Who needs to escape and relax?

Kentwell Hall, Long Melford

Last week The Man and I spent a few relaxing days on holiday.  We visited Suffolk, an East Anglian county in England, which is well worth the trip especially if there is a need to escape ‘far from the madding crowd’.  The air is cleaner, the pace is slower and generally a good tonic at this time of year, in my humble opinion.  We stayed at two beautiful locations, each providing good insights to Suffolk as a county.

Had the opportunity to visit Kentwell Hall,Long Melford, a beautiful red brick Tudor mansion surrounded by a moat and set in tranquil parklands. Lots of history attached to this magnificent building. Fascinating to learn that the mansion and grounds is currently owned and managed privately by Judith and Patrick Philips, who purchased the place in 1970 as a restoration project! It is evident that there have been hours of work spent on the building and grounds, reviving and restoring much of the grandeur of the place.  Certainly not a project for the faint hearted and I am full of admiration and in awe of the work carried out.  It is certainly a labour of love and one conducted with patience and care.  Each room has its own story to tell and is beautifully written about and shared with visitors. The ambience of the place captures the history of a bygone age very well.  Kentwell Hall organise special historic events too.  Historical Re-Creation days from medieval times to WWII are popular and the Hall is available for current day events like weddings and scary Halloween events! Rumour has it that there is a haunted room in the Hall too! But we didn’t stay late enough in the day to find out… although there was a room where I didn’t feel like staying too long … 

What I particularly enjoyed about Kentwell, there was so much to discover … the Hall, the restored rooms, the outbuildings, artwork and beautiful gardens.  We spent ages wandering and meandering which generated an appetite for lunch. The Man discovered some beautiful old Rolls Royce cars in a shed near the tearooms, which really excited him. Strangely, these 'works of arts' seemed to renew his interest in bygone days more so than wallhangings and house decor. Strange that.