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.
