Introduction
South Suffolk has much to offer, whether your preference is for sightseeing, hunting for antiques, visiting historic houses and medieval villages or simply walking and cycling through the pretty countryside that so inspired great artists such as Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable.
Chapel House
(Copyright Robert Estall)
This site provides information to help you make the most of your stay in South Suffolk and includes tourist attractions, a selection of eating places and a range of accommodation from B&Bs to Hotels and self-catering cottages.
Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford
When you arrive, please visit one of our Tourist Information Centres in Sudbury, Flatford, Lavenham, or our tourist information point in the library in Hadleigh, where the information staff will be happy to help you with any queries you may have on this lovely part of England.
South Suffolk is rich in architecture, wildlife, history and beautiful landscapes, and boasts diversity and appeal that is equal to any part of Britain. The area was for several centuries one of the most important industrial districts in England, due mainly to the flourishing cloth industry in the 15th century. The tremendous wealth generated by this trade determined the size, shape and architecture of many local towns and villages. The demand for broad cloth declined in the mid-sixteenth century however, and the district suffered as production centres for lighter, cheaper materials moved to Colchester and Norwich.
In the l9th century new industries were introduced to provide employment and relieve poverty. Silk weaving factories were built in Sudbury, Hadleigh and Boxford, and today there are still factories in Glemsford and Sudbury producing high quality silk.
Countryside near Hadleigh
Famous Artists - Constable and Gainsborough
The district embraces the whole of what is known as 'Constable Country'. John Constable was born and bred in East Bergholt. He spent much of his time painting scenes near his home at Flatford Mill and his native landscape became his inspiration.
"Painting for me is but another world of feeling", he wrote to a friend, "and I associate my careless boyhood with all that lies on the banks of the River Stour; those scenes made me a painter and I am grateful".
Much is unchanged since Constable's days and a trip to East Bergholt and Flatford Mill will reward visitors with views from Constable's most famous paintings: "The Haywain" and "Willy Lott's Cottage". There is ample free car parking in East Bergholt which also has a craft shop, pubs and restaurants.
The Church of St Mary's where Willy Lott, friend and neighbour of John Constable, and members of the Constable family are buried, is worth a visit with its fascinating and unusual bell cage. Flatford Mill is owned by the National Trust, who lease it out as a Field Studies Centre for courses in painting, local history and ecology.
There is car parking (a charge is made), toilets, National Trust tea room and gift shop, a small Constable exhibition, river trips and walks for the casual visitor.
Detail from a Gainsborough
John Constable is not the only renowned artist to be native to South Suffolk. Thomas Gainsborough was born in the market town of Sudbury in 1727 in what is now called Gainsborough's House in Gainsborough Street and which is a museum open to the public. Gainsborough's House boasts one of the most important collections of Thomas Gainsborough's paintings outside of London and also contains furniture from that period, a modern art gallery, gift shop and print workshop running courses.
There is free car parking a short walk from Gainsborough's House in the North Street car park.
Gainsborough's House - Tel: (01787) 372958)
Sudbury Tourist Information Centre - Tel: (01787) 881320 email sudburytic@babergh.gov.uk
Gainsborough's House, Sudbury
Antiques
A visit to South Suffolk is not complete without a browse around some of our many antiques shops. Perhaps the most well known antiques centre in Suffolk is the village of Long Melford which is set along a wide street over a mile in length and which has some 20 antiques shops, interspersed with impressive houses of varying styles and architecture.
So well known is it as an antiques centre that much of the popular TV series 'Lovejoy' was filmed here and in other parts of South Suffolk.
Leisure Activities
This beautiful part of Suffolk is ideal for walking, cycling, birdwatching, sailing and even skiing! The Suffolk Ski Centre in Wherstead, near Ipswich, offers skiing all year round on their dry ski slope; Alton Water Reservoir is the place to go for windsurfing and canoeing and bikes can be hired for cycling in the Shotley Peninsula and on the cycle route around the reservoir.
If it happens to be raining, or if you are just feeling energetic and want to cool off with a relaxing swim, the recently refurbished Kingfisher Leisure Centre in Sudbury offers a swimming pool with flume and a wave machine, plus a safe area for the children. Creche facilities are also available plus a high tech gym and dance studio, bar and restaurant.
There are numerous golf clubs, tennis and squash courts which are all available to the casual user. Our local Tourist Information Centres have a comprehensive range of cycle and walks leaflets, maps and guides.
Kingfisher Leisure Centre - Tel: (01787) 375656
Suffolk Ski Centre - Tel: (01473) 602347
Alton Water Sports Centre - Tel: (01473) 328408
For information on Golf Clubs etc - Tel: (01787) 881320
Walking in Freston
Kingfisher Leisure Centre
Towns and Villages in brief
Spend some time walking the streets of Lavenham, regarded as "the finest medieval village in England". Marvel at the crooked, half-timbered houses, the splendid 16th Century Guildhall and the fabulous Church. Browse around the shops and be tempted by a cream tea or an a-la-carte lunch or dinner at one of the fine restaurants and tea shops. Audio-taped guided walks are available for hire from the pharmacy in the High Street. A personally guided tour leaves from the Tourist Information Centre twice daily, Easter to end of October.
Lavenham Tourist Information Centre - Tel: (01787) 248207
The Guildhall (National Trust) - Tel: (01787) 247646
Little Hall (Suffolk Preservation Society) - Tel: (01787) 247179
Hadleigh is steeped in history; its main street has an excellent architectural facade and the town functions as a working community while remaining surprisingly unspoilt. Wander down Church Street to admire the Guildhall, Deanery Tower and St Mary's church - all Grade I Listed Buildings, dating from medieval times. The Guildhall is open to the public for guided tours. The Riverside Walk along the River Brett is very pleasant and easily accessible from the 500 year old, red-brick Toppesfield Bridge.
The Guildhall - Tel: (01473) 827752
Hadleigh Swimming Pool - Tel: (01473) 823470
The Guildhall, Hadleigh
Set in the heart of the Stour Valley, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the market town of Sudbury is an ideal centre for both business and pleasure trips to East Anglia. The ever improving road network, a rail link with Colchester to London and many cultural and sporting facilities, fine inns and hotels, makes Sudbury an excellent place to visit. For centuries the weaving and silk industry has prospered here and many great houses and churches have been built, giving the town an outstanding historical legacy. Market days: Thursday and Saturday. Farmers Market: Last Friday of the month (St Peter's Church, Market Hill)
Sudbury Tourist Information Centre - Tel: (01787) 881320
Gainsborough's House - Tel: (01787) 372958
Quay Theatre - Tel: (01787) 374745
Kingfisher Leisure Centre - Tel: (01787) 375656
The village of Long Melford, apart from its wonderful selection of antiques shops, has a beautiful 15th Century Church and two magnificent stately homes open to the public. Melford Hall is owned by the National Trust and is open Easter to the end of October. Kentwell Hall is privately owned and is host to medieval recreations staged throughout the Spring and Summer. Open Easter to the end of September.
Melford Hall - Tel: (01787) 880286
Kentwell Hall - Tel: (01787) 310207
Suffolk owes much of its unique character to its rivers. Two of the principal ones, the Orwell and the Stour, form the upper and lower boundaries of the Shotley Peninsula. The Peninsula is quite different in character to the rest of South Suffolk. The countryside is more undulating and its small scattered villages retain the feel of old estate villages. Unspoilt and ever changing landscapes, with extensive views of the river estuaries, attract many visitors to this area. A public footpath along much of the coastline offers superb views. A small naval museum (HMS Ganges Association Museum) at Shotley Marina, is open Saturdays and Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays - Easter to the end of September.
Woolverstone Marina, Shotley Peninsula
|