.30 am (buffet lunch)
August Wed 31, 2.30 pm
Sept Thu 22 11.30 am (buffet lunch)
October Fri 14, 2.30 pm
Dec Sun 18, 6.00 pm
Dec Sun 19, 6.00 pm (candlelit supper, house decorated for Christmas)
HENSTEAD EXOTIC GARDEN
The tropics in Suffolk with 100 palms, 20 bananas, 200 bamboos and 30-foot tiered walk leading to a ‘Thai’ pavilion. Three ponds, streams, ruined walled garden and tea in gingerbread summerhouse with verandah. ‘Jaw-droppingly impressive’ says press. Featured on BBC Gardener's World and in Daily Telegraph and Homes & Gardens.
New for 2011: garden now extended into ancient woodland, larger tea area, further paths and buildings.
Tour approx 2 hours, £10 including tea, coffee or soft drinks and home-made cakes. Exotic plants and owner’s book for sale.
Tour Dates 2011
May Sat 21, 2.30 pm
June Sat 18, 2.30 pm
July Sat 16, 2.30 pm
August Sat 6, 2.30 pm
August Fri 26, 2.30 pm
Sept Sat 17, 12 noon
HIGH HALL
Timber-framed Elizabethan manor, on three floors built around 1600. Despite a chequered past, it is substantially unaltered with its original seven flight oak staircase and panelled drawing room. Sculptures by the owner displayed in the nine acres of gardens and meadows, and the tour includes a visit to her studio.
Tour approx 1.5 hours, £13 including tea/coffee, cakes and biscuits.
Tour Dates 2011
May Wed 18, 11.00 am
June Wed 1, 11.00 am
June Wed 29, 11.00 am
HINTLESHAM HALL
Façade built by Richard Powys ca 1720 conceals E-shape Elizabethan mansion of which chimneybreasts remain. The Drawing Room, built ca 1690, has a Carolean plaster ceiling 'among the best of late C17 anywhere in East Anglia' (Pevsner). Red Cross wartime hospital, famous hotel (both Robert Carrier and Ruth Watson were owners.) Guests at the 4-star hotel have recently encountered the many friendly ghosts. Please see Hintlesham Hall for more information.
Tour approx 4 hours, £42.50 inc coffee on arrival, 3-course lunch with aperitif, canapés, wine, water and tea/coffee with petits fours.
Tour Dates 2011
Feb Tue 15, 11.00 am
March Mon 21, 11.00 am
April Tue 12, 11.00 am
May Wed 18, 11.00 am
June Mon 6, 11.00 am
August Wed 17, 11.00 am
Sept Mon 12, 11.00 am
Sept Mon 26, 11.00 am
October Mon 24, 11.00 am
November Tue 29, 11.00 am
Dec Mon 5, 11.00 am
Dec Tue 6, 11.00 am
KERSEY MILL
Kersey Mill is a delightful group of buildings curved to catch the sun. It is a quintessentially English scene with a four-story white water mill, a William and Mary fronted millhouse (not included in tour) and all the malting/barn/stables that went with a privately operated mill. It has remained virtually untouched since it ceased working in 1929. It is an ancient site – there having been a water mill established since before the Domesday Book.
The present owner purchased the property in 1978 when it was derelict. The local council were about to take over and convert the whole complex into 16 private dwellings. The owners changed the course of the brook (it is the continuation of the water splash in Kersey village) to the front of the buildings and built a brick two arched bridge over which the property is accessed. This was to alleviate flooding from the sluice area. The maltings is currently used as a venue for weddings and other events, both private and corporate. The gardens have been developed since the late 20C. The site posed many difficulties including rapid temperature changes and scouring and silt deposits near the stream. There is a Mediterranean garden as well as country house borders, roses and topiary. In 2011 it is intended to open a river walk and have plants for sale.
Tour 11/2-2 hours, £14 including tea, coffee and home-made cream tea or cake.
Licensed bar, parties can book lunch (01473 820200).
Tour Dates 2011
Apr Tue 26, 2.30 pm
May Tue 17, 2.30 pm
May Tue 31, 2.30 pm
June Tue 14, 2.30 pm
July Tue 5, 2.30 pm
Aug Tue 2, 2.30 pm
Aug Tue 30, 2.30 pm
Sep Tue 13, 2.30 pm
LANGHAM HALL
Georgian gem circa 1756. Set in parkland and large gardens. Historic walled garden (3.7 acres) containing the National Alpine Campanula collection (under Sue Wooster) and fully renovated working vegetable fruit and herb garden (under Phil Mizen). Also sunken garden, shrub and herbaceous borders around the house. Hall houses collection of early 20th Century New English Art Club artists. Church can be included in tour.
Tour two and a half hours, £14 (inc £1 to church) including tea, sandwiches and cakes.
Tour Dates 2011
May Tue 17, 2.30 pm
June Tue 21, 2.30 pm
July Tue 12, 2.30 pm
July Tue 26, 2.30 pm
August Tue 9, 2.30 pm
Sept Tue 6, 2.30 pm
LINDEN HOUSE
Linden House is a classic example of a country town house, situated centrally in one of the smallest towns in England. Featured in the authoritative work, 'Suffolk Houses', Linden House dates from the sixteenth century at which time it was a timbered and plastered village farmhouse. Around 1780 it was restored, given a brick skin and became the smart town house it is today. The entrance hall, staircase and box doorframes are the principal features of the house. Former occupants include the six Thompson sisters, two of them leading suffragettes. One of the TV series of Agatha Christie's 'Miss Marple' thrillers was filmed here. The owner will lecture on the history of the house and town. Linden House is the perfect venue for anyone walking the Eye Town Trail, an easy circular tour of architectural, social and historical interest. Coffee and refreshments are served on the sunny side lawn, secluded from the main street.
Tour approx 2 hours, £10 including tea/coffee with cakes and scones.
Tour Dates 2011
August Fri 5, 10.30 am
August Fri 12, 10.30 am
MIDDLETON HALL
Named after Middleton family, owners for ca 200 years until 1504. Tudor house originally built by Elisabeth Holland, mistress of the infamous third Duke of Norfolk, before 1546. Extended by Sir Henry Woodhouse before 1595 when he married Cecily Gresham. The famous plaster ceiling with its heraldic Gresham grasshopper survives in the present dining room. House and superb gardens, including ‘Tudor’ garden by designer Mark Rumary, restored from 1991.
Tour 2 hours, £13 including tea or coffee with home-made cakes and scones.
Tour Dates 2011
April Tue 19, 2.30 pm
May Tue 3, 2.30 am
May Sat 14, 10.30 pm
OTLEY HALL
Still a family home, this beautiful 16th century moated hall is set in 10 acres of gardens in the tranquil Suffolk countryside. A Grade I listed building, the house is a perfect example of unspoiled late medieval architecture. Particularly impressive are the Great Hall and Linenfold Parlour, both of which look out onto the Rose Garden. According to Farrer (Old Suffolk Houses, Vol. 6), these two rooms are unequalled in Suffolk. Notable features include a cross or screens passage, richly carved beams, superb linenfold panelling and 16th-century wall paintings celebrating the marriage in 1559 of Robert Gosnold III and Ursula Naunton. Outside, the lofty chimneys, herringbone brickwork and vineleaf pargetting give a tantalising glimpse of a glorious past. Otley Hall garden was placed 6th in a poll recently undertaken by The Independent in the "Top 50 Best British Gardens to Visit".
Tour one and a half hours, £13.50 including tea or coffee and cakes. Tour 8 Dec £16.00 including mulled wine and festive nibbles in the Great Hall.
Tour Dates 2011
April Thu 7, 11.00 am
May Thu 19, 11.00 am
June Tue 28, 2.00 pm
July Thu 28, 2.00 pm
August Thu 11, 11.00 am
Sept Thu 22, 11.00 am
Dec Thu 8, 4.00 pm (Mulled wine and festive nibbles in the Great Hall)
OUSDEN HOUSE
The house is a spacious and interesting conversion of a Georgian stable and coach house. A remarkable garden has been created over the last 15 years, comprising approximately eight acres, making good use of the surrounding landscape. It includes herbaceous borders, rose garden, formal courtyard, a long double crinkle-crankle yew hedge, water garden, lake and ornamental woodland.
Tour 2-21/2 hours, £15 including tea with sandwiches, home-made cakes and biscuits.
Tour Dates 2011
April Thu 14 2.00 pm
May Thu 19, 2.30 pm
June Thu 23, 2.30 pm
ROOS HALL
A Grade I red brick Tudor manor house dated 1583, Roos Hall is an important example of Elizabethan classicism in the Waveney Valley vernacular tradition. Set in its medieval parkland with river frontage, the hall retains original fireplaces and panelling. Bought by Sir John Suckling (father of the poet and Secretary of State to James I) in 1613.
Tour approx 2 hours, £15.00 including tea and cakes.
Tour Dates 2011
June Tue 28, 2.00 pm
SAXHAM HALL
Two-storey Palladian house by Joseph Patience dating from the 1790s with generous portico, pediment with arms and columns outside. Inside is an elegant staircase and fine painted ceiling. Described on completion as 'having something of the air of the Italian villa', the main part of the house remains very similar to the original architect's drawings despite Victorian wings having been added and removed in the intervening years. The park, woods, lakes and follies are reputed to be by Capability Brown; there is a Moorish temple, polygonal lodge and tea house.
Family home, unchanging and off-the-beaten track, used in several TV period dramas.
Tour approx two and a half hours, £14 including tea or coffee with sandwiches, cakes and biscuits.
Tour Dates 2011
April Tue 12, 2.30 pm
June Tue 7, 2.30 pm
June Wed 29, 2.30 pm
SOUTH ELMHAM HALL
South Elmham Hall is a 13th century former bishop's palace standing within a four-acre moated site. The 16th century exterior of the Grade I listed house hides a medieval first floor hall, where the Bishop of Norwich held court and entertained. Many features survive including probably the earliest domestic wall paintings in Suffolk. The tour includes a walk through the former deer park (good shoes recommended) to South Elmham Minister (once described as one of the most romantic and enigmatic ruins in England) and 11th century chapel built to commemorate the site of a Saxon 7th century minister. The garden of South Elmham Hall includes a ruined gatehouse, and a grove of mature trees. The Hall is at the centre of a traditional mixed farm, which has won awards for conservation and wildlife management.
South Elmham Hall was at the centre of an ancient Episcopal estate with the Bishops See of Elmham dating from the 7th century. Nothing remains from the earliest settlement except pottery scatter on the settlement sites. The Vikings are said to have plundered and burned the East Anglian Minsters. South Elmham Manor was gifted to the Priory of Norwich on the Foundation of Norwich Cathedral in 1100 by the then Bishop Herbert de Losinga. Herbert also stocked a deer park. Bishop Walter de Suffield is said to have 'lived at South Elmham in great splendour' Bishop Henry de Spencer had a licence to crenulate in 1387. Held by the Bishops until 1450 and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Then acquired from Henry VIII by Edward (later to become) Lord North. The Norths remodelled the Medieval Palace into a hunting lodge, they in turn sold in 1617 when it became part of the Flixton estate. Later in the 19th century it was home to the Stewards and managers of that estate.
Recent work reveals more of the original C13 bishop’s palace than thought. Features include Suffolk’s earliest domestic wall paintings. Tour includes deer park walk and Minster and chapel ruins.
Tour approx three and a half hours, £26.50 including 2-course lunch, tour, walk to Minster, and cream tea. Candlelit tour on Friday 16 Dec includes a two-course Christmas supper with glass of wine.
Tour Dates 2011
April Mon 55, 12.30 pm
July Thu 14, 12.30 pm
Sept Thu 15, 12.30 pm
Dec Fri 16, 6.00 pm (candlelit tour with glass of wine and 2-course Christmas supper)
WEST STOW HALL
The Hall gatehouse was built by Sir John Crofts in 1520. It has terracotta figures as finials and contains a 16th century wall painting of the Four Ages of Man. The coat of arms of Queen Mary of France, Henry VIII’s sister, is displayed above the entrance. She later became Duchess of Suffolk. The gatehouse was joined to the main house by a colonnade with a gallery above in about 1570.
The main house consists of two large timber frames joined by iron ties. The front downstairs rooms are very heavily timbered with some side uprights rising through the house to the roof. They may have been re-sited from the earlier medieval manor house that stood on the site. Certainly they are older than the 16th century. The lounge has one of the largest inglenooks in Suffolk. The rear frame includes a great reception hall, heavily carved beams and interesting detail. It is said to date from the early 16th century but again there is some evidence that the frame predates the gatehouse. The house originally extended northwards across the lawn and into what is now woodland.
The house was partially faced in brick in the 1840s by the Rev. Beynon, the wealthiest clergyman in England. His builder complained that the house was full of voids, which are indeed still there.
The Hall is surrounded by well-designed and interesting gardens, woodland and an orchard.
Tours 2-21/2 hours, £14 including tea or coffee and cakes. Accommodation.
Tour Dates 2011
Mar Thu 24 2.30 pm
Apr Thu 14, 10.30 am
Apr Wed 20, 2.30 pm
May Tue 10, 2.30 pm
May Thu 19, 2.30 pm
June Thu 2, 10.30 am
June Tue 14 2.30 pm
June Fri 17, 2.30pm
July Fri 22, 10.30 am
July Tue 26, 2.30 pm
WINGFIELD COLLEGE
Hidden behind the Georgian facade is the original chantry college of priests, founded in 1362. Inside are the medieval Great Hall, part of the 14th century cloister and Tudor and Georgian interiors. Four acres of gardens include a walled kitchen garden, medieval fishponds, meadows, woods and an eccentric topiary garden. Tour includes Wingfield Church.
Wingfield College is a remnant of the chantry college founded by Sir John de Wingfield in 1362. Sir John was a soldier of high reputation in the reign of Edward III, and Chief Counsellor of the Black Prince. In 1355 he accompanied him to Languedoc, and some letters of Sir John's written during the campaign still survive as important records of the War. He fought at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 and made a fortune from ransom money, by ransoming captured members of the French aristocracy.When he died of the Plague in 1361 he left in his will the request for the establishment of a chantry college, next to the church at Wingfield.
It is believed that the College buildings took the form of a quadrangle of timber-framed buildings grouped around the mediaeval hall. The college had a Master and nine Secular Chaplains and three choral scholarships for boys. These were required to live at the college, pray for Sir John, the Black Prince and Edward III, run a boarding school and minister to local parishes. Sir John's daughter and heiress married Michael de la Pole, later 1st Earl of Suffolk. Subsequent benefactors included William de-la-Pole, Earl of Suffolk, 1428; and John de-la-Pole, 1491.
During the Wars of the Roses the de la Pole family suffered badly and the 5th and the last Earl was beheaded by Henry VIII. The College came under the patronage of Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor, Henry VIII's sister. In 1542 the college was dissolved and given to the Bishops of Norwich. The College was then leased to a series of tenants and a large part of the building was demolished.
The remaining wings were remodelled in provincial Palladian style in the later 18th century by Squire Buck (or Brick - the manuscript is unclear). The Georgian appearance concealed the 14th century building and its medieval origin was largely forgotten. Some Historians and Antiquarians suspected that what was then called College Farm may still retain parts of the old bnuilding, including the Wingfield vicar Reverend Aldwell in his book "Wingfield" in 1921. However it was not until 1971 that careful restoration by the then owner Ian Chance finally revealed the hidden 14th century structure and proved that the lost college had amazingly survived.
Tour two and a half to three hours, £13.50 including tea and home-made cakes. Tour includes de la Pole tombs in Wingfield church.
Tour Dates 2011
May Thu 5, 2.00 pm
May Fri 27, 2.00 pm
June Sat 25, 2.00 pm
Sept Fri 9, 2.00 pm
Sept Sat 24, 2.00 pm
For more information including how to book a tour, please check out Invitation to View.
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