St. James Chapel
Right on your doorstep is an English Heritage Chapel (April 2024 – currently closed for major structural repairs)
It is, to quote the English Heritage website, ‘a pretty thatched 13th century chapel’. Turn left out of the farm and it is less than 100m on your right. It won’t take more than a few minutes to have a look around, so here are a few other suggestions for places to visit.
Kersey
A beautiful Suffolk village with ‘the splash’ that runs through the middle across the street. A splendid medieval church sits at the top of one side of the valley and there is a lovely pub at the bottom of the hill. Fans of the classic BBC show 'Lovejoy' may well recognise some of the settings as it was frequently used as a location. More recently ‘The Magpie Murders’ were filmed in and around Kersey. Find out more about the history of Kersey in the book on the coffee table 'Kersey within living memory'. On the way to Hadleigh it is around 5 minutes in the car, an easy bike ride or there is a circular walk across footpaths - see the maps provided.
Half a mile from the village centre the buildings around Kersey Mill have been beautifully converted into shops and a café.
Hadleigh We consider Hadleigh to be our nearest town for essential supplies. It has a good Coop on the High Street, an Adnams beer and wine store, great coffee shops, a post office and FREE parking.
The town is rich in history and heritage well documented here.
Lavenham
Enriched by the medieval cloth trade, Lavenham is definitely worth a visit. It has a lovely high street with art galleries, antique shops, cafes, an outstanding ice cream parlour and the famous
Swan Inn; the Market Square with the stunning 16th century Guildhall, the village bakers and Heeks, the family run village store; the imposing church which sits high up over the village and dominates the surrounding landscape. Lavenham is 6 miles away. https://www.lovelavenham.co.uk/
Sudbury
Particularly busy on Thursdays and Saturdays with a good street market Sudbury spreads along the Suffolk side of the River Stour. It is famous for being the birthplace of Thomas Gainsborough and a flourishing silk weaving industry which recently supplied the material for Queen Camilla's coronation gown. Dickens named it ‘Eatanswill’ in Pickwick Papers describing corrupt practices during electioneering. There are good walks across the river meadows and along the disused railway line. The Gainsborough Museum has recently been updated and has
exhibitions during the year as well as a beautiful historic garden. https://www.thetouristtrail.org/guides/suffolk-guides/sudbury/
The Quay theatre in Sudbury claims to be 'the best small theatre experience in East Anglia'
Dedham & Flatford
Closely associated with the artist John Constable, Dedham and Flatford are well worth a visit. As well as the quaint buildings, lovely pubs and classic English church, you can also walk or hire a rowing boat along the Stour between the two villages. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/suffolk/flatford; https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/suffolk/flatford/john-constable-at-flatford
Suffolk Wildlife Trust reserves
There are several reserves nearby managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust. We particularly recommend Arger Fen during bluebell time. The best point of entry using what3words is ///triangles.digit.boating
Groton Wood can be seen across the fields and is remarkable for its ancient coppiced lime trees. Entrance here ///reworked.stickler.gadget
To see the full list visit https://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/nature-reserves
Long Melford The village extends along a broad street with cafes, pubs, art and antique shops. At the far end are two historic mansions, Kentwell Hall famous for its history re-creations and the National Trust property Melford Hall.
https://visitlongmelford.co.uk/
Go no further than the farm!
Whilst the commercial activity at Lindsey Lodge Farm is producing soft fruit during the summer growing season we do have large areas that are managed to develop habitats for wildlife. We encourage guests to appreciate the natural environment all around us. We can share with you the best places to walk or even sit and look and listen. It could be on the bench by the pond or walking through the fields and watching the butterflies feed on the flowers; or from a comfortable chair simply watching the birds on the feeders in the garden. There are binoculars and bird and butterfly identification books in the living room. The farm has tracks and headlands for walking and many are suitable for wheelchair users - see the map in the folder.
There are lots of other villages with a rich heritage and fine churches – Chelsworth, Bildeston………
RSPB
There are linked sites near Hadleigh managed by the RSPB at Wolves Wood, Hintlesham Woods and Ramsey Wood. These woods extend to 118 hectares and have SSSI status because they are one of the largest remaining areas of ancient coppice-with-standards woodland in Suffolk.