Essential Suffolk September & October 2020

SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2020

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Essential SUFFOLK

BACK TO NATURE Suffolk Landscapes, Coastal Gardening, Composting & Famers’ Markets

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Celebrating all that makes our county great

S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

Welcome

10 Suffolk’s Outstanding Natural Beauty Our AONBs celebrate their 50th birthdays

The world is a little different from when our last magazine – the March & April edition of Essential Suffolk - was published. After six very challenging months for most businesses we are extremely grateful to all of our loyal, local advertisers. Our publications are wholly reliant on advertising revenues and so it has never been a more apt time to remind you of the importance of supporting local businesses whenever you can. We survive as an interwoven network. Please let our advertisers know that you’ve seen them in this magazine.

15 Suffolk In Brief News from around the county

The overriding theme this time around is ‘Back To Nature’. One of the positive outcomes of the lockdown for many has been the opportunity to reconnect with outside spaces. There’s been a soaring interest in gardening and the health benefits of tending one’s plot. To that end we’ve invited Master Composters (who knew there was such a thing?) Laura Parsons-Mann and Craig Renton to share their passion for composting, while our regular gardening contributor, Garden Designer Catharine Howard, has been taking inspiration from the coast.

Walking has also been high on our collective agendas so we’re pleased to share news of two newly adopted zones to our local Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in their 50th anniversary year.

There are some other very positive stories to tell too. The word ‘community’ is the common link between the stunning fund raising efforts of Suffolk Community Foundation and the exciting NW2 development at the New Wolsey Theatre. Suffolk’s Coronavirus Community Fund has been created to help Suffolk charities and community groups carry on their vital services during the Coronavirus pandemic and we’ve caught up with Head of Public Affairs, Tim Holder, to find out how they’re helping to rebuild local lives.

Although at the time of going to press our theatres remain dark, the new NW2 building in front of the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, is due to open this autumn and Chief Executive Sarah Holmes shares plans for a new ‘Creative Community’.

Suffolk’s Outstanding Natural Beauty, page 10

So, please enjoy the return of Essential Suffolk; stay safe, stay alert and shop local! www.essentialsuffolk.com

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CONTENTS

33

44

The Essential Shopping List

Gardening

Must have autumn buys for you, your home and garden

35 Finance Getting back to normality with advice from Scrutton Bland

A Passion for Composting, page 27

38 Pub Walks With Darcy All your favourite locations on one map

17 What’s On Event highlights for September and October

42 Food & Drink The Artisan Smokehouse giving lockdown a luxury edge

Catharine Howard takes inspiration from the coast

46 Auctions & Antiques The Auction Rooms reopen

47 Property Some of the finest homes for sale in Suffolk

58 My Suffolk Jill Barrett & Michael Grist from Barretts of Woodbridge share their love of Suffolk

19 Mini Preview Expressing Lockdown Exhibition at Thompson Gallery, Aldeburgh

20 NW2 A positive new project from the New Wolsey Theatre

24 Rebuilding Local Lives The much needed Suffolk Coronavirus Community Fund

27 A Passion for Composting Why treating your pile as a pet is the answer The Artisan Smokehouse, page 42

Essential Suffolk

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S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

50 YEARS OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY For many of us the lockdown situation has been an opportunity to really appreciate nature on our doorsteps. As two local Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty celebrate their 50th anniversaries, Essential Suffolk looks at the positive power of the great outdoors

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AREAS OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY

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ith 46 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) of countless different landscapes across England and Wales, here in Suffolk we are blessed to have close access to two AONBs; the Suffolk Coast and Heaths and the Dedham Vale.

These special national landscapes have been conserved and enhanced for many years by landowners, local authorities, and partner organisations such as the National Trust and Wildlife Trusts as well as the AONB team based in Melton, near Woodbridge.

Despite the challenges that 2020 has presented, in many ways it has been a wonderful year for our national landscapes – both AONBs celebrated their 50th anniversary, albeit in a much more muted way than originally planned due to the COVID restrictions. Half a century of working in partnership to deliver better outcomes for nature and landscape is some achievement. The pressures around housing, major projects such as Sizewell, offshore wind farms and tourism have all been delicate balances, and yet our magnificent countryside remains highly valued by those who live, work and visit here.

It would be fair to suggest that with the lockdown came a greater appreciation of our local countryside, and a closer affinity with nature and the mental health benefits of accessing the outdoors on our doorstep. It is with this renewed vigour for what we have close by that there’s been an increase in interest in the work of the AONB and individuals eager to ‘give back’ locally through practical conservation.

There is great hope of resuming volunteer tasks ensuring even more of us can enter the satisfying world of contributing to enhancing the biodiversity and improving access of these national landscapes.

In July there were more celebrations with the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB afforded a long-awaited extension confirmation by the Secretary of State. It has been an ambition for over 25 years that the boundary be reviewed to include The Stour estuary and other areas of particular landscape quality that were amiss in the original 1970 designation. And the day came on 7 July, as the country was easing itself out of lockdown, for a further 38km2 more protected landscape across the Suffolk Coast and Heaths area. This is no small increase; in fact it is double the size of the country’s smallest AONB on the Isle of Wight and is also the first time an AONB has successfully extended its boundary in England since a change in the Dedham Vale in the 1990s. ‰

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AREAS OF OUTSTANDING NATURAL BEAUTY

Considering the stunning landscapes associated with the AONBs, there are obvious honeypot areas – ever popular with tourists – such as Aldeburgh and Southwold on the Coast and Flatford and Dedham in the Vale. But popularity can also lead to increased pressure from parking, litter and overcrowding as a result so finding alternatives where you can still enjoy being close to nature but away from the crowds can be an advantage. The additional designation in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths presents a new opportunity to get to know areas you may otherwise not have visited and comes with the bonus of having not seen floods of visitors, so guarantees a quieter experience.

The new landscapes to explore in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB extension are made up of three very distinct areas. The smallest area now included is Freston Brook incorporating 141 ha of the ancient woodlands of Cutler’s Wood and Freston Wood with Holbrook Park Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and with accessible Rights of Way they’re easy options to enjoy. Together they form one of the largest areas of ancient woodlands in Suffolk and a great place to visit if you welcome the peace afforded by being surrounded by historic trees.

Significantly, the new landscape designation extends to cover the Stour estuary, aligning with the boundary of the wildlife designation of the SSSI, which has been in place since 1984. This area covering 2,000 ha, includes Copperas and Holbrook Bay and is a nationally important habitat for 13 species of wintering birds. If you enjoy birdwatching, then the southern shore of the Stour really is a place to treasure. Finally mirroring the rest of the AONB, the extended area now includes landscape protection for the all the rivers and estuaries along the coast and is a welcome addition.

The land elements of the southern shore of the Stour are now also included and cover parts of Ramsey and Wrabness to the east, and Mistley, Manningtree and Bradfield to the west. These make enticing areas to unearth with stunning views across the estuary from the Tendring side to Babergh in Suffolk. The southern shore also includes the 78 ha SSSI of the Stour and Copperas Wood and forms the largest part of woodland in north east Essex so is definitely one on the list to investigate.

The final area of the extension in is the Samford Valley, which brings the boundary of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths closer to the boundary of its near neighbour, the Dedham Vale AONB. In places they are just a field or two apart with pretty East Bergholt now contained within them both.

Deborah Sage, AONB Officer said “It’s a real pleasure to welcome these new communities in to an AONB that has the benefit of half a century’s work behind it, and the possibilities for working with different parishes and interested groups to further enhance them is an exciting new step. We hope you find your new corner of solitude amongst these newly designated areas and enjoy the change of scenery and we always welcome seeing your images as you explore by tagging us on twitter @suffolkAONB and @dedhamvalesvp”.

INFORMATION www.dedhamvale.org www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org

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SUFFOLK in brief Good news stories from around the county

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AS SCHOOLS REOPEN Schoolreaders is a national charity dedicated to improving reading skills at primary school level through teams of county-wide volunteers. With hundreds of critical hours of academic and social time lost due to the lockdown, Schoolreaders is preparing to support students as schools reopen their doors – and they need your help.

URGENT CALL FOR QUALITY DONATIONS Residents of Suffolk are very used to donating quality items for re-sale as part of a visit to the Recycling Centre but since the re-opening of the Foxhall and Bury re-use shops, there has been a decline in the donation of good quality pre-loved items that can be re-sold to benefit those in need. Rory Brien, General Manager of Materials Trading at FCC Environment speaks on behalf of the partnership between FCC, Suffolk County Council and The Benjamin Foundation; “we were delighted to be able to re-open both shops to the public and residents are indeed coming back in to the shops to ‘bag a bargain’ but we have seen a real drop in the volume of good quality items which we can make available in the shops”.

The Re-use shops at Foxhall and Bury St Edmunds are part of a partnership between Suffolk County Council, waste and recycling partner FCC Environment and charity partner The Benjamin Foundation. Working with other local charities The Benjamin Foundation delivers much needed services throughout Suffolk and the re-use shops play an important part in helping to raise vital funds.

Before the closures, 50 schools in Suffolk had over 124 Schoolreaders volunteers listening to children read. Reading support helps students improve their reading skills while gaining self-confidence and other social skills. Volunteers are overwhelmingly positive about their experience in schools and come from a wide variety of backgrounds. No qualifications are needed – just a good command of written and spoken English. Volunteers typically give one to three hours per week and Schoolreaders matches them to a local school that in turn matches their availability. Visit www.schoolreaders.org to find out more.

HAIR WITH HEART Quay Street Collective is an innovative new hair salon in Woodbridge that offers clients a contemporary customer experience. Clients are offered the luxury of a high-end salon but with the knowledge that the products being used are supporting sustainable values.

Owners Sophie Thompson and Janene Bush said; “We’re really excited to open our salon in a town which is so supportive of our sustainable ethos. We hope that by working together with our clients and the community that even small changes can encourage a big environmental impact.” The Davines product formulations chosen by Quay Street Collective favour natural ingredients and are generated with renewable electric energy.

Working with local businesses has been very important part of this development.

The company has worked with Lilac Thyme, Three Sixty Property Solutions Ltd, Smith & Saunders, Archway Carpets and Woodbridge Kitchen Shop to name but a few.

For more information visit www.quaystreetcollective.com

NEW WATERFRONT ARTS AND MEDIA HUB Another landmark in the successful development of Ipswich Waterfront has been achieved with the announcement from government of a £3M grant to transform the former Burton’s building into an arts and media hub.

The bid for funds for this ‘shovel-ready’ project was one of those chosen from the many submitted from across Suffolk and Norfolk through the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership.

Said Councillor David Ellesmere, Leader of Ipswich Borough Council, “It is great news that government is backing our plans to bring more of the derelict buildings on the Waterfront back into use. The success of our bid for funding from the government’s Getting Building fund means we will shortly be talking to partners about how best to develop this area to further promote our historic and beautiful Waterfront as a great place to visit and enjoy.”

More news can always be found at essentialsuffolk.com/news

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IPSWICH MUSEUM AND CHRISTCHURCH MANSION

Visiting Ipswich Museum and Christchurch Mansion Pre-booking your visit will be required - please see our website for all the information you need to know before planning your visit

Find out more at ipswich.cimuseums.org.uk/visitingipswichmuseums

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What’s On The Essential Suffolk entertainments and events guide

Farmers’ Markets BECCLES

IPSWICH

SUDBURY

September 5 and 19, October 3 and 17, 9am Old Heliport, Beccles, NR34 7XF

September 6, October 4, 10am The Cornhill, Ipswich, IP1 1DH

September 25, October 30, 9.30am St Peter’s, Market Hill, Sudbury, CO10 2EA

Celebrating 20 years of bringing the community fresh produce direct from local farmers and artisans they know a thing or two about selling quality local produce.

Around 30 stalls that meet twice a month making it one of the biggest under cover rural markets in the UK. Firmly committed to ensuring stallholders are based within a maximum of a 30 mile radius providing honest, local food. Parking facilities are spacious and free. Please follow on social media for latest updates.

Have you visited the new farmers’ market right in the centre of Ipswich? Our County Town now has a regular, top quality food offering where the very best local producers get the chance to showcase their amazing products. Discover locally reared, traditionally butchered pork, fresh fish and seafood, beautiful garden plants, freshly baked cakes and savouries, jams and preserves, a range of chilli sauces and condiments, handcrafted gins and beers, Suffolk honey and fresh fruit and vegetables. Plus there is a variety of scrummy street food.

Sudbury Farmers’ Market is one of the best town centre farmers’ markets in Suffolk, attracting hundreds of shoppers through the doors every month. It is held in the beautiful venue of St Peter’s on Market Hill, right in the centre of town, and it really is the perfect place to stock up on all your food shopping.

A wonderful selection of traders selling a fantastic range of the very best, fresh, local produce and a small selection of the highest quality, hand produced crafts. Produce on offer includes local venison, Suffolk pork, local beef, lamb, chicken and hoggett, freshly baked cakes from Great Waldingfield, local honey, freshly baked pies, breads and sourdoughs, jams and chutneys and an amazing selection of locally grown fresh vegetables.

BURY ST EDMUNDS SNAPE September 13, October 11, 10am The Traverse, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1BJ After three years of trading, this fantastic farmers’ market continues to go from strength to strength showcasing a truly wonderful selection of local food and drink producers. Delighting shoppers with freshly baked local bread, regional honey, homemade pies and savouries, delicious cakes and fudge, Suffolk pork and beef, fresh fruit and vegetables, vegan snacks, fresh and smoked fish and seafood, sauces and chutneys, craft ales, locally distilled gins and vodkas, local eggs plus street food stalls and a handful of beautiful, hand-made craft stalls. Everything that is sold at the market will be produced by the person who is selling.

September 5, 9.30am Snape Maltings, Snape Bridge, Snape, IP17 1SP

WOODBRIDGE This exciting array of fresh produce – from vegetables, fruits and juices to locally-reared meats and delicious artisan bakes and makes – is a wonderful start to the weekend.

Stalls do sell out so arrive early to avoid disappointment. Due to COVID-19, there will be fewer producers and more space between the stalls, but there will still be a fantastic range of high-quality local produce on offer in the open air with the market on the Henry Moore lawn and along the quay.

September 9, October 14 and 28, 9am Woodbridge Community Hall, Station Road, Woodbridge, IP12 4AU Our stallholders are local producers who cook, blend, bake, roast, grow and rear their own goods to sell in small batches. High quality ingredients are used and high animal welfare standards are maintained. Selling a range of seasonal fruit and vegetables, eggs, fresh and cured meats of various kinds, cheese, jam, chutney and honey, pies and pasties, cakes, chocolates and fudge.

COVID ADVICE: While we have made every effort to bring you up to date information, guidance and restrictions are ever changing so please check before planning your visit.

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S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

Due to the current coronavirus restrictions events information is ever changing. Please visit www.essentialsuffolk.com/whats-on for the most up to date listings.

W H AT’ S O N

EXTENDED UNTIL NOVEMBER 8

SEPTEMBER 9 TO NOVEMBER 16

Ed Sheeran: Made in Suffolk Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich

Behind the Scenes: Analysing Anglo-Saxon Rendlesham

UNTIL SEPTEMBER 12 Theatre on the Coast Southwold Arts Centre, matinees 5pm, evening performances 8pm Don’t panic – Theatre on the Coast is still returning to Southwold this year, but it’s virtual! The season will feature comedy, drama, music, celebrities, new writing, a circus and two new premieres, including Attagirls, from noted historian and writer Stewart Ross.

Tickets: The fee to watch all four weekends of live theatre is £44, a one off payment giving you six new shows over the four weekends to 12th September.

It’s your last chance to see Suffolk’s once in a lifetime landmark exhibition, Ed Sheeran: Made in Suffolk. This exclusive exhibition features portraits by renowned artist Colin Davidson and photography by Mark Surridge as well as personal items portraying Ed’s journey from Suffolk school boy to global superstar.

Box Office: boxoffice@southwoldartscentre.co.uk Information: totc.co.uk or call 01394 385022

Tickets: Entry is free however to help keep everyone safe, you will need to book a ticket before you visit Box Office: made-in-suffolk.co.uk

Rendlesham Revealed project are running a new live online series, with ten talks over ten weeks this Autumn. Rendlesham is known for being the site of an early East Anglian royal settlement, first mentioned by Bede in the 7th century in his ‘Ecclesiastical History of the English People’. After 12 years of archaeological investigation, with thanks to the support from local landowners, we now know more than ever. For the first time, the specialists will be sharing the cuttingedge results of their recent work analysing the archaeological material. They will tell us what made Rendlesham such a unique place in the early East Anglian kingdom and its connections with the wider AngloSaxon world.

Tickets: The talks are free and will be held online, with booking essential Box Office: heritage.suffolk.gov.uk/ rendlesham-behind-the-scenes To see more event listings and tell us about your event visit essentialsuffolk.com/ whats-on-in-suffolk

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M I N I P R EVIE W

Brita Granström; Expressing Lockdown September 12 to October 3 Thompson’s Gallery, Aldeburgh Every summer Swedish painter, Brita Granström goes back to her native Sweden to paint images of life in the Scandinavian countryside but due to lockdown this year she has been unable to return for the first time since she moved to the UK in 1993.

As a result she has painted a series of scenes from her everyday life at home.

Shying away from using her top floor sea view workspace, she instead adapted to a portable studio to begin making a series of studies capturing her family’s daily life around the kitchen, porch and garden.

This one woman show of her paintings reflects an initial fear of what was to come and evolves into calmer and more reflective works. ‘Refraction of Light’ echoes the idea of isolation and also a more playful look at refraction and glass. The images of vases of plants and flowers show life-force and the power of nature – as seen in ‘Radishes on VE Day’ and ‘Self Portrait with Angelica’ – while in the background life continues, chores being done, windows being cleaned, garden being tended and washing being hung.

Above all this collection is a celebration of life in times of adversity and depicts how life carries on regardless.

INFORMATION www.thompsonsgallery.co.uk

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S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

A NEW CREATIVE COMMUNITY

While the retail and hospitality industries are fighting their way back to a ‘new normal’, performing arts mostly remain off limits to a COVID-sensitive world. But there is a very positive project underway in Ipswich. Lesley Rawlinson catches up with Sarah Holmes, Chief Executive of the New Wolsey Theatre, to find out more

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A N E W C R E AT I V E C OMMUN ITY

Left: The proposed permanent canopy at the front of the main building Below: NW2 from the Performance Bowl

I

can’t have been the only child who, back in the mid 70s, got a rush of excitement at the thought of a trip to Ipswich when we’d be parking in the underground spiral carpark on Civic Drive. I’m not sure what the attraction was but, at the time, this subterranean wonder could lift a run of the mill trip to M&S to a whole new level of adventure. While it’s unlikely to have had similar impact on subsequent generations, the gradual degeneration of this corner of Ipswich has been sad to see. “The immediate area wasn’t just tired, it was exhausted!” says New Wolsey Chief Executive Sarah Holmes as we chat “first the Local Authority left, followed by the Courts, then the buildings were demolished – we’re so grateful that the developers are working hard to regenerate the whole site”.

The NW2 building – the new home for the New Wolsey’s learning and participation work – is nearing completion and forms part of the emerging Theatre Square development. It’s been a very positive focus for Sarah and the New Wolsey team at what

has, in every other sense, been the most difficult of times. “Since lockdown we’ve had to stop absolutely everything; all performances, all schools links – everything.

As an industry we’re working very hard to find ways forward but without a fixed date to work to it’s just so frustrating”.

The threat to jobs in the events and entertainments industry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is huge. For venues, performers, freelancers and suppliers – not just in theatres but in any events related businesses – the impact is far reaching and the New Wolsey Theatre is no exception.

“It’s tragic. For our staff, our freelancers, everyone. We’ll be back, but in the meantime what can we do?”

The economics speak for themselves.

There are 400 seats that need to be filled for the majority of the planned performances, year round, to make the current operation viable. “Things will change, but we’re always evolving” says Sarah, “in the future we’ll be a leaner machine with fewer long term

commitments to ensure flexibility. Our mission remains to provide high quality, essential theatre – it might just look a little different than in the past”.

So it’s a fortunate dovetailing of situations that finds the later stages of the NW2 build coinciding with planning for a post-COVID world. It’s a ‘gift’ to the theatre from developers the de Savary Brothers, designed

by Phil Waind of WGPA Architects and, with its distinctive golden roof, pushes the boundaries of design for community facilities.

The building exemplifies the theatre’s commitment to access in all areas of its work.

For example, inside there’s a 'Changing Places' room – a facility for people who can’t use a standard accessible toilet. This will mean that visitors with profound and multiple learning disabilities, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, as well as older people will be able to use the facility as it will be available during opening hours and could make all the difference for some who otherwise might not venture out. ‰

Essential Suffolk

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A N E W C R E AT I V E C OMMUN ITY

As champions of ensuring performing arts are accessible to all and founder member of the ground breaking Ramps On The Moon (ROTM), the New Wolsey is part of a consortium of theatres striving to normalise the presence of deaf and disabled people on and off the stage. Sadly the Ipswich run of the extraordinary ROTM production of Oliver Twist was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Working under the banner of a new ‘Creative Community’ programme, there will be office and meeting space in NW2, as well as a large open space for participation work. After many years of working with a range of community groups from the old Studio, the team is excited to move to, quite literally, front and centre of the main building. “The Studio was gorgeous but limited” admits Sarah, “access was never ideal for performers or patrons but it’s going to continue to have a purposeful life. We’ll still use the HEG (formerly the High Street

Exhibition Gallery) for non-public facing work and rehearsal space but having everything in close proximity to each other is going to be so positive for our future”.

Planning for the post-COVID projects has led to two significant developments that weren’t part of the original plan. The old central fountain space is being transformed into a new ‘performance bowl’ which is set below the circular walkway and sits on top of the spiral car park, making a natural amphitheatre. The terrace in front of the main theatre building and the veranda of NW2 both offer superb vantage points for audiences. In addition planning permission is being sought for a permanent all-weather canopy at the front of the main building which will mean more flexible opportunities for outdoor performances year-round. “It’s easy during a glorious summer to imagine enjoying outdoor theatre but we need to be realistic” Sarah added, “however the

current parasols aren’t ideal and this will give us far greater seasonal flexibility”.

At the time of going to press, it’s planned that schools in England will fully reopen in September and the team are working hard to develop a programme of skills based learning around well-being and support.

“It’s a very difficult time for schools to make plans but there’s been enormous interest to date in what we have to offer. We believe that as young people return to school, opportunities to enhance the curriculum will be especially important as teachers and students adjust to new social distancing regimes and try to process the impact of COVID-19 on their lives. We intend to take work to out-of-school environments too, in an effort to reach as many young people as we can. We’re keen to focus on children, young people and families most disadvantaged in our community”.

“Over the last few months we’ve received generous donations from our many loyal supporters. Each and every one of these has been appreciated and has made a difference, not only to our bank balance but also to our morale. It has been heart-warming to know that the people of Ipswich and beyond want to see us survive this crisis and they’ve been willing to put their hands in their pockets. Donations will continue to buoy us through what may be the most difficult period of all – the next few months. The continuing support of our principal funders, including Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council and Ipswich Borough Council is equally valuable and will be vital to ensure that these difficult decisions have the intended outcome: to secure a healthy and viable future for the New Wolsey Theatre.”

Sarah Holmes, Chief Executive To make a donation please visit www.wolseytheatre.co.uk

Essential Suffolk

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S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

REBUILDING LOCAL LIVES Suffolk’s Coronavirus Community Fund has been created to help charities and community groups carry on their vital services during the Coronavirus pandemic. Lesley Rawlinson reports

S

ix months ago few of us could imagine the magnitude of the crisis that was unfolding. As the news spread from China throughout January and the first worrying UK cases of COVID-19 were confirmed, we had little understanding of the human, social and economic impact to come.

As lockdown took hold we became slaves to the daily Downing Street briefings and we began new regimes of home working and home schooling; relying on technology to bring us together more than ever before.

rarely filtered down to our local area” added Tim. He continued “If you want to see a difference locally, you have to give locally”.

It is hoped that the Rebuilding Local Lives Appeal will deliver more local giving to the Suffolk Coronavirus Community Fund, which has been created and delivered by the Foundation. With a generous founding gift from the county’s most famous son – Ed Sheeran – huge steps have been made towards ‘Team Suffolk’ breaking through the fund’s £2M fundraising target.

And while we rallied to help our families, friends and neighbours if we were able, the strain on the myriad of charities that create a vital social network of services for so many, was at breaking point. “The sudden cancellation of so many hundreds of fund raising events – from small scale personal challenges through to key annual events that might be the backbone to the funding of an organisation – was devastating” said Tim Holder, Head of Public Affairs for Suffolk Community Foundation.

And these funds are already making a very real difference. For example The Pear Tree Centre is a newly-opened drop-in centre in Halesworth, which provides information and support to help improve quality of life for people who have been diagnosed with a life-changing illness, as well as their families and carers. As the centre has been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, staff have been offering support over the phone and via email instead of face-to-face. By listening to individual’s concerns in their own time and at their own pace, important advice can be shared about the right services to meet their needs.

As part of a national family of 46 Community Foundations in the UK, Suffolk Community Foundation works to ensure that acute areas of need in Suffolk are addressed compassionately, respectfully and sustainably; changing local lives by connecting causes that matter with people who care. Almost overnight the scale of needs was radically changed and the Foundation moved at lightning speed to join forces with the National Emergencies Trust to form the Suffolk Coronavirus Community Fund.

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Tim Holder

Leading Suffolk organisations including Community Action Suffolk, Suffolk Association of Local Councils, East Anglian Daily Times, Suffolk County Council, District and Borough Councils and all those involved in Suffolk’s ‘Home But Not Alone’ initiative, were on board to help fight the impact of coronavirus on vulnerable people in the county.

“As a nation we’re proud of our charitable giving but what many people don’t realise is that when they give to larger charities, which are of course very worthwhile, the funds are

The recent funding has enabled the team to continue to refer people for a variety of support services from benefits advice and form filling to counselling for issues such as accepting a diagnosis, bereavement support, dementia care support and loneliness during lockdown. The charity anticipates even greater demand for these services in the future and the grant from Suffolk Community Foundation will help them to continue

REBUILDING LO CAL LIVES APPEAL

supporting the rural community around Halesworth once lockdown is lifted.

Kevin Maclusky who is Chair of The Pear Tree Fund said “As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, income from our charity shop has come to an abrupt end, while we also have had to cancel many fundraising events planned for the summer. Yet at the same time, demand for support has increased as patients with conditions other than coronavirus have felt they are not a priority and have neglected seeking medical help and advice as a result. This means that the services provided by the Pear Tree Centre are currently even more important than ever, so we are extremely grateful for this grant which is helping us to continue providing vital support when local people need it the most.”

Meanwhile in Ipswich BSC Multicultural Services is a group that supports people of black and minority ethnic (BME) communities in Suffolk, helping to engage them in social, cultural, educational and recreational activities. BSC Multicultural Services has been using its recent funding to help provide emergency food packs for some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of

our communities in Ipswich and surrounding areas. They have reached over 170 families providing them with vital supplies of food and key toiletries and also focusing on reaching families with children who have been missing out on free school meals.

The charity’s Chair, Boshor Ali, explained “BSC has been supporting local people for over two decades now and we have never experienced a crisis like this before. Like everyone else we are struggling to deliver our existing projects, due to lockdown we have adapted our way of working to meet the needs of those who are struggling. We are so grateful for this recent funding from Suffolk Community Foundation’s Coronavirus Community Appeal in order to help us pull together these vital food packs.”

The Appeal has raised in excess of £1.5M at the time of going to press with 232 separate charities benefitting across Suffolk, but the needs are continuing to grow. Suffolk’s Chief Constable, Steve Jupp, is in no doubt of the importance of the continued fundraising.

He commented, “The work that Suffolk Community Foundation does to support the vulnerable and local charities has always been outstanding but now, more than ever,

the role they play is vitally important and significant within the county”. And Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, Clare Countess of Euston, has added her support to the campaign; “Suffolk has responded to this crisis with compassion, stoicism and resilience. In spite of the sadness and difficulty, I am hearing so many stories of kindness, with communities coming together across the County to support the vulnerable and lonely. Our great charities are working all hours to provide desperately needed aid to those in need. Now they need our help in this darkest hour.”

INFORMATION To donate to the Suffolk Coronavirus Community Fund please visit www.suffolkcf.org.uk

Essential Suffolk

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H HOSPICE ST ELIZABET

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L A U T VIR

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WALK YOUR WAY! Now open to ALL ages! You decide how far you want to walk and where.

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YOUR HOME COMPOST SOLUTION

MY PET… COMPOST Are you one of the many thousands who’ve taken the opportunity to get to know their garden this year? Suffolk Master Composters Laura Parsons-Mann and Craig Renton share their passion for composting with some easy steps to start your own home composting solution

I

f you thought the gardening season was nearly over, brace yourselves – it is all about to get very exciting as we pull our final few annuals up.

The most common reason people compost is to deal with kitchen veg peelings and barrows full of weeds that amass after a garden tidy up. Hearing people say they started composting to make oodles of free nutrient-rich compost that brings biology back into our soils... is not so common.

This is probably because making good compost is seen as garden alchemy to many people and of those that give it a go, waiting 18 months to end up with barrow loads of compost full of weed seeds is beyond most of our attention spans or interest for that matter.

As a Master Composter, I get very excited talking about all the different ways to compost so here are my top four fun (and productive) composting methods for you to try this autumn. ‰

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From the smalle cottage to the grande country house

The finest bespoke kitchens designed and built using traditional skills in our Suffolk workshop.

The Workshop · Forge Cottages Thorpe Road · Aldringham · Suffolk IP16 4QX

01728 830581 · valedesigns.co.uk

K I TC H E N S · PA N T R I E S · B O O T RO OM S · S T U DI E S

YOUR HOME COMPOST SOLUTION

1. Hot Composting perfect for gardeners Hot composting is the faster and less weedy sibling of cold composting. It is sort of the same process, but with a few tweaks, you supercharge your efforts to cut the process down from 18 months to 3-6 months. It is less smelly (because you are no longer creating methane) and you kill far more weed seeds when you get to the desired 40-65°C temperatures. Filled with lots of nutrients and a mini-ecosystem you will deliver both nutrients and biology to your soils, which your plants will applaud you for all year round.

If you think of your compost efforts as looking after a living pet colony of hardworking microorganisms, you won’t go far wrong.

Warmth – Your pet compost will need warmth for the bacteria to be able to get to work. Look at placing your compost pile in a sunny position and bulk load material (1m2) at a time. Make sure your mix is a healthy 50/50 mix of living material (greens) and dead material (browns).

Oxygen – These hard-working bacteria need oxygen. Dead material (browns) like sticks, leaves, cardboard etc create lovely air pockets. Every time the pile cools it is a sign these air pockets need fresh air so turning, or lifting the material with an aerator will re-aerate and the pile will once again heat. The longer the pile heats for the quicker the end result so turn (or re-aerate) as often as you can.

Moisture – The pile needs to be damp to sustain life, this often comes from the green material you add. Too much moisture, however, fills the air pockets and displaces the air drowning and suffocating the bacteria. Keeping rainwater out is a must (try a lid or a roof). Siting your pile on a well-drained area will also help. If it still becomes a bit too wet, add in more brown material to dry up the excess.

Food – Most importantly the bacteria need something to eat. They thrive on nitrogen.

The more nitrogen-based plant material you add the hotter it will get. If you find your heap isn’t getting very hot, add a good barrow full of nettles. They are high in nitrogen and get dwindling piles excitingly warm!

2. Wormery perfect for kitchen peelings Wormeries are filled with specific composting worms and not your usual earthworms found in the soil. These worms munch their way through the decaying organic matter to leave you with nutrient-rich vermicompost and equally nutrient-rich worm tea which you dilute 1:10 to feed your plants. Given the right environment, my wormery sits happily in my boot room all year round without an issue (as long as I tap off the effluent before my dog’s wagging tail knocks the tap open).

Their needs are once again very simple if you think of them as a pet.

Warmth – These worms hibernate in the cold (10°C or lower) and struggle over 30°C. If you want to keep them working all year round when the temperature drops they will need to be wrapped up with something insulating and put in a sheltered area, or even better put in a shed.

Oxygen – The easiest way to make air pockets we have found is to chop up all their food and rake it in.

Moisture – Worms breathe through their moist skin, and with regular food, moisture will naturally be introduced. If the environment becomes too wet it will fill up the air pockets. Raking in ripped up cardboard will dry up the excess wet.

Food – Worms eat most raw fruit and vegetable scraps except for onions, leeks, garlic etc. These helpful critters munch their way through tea bags, egg shells, coffee grounds, shredded office paper, and can go up to four weeks without new food being added.

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4. Green Cone perfect for pet owners and non-gardeners Finally, a must for all pet owners (of the four legged sort this time) is the green cone.

Think of it as a laundry basket dug into the ground, with a waist-height green cone placed over the top. You put organic waste into the top (cooked food, meat, bones and even dog poop can go in), and let the soil life break it down.

The green cone needs a sunny well-drained spot in the garden because as with all composting, microorganisms will be the ones working hard to break the material down. Once in place the cone stays put so you don't harvest any of the broken down material, it just disperses safely as nutrientrich water which nearby plants will benefit from. The installation hole to be dug is 70cm wide by 50cm deep so it will take a caddy full of waste every 2-3 days in winter.

3. Leaf Mould perfect for homes with trees It takes two years for fungus to fully break down raked up leaves, the whole process needs very little input but it is so useful in a garden and a wonderful hibernation habitat for hedgehogs and toads (if you leave a gap so they can get in). After a year the partially broken down leaves are perfect for mulching. After a second year, you end up with masses of leaf mould which you can use for sowing seeds or cut with garden compost to reduce the potency for younger plants when potting on.

There are lots of DIY Leaf mould cage instructions online. So, find a corner of your garden, load it up and forget about it – it is as easy at that!

There is a solution for all homes, and it doesn't have to be the festering problematic pile we all think of when we hear the word composting; it can actually be quite fun for all the family and a great way to make a home for nature at the same time.

INFORMATION If you would like to know more please contact mastercomposters@suffolk.gov.uk, find us on Facebook as Suffolk Master Composter Volunteers or visit our webpage at www.suffolkrecycling.org.uk/reduce-yourwaste/home-composting/master-composters.

We are waiting ready and willing to answer all of your composting questions!

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YOUR HOME COMPOST SOLUTION

Essential Suffolk

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Families expand and so has our tile range

Walnut Tree Designs Handmade curtains & blinds from our Suffolk studios We work with interior designers & discerning clients either using your own materials or from our fabric books

Supplying Suffolk with beautiful, exclusive tiles since 1998

Complete made to measure and installation service For an initial discussion or to arrange a free design consultation in your home call Terri Oxley

Smithfield, Melton Woodbridge IP12 1NH Telephone 01394 382067

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THE ESSENTIAL SHOPPING LIST

Cuddle Up

Hear, Hear!

If romance is in the air this autumn then the Gainsborough Love Seat is your next must-have purchase. With the chance to cosy-up as the evenings get cooler, this elegant over-sized chair is just perfect for two to sit closely as the nights draw in. Alternatively there’s room for one to lounge alone in sumptuous comfort!

As face coverings are now mandatory in shops in England the team at The Hearing Care Centre has decided to help local people in Suffolk and Norfolk who are finding that masks are increasing the difficulties they experience with hearing loss. The ‘Please Speak Clearly’ badges have been in such high demand, with more than double the expected take-up, that a second wave is now in stock.

From £1040 Barretts of Woodbridge 40-42 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge.

01394 384300 www.barretts.co.uk

Price £1 (+p&p) Order you badge today from hearingcarecentre.co.uk/badge

THE

ESSENTIAL SHOPPING LIST

Inspiring ideas for your autumn spending Essential SUFFOLK

always proud ~ to feature ~

LOCAL RETAILERS

Gorgeous Glow The Unnatural Solution When we think of outdoor furniture and furnishings picnic tables, deckchairs, sun loungers and umbrellas quickly come to mind. But what about rugs? Odd as it may initially sound, this is possible with the Unnatural Flooring Company who is the UK’s leading supplier of beautiful, practical and cleanable sisal-look flooring made from woven vinyl and synthetic fibres. Their rugs are not only stylish but are also water-resistant and can endure anything the great British weather can throw its way. Enjoy your outdoor space into the autumn with rugs available now from Archway Carpets.

Archway Carpets 7 Church St, Woodbridge. 01394 386684 www.archwaycarpets.co.uk

Barretts of Woodbridge has a brand new range of lighting from One World. As the days shorten it’s good to add cosy touches to your home and this carved lamp base with rustic, textured detail is full of all the dark and moody style you need from a lamp. Complete with black shade it is a great addition to any end table, console, or even bedside table. Watch how the light reflects off the lamp and creates a gorgeous glow to any space.

From £160 Barretts of Woodbridge 40-42 Thoroughfare, Woodbridge.

01394 384300 www.barretts.co.uk

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Traditional craftsmanship, first class products – a love for wood and an eye for colour For over 50 years we have been creating beautifully-crafted products from wood. Every project is as individual as our client’s brief and designed to complement the home it is for, whether it is a period property, a barn conversion or a contemporary residence.

For more information call 01206 735287 / 01473 365167 or visit www.hall-brothers.co.uk

CONSERVATORIES | ORANGERIES | KITCHENS | DOORS | WINDOWS | STAIRCASES | BARNS | CONSTRUCTION | FURNITURE

F I N A NCE

Matt Merchant Independent Financial Adviser

GETTING BACK TOWARDS NORMALITY WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

Matt Merchant, Independent Financial Planner at Scrutton Bland looks at some of the issues his clients have wanted to talk about during the past few months At last! Finally, we are starting to see a return to something that at least vaguely resembles ‘normal’ with pubs, restaurants and even gyms re-opening. This moment feels like a good opportunity to look back on some of the key trends we have seen throughout lockdown within the Financial Planning Department here at Scrutton Bland.

Unsurprisingly, a global pandemic has helped put things into perspective for a lot of people and one of the most common themes we have been faced with over recent months is helping clients understand whether or not they can afford to retire. Whether this has been prompted by being furloughed and worried about future job security, or simply enjoying more time at home with the family and not wanting to spend five days a week in the office, we have seen a large number of new and existing clients wanting to partially or fully retire in recent months.

Another trend we have noticed is existing clients passing our details on to family and friends and suggesting they come to us for advice.

With conversations around finances becoming more prominent during difficult times such as these, it really does mean a lot that our clients are happy to pass on our details and recommend us to those closest to them. This then goes hand in hand with conversations about passing wealth down the generations, with parents or grandparents keen to ensure the younger generations of their family are supported, and that their own affairs are in order in case the worst was to happen to them.

One final topic that we have spoken with a lot of clients about recently is that with so much government borrowing to support the various schemes that have been running during the pandemic, the increased levels of government debt will need to be repaid at some point. Which, many people believe, will mean that there may well be significant changes to tax regimes in order to try and balance the books in the not too distant future. There are various allowances available to individuals at present in relation to pension contributions, ISA contributions and associated tax reliefs. So as long as you have the ability to do so, it makes sense to be making the most of these whilst they are still available to you, provided of course it is the right thing to do from a planning perspective.

I’m sure at various times in the past few months we have all decided to take a little bit of time to start reviewing our finances, although many people then quite possibly decided not to because values are down or it seemed like a daunting task. Whether you are reevaluating your working patterns, looking to pass on wealth or make your own affairs more effective and tax efficient, our Financial Planning Department can help. All of our Independent Financial Advisers offer a no obligation initial meeting, and all of our work with you can be carried out via telephone, video call or a socially distanced face to face meeting if necessary and safe to do so.

Scrutton Bland offer a holistic approach to advice which combines tax and financial planning. Contact Matt at hello@scruttonbland.co.uk phone 0330 058 6559, or go to www.scruttonbland.co.uk

Scrutton Bland Financial Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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A co-educational Independent school in Suffolk for ages 4-18

OPEN DAY Saturday 26 September 2020

01394 615041 admissions@woodbridgeschool.org.uk www.woodbridgeschool.org.uk

Woodbridge School holistic in every sense

2020 is not a year that any of us has expected but this global crisis has brought to the fore what Woodbridge School is

W

hen it was announced that the country was going into lockdown in March we were already prepared to work remotely and our first week of remote learning before the end of term was a success. This can only happen when a community works together and has a strong and trusted leadership team. And that is what we are – Woodbridge School is an educational community not an institution.

During lockdown, School was still recognisably school: we had assemblies, House competitions, structured and timetabled lessons and the inspiration of our teachers was placed on a new, flexible platform which could be accessed at any time. Essentially, a broad education is at the core of what we do. We help students discover what they excel at and use it to prepare them for a life outside of school as well-rounded adults with an education that equips them for life not just exams. By taking time to get to know our students, you can instil confidence and life skills that will transform their lives.

We take genuine joy in who they become rather than pride in what we’ve made them.

Everyone is coming to terms with the challenges of home schooling and of the change in a routine which we have almost taken for granted. At Woodbridge our outstanding pastoral care has extended to parents and guardians to reassure them and give them the confidence that no child’s future need be negatively affected because of this situation.

Our own Seckford Theatre houses some of the finest performances with great direction from our brilliant Drama and LAMDA teachers.

We have the Britten-Pears Music department which encourages

some of the finest musicianship in the area. Our sports departments provide an incredible array of physical education for all abilities and we are especially proud to be representing the UK in the 2020 World Cross-Country championships in November.

Our community reaches far and wide and we have taken great care with our overseas boarders to ensure that a Woodbridge education is still available to them albeit on a different time zone. Routine, focus and enthusiasm are maintained along with our fabulous and dedicated boarding house team who are very excited to be welcoming back our students to a refurbished School House.

We welcomed new students this Trinity Term at the Prep and the Senior School and should you have any questions about the possibility of a place for your child please do contact us. We would be delighted to show you around virtually as well as in person and answer any questions you may have.

When we open our physical doors again we shall enjoy taking in the beauty, energy and vibrancy that is Woodbridge School just as much as you.

Please visit www.woodbridgeschool.org.uk for details of our upcoming Virtual Open Day or call 01394 615041 to speak to our friendly Admissions Team.

Ms Shona Norman Head

Essential Suffolk

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S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

Sponsored by

PUB WALKS

with Darcy

www.christchurchvets.co.uk

Whether you’re heading out for a brisk stroll or a lengthy wander discover more Suffolk walks for you and your dog

At the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown, a daily walk became the lifeline to normality. Our opportunity to wander in the fresh air, albeit close to home and for no more than an hour, brought a new appreciation for our surroundings that we can sometimes take for granted. With or without a dog, the public found a new respect for outdoor exercise and the value of the daily constitutional.

And since the easing of restrictions the interest in the ‘Pub Walks With Darcy’ collection (which is freely available to all via our website) has been revived, with walkers discovering paths they’ve not yet tried and pubs that will welcome their four legged friends.

Continue to page 40 ‰

Halesworth

Reydon

14

Southwold

4

11

A140

Thurston

Elmswell

Framlingham

A1 4

Saxmundam 5

Stonham Aspall

Stowmarket

16 13

Hasketon

Bildeston Witnesham

19

17

Bramford

1

12 6

Woodbridge

20

Westerfield

IPSWICH Hadleigh

Newbourne

Aldeburgh

Marlesford

Wickham Market

Ufford

8

Orford

Melton

7

18

Leiston

A12

Cretingham

Needham Market

Lavenham

3

Westleton Debenham

Woolpit

Dunwich

Sibton

Waldringfield

15 9

Ramsholt

2

Levington

4 A1

A12

10

Pin Mill

Dedham

Felixstowe

Manningtree Harwich

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Felixstowe Ferry

See opposite page for pubs and contact details Map for illustration purposes only

P U B WA L K S W I TH DAR CY

1

8

Ufford Park, Yarmouth Road, Melton Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 1QW 01394 383555 | uffordpark.co.uk 2

Church lane, Levington, Ipswich Suffolk, IP10 0LQ 01473 659573 | debeninns.co.uk/ship 3

14

9

15

Dock Road, Ramsholt, Suffolk, IP12 3AB 01394 411209 | theramsholtarms.com 10

16

4

6

Witnesham, Suffolk, IP6 9JA 01473 785267 | fynnvalleyterrace.co.uk

Main Road (A12), Marlesford Suffolk, IP13 0AG 01728 747717 | farmcafe.co.uk 17

Westerfield Road, Westerfield Suffolk, IP6 9AJ 01473 251447 | debeninns.co.uk/swan

St James Street, Dunwich, Suffolk, IP17 3DT 01728 648219 | shipatdunwich.co.uk

Swan Lane, Cretingham, Suffolk, IP13 7BA 01728 685275 kingfisherscretingham.co.uk

The Street, Newbourne, Suffolk, IP12 4NY 01473 736307 | debeninns.co.uk/fox

Pin Mill, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP9 1JW 01473 780764 debeninns.co.uk/buttandoyster

The Street, Westleton, Suffolk, IP17 3AD 01728 648777 | westletoncrown.co.uk

5

41 Wangford Road, Reydon Suffolk, IP18 6PZ | 01502 723603 adnams.co.uk/locations/ randolph-hotel-reydon

Wilford Bridge Rd, Melton, Suffolk, IP12 2PA 01394 386141 debeninns.co.uk/wilfordbridge

11

18

Tuddenham Road Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 2SH 01473 215862 woolpack-ipswich.co.uk

Halesworth Road, Sibton, Suffolk, IP17 2JJ 01728 660337 sibtonwhitehorseinn.co.uk

12

Low Road, Hasketon, Suffolk, IP13 6JG 01394 610343 theturksheadhasketon.co.uk

7

13

Cliff Road, Waldringfield, Suffolk, IP12 4QL 01473 736215 debeninns.co.uk/maybush

The Street, Pettistree, Suffolk, IP13 0HP 01728 746451 greyhoundinnpettistree.co.uk

19

High Street, Bildeston, Suffolk, IP7 7EB 01449 740510 thebildestoncrown.com

20

Melton Road, Melton, Suffolk, IP12 1PD 01394 384851 debeninns.co.uk/coachandhorses Essential Suffolk

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S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

And so we’re taking this opportunity to remind Essential Suffolk readers of the more than 60 circular routes that can be found by visiting www.essentialsuffolk.com/ pub-walk and have mapped the locations of the pubs from which you can start and finish our most recent walks.

It is possible that, due to social distancing measures and the ever evolving guidance, you may need to check that there is capacity for you to visit the pub and whether opening times vary from what you might expect, so please do your homework before setting out.

Full instructions for each of the walks are available on the website. When first published each walk is tried and tested but please stay alert to any local changes as routes across farmland are occasionally revised. We stick to public footpaths so any alterations should be clearly marked.

We recommend always carrying a map (downloaded to your phone for example) just in case.

WINTER OFFER

Stay 3 nights Bed and Breakfast and get the 3rd night absolutely FREE! OFFER PRICE: £220 (NORMALLY £330) Only available by calling 01728 660337 Available Monday – Thursday, November 1st – February 25th 2021 (Excludes 24th December – 1st January)

Halesworth Road, Sibton, Nr Saxmundham, Suffolk. IP17 2JJ info@sibtonwhitehorseinn.co.uk | sibtonwhitehorseinn.co.uk

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It’s business as usual This thriving countryside gem is just nine miles from historic Dunwich and close to seaside favourites Aldeburgh and Southwold When Neil & Gill Mason took on the White Horse 15 years ago little did they know it would become their pride and passion; “It’s hard work but we love it – and the people we meet and the friends we make keep us smiling and laughing!”

Like so many in their industry, closure due to the Coronavirus pandemic was a crushing blow but the White Horse team has grasped the opportunity to further extend their bountiful kitchen garden supplying them with year round produce.

Neil commented “Since reopening we’ve focussed on a COVID-secure environment but without forgetting that visitors are coming to relax and enjoy life. Our AA accredited measures are thorough but discreet and with accommodation and large outside areas we can confirm that this part of Suffolk is firmly open for business!” www.sibtonwhitehorseinn.co.uk

P U B WA L K S W I TH DAR CY

When we started this pub walks series ten years ago Darcy was a lively two year-old, leaping into the car for an outing and keen to sniff out new routes. Thankfully she remains fit and well but at the rather grand age of 12 she has decided to take a wellearned retirement. We shall continue to seek out new pub walks for you to enjoy (she has rather generously agreed that her name may continue to be used!) and you may see some of her friends testing the paths on her behalf. She has always loved the water, her favourite outings are always those with the opportunity to swim or paddle – she’s like a canine water divining device; if it’s there, she’ll find it! Like most dogs she’s not bothered whether the water is clean or dirty, but she’s not so keen on the resulting hose treatment, even from the warm tap!

INFORMATION For a full list of Pub Walks With Darcy visit www.essentialsuffolk.com/pub-walk COVID ADVICE Please check for social distancing measures, opening times and restrictions before visiting any of the pubs listed.

Hidden treasure for all to enjoy Ufford Park Woodbridge

The Park Bar and Restaurant is located in the heart of Ufford Park, serving delicious home-cooked and locally-sourced food, all day, every day.

Choose from our restaurant menu, grab a bar snack, treat yourself to an afternoon tea or pop in for a Paddy & Scott’s coffee and a piece of homemade cake.

The Park Bar is also dog-friendly so you needn’t leave your four-legged friend at home! We have a 2 mile trim trail around the edge of our golf course; perfect before or after a bite to eat.

Families welcome t 01394 383555 e restaurant@uffordpark.co.uk w www.uffordpark.co.uk Yarmouth Road | Woodbridge | Suffolk | IP12 1QW

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S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

THE LUXURY OF LOCKDOWN Essential Suffolk explores the pandemic positives for luxury hamper providers The Artisan Smokehouse

French Feast Hamper

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B U SI N E SS P R OF I L E | T HE A RT I SA N SM OKE HO USE

W

hen Gill bought Tim a semiprofessional smoker, little did she realise that this thoughtful gift would completely change both their lives.

The couple run and own the multi awardwinning Artisan Smokehouse, which opened its doors ten years ago producing a delicious range of smoked foods and beautiful hampers. Of course the route wasn’t quite so simple; there were many experiments, several expensive mistakes and a number of smokers, but eventually food-loving Tim’s hobby turned into a business and today it’s based around their online shop, Café & Deli and supplying hampers for both individuals and businesses.

In 2014 the need to expand meant considering new premises and they eventually moved to Goose Barn, Falkenham complete with a new commercial kitchen, smokehouse, and a small deli and café serving delicious charcuterie and cheese platters, wine and beer. “Of course the COVID-19 pandemic has meant we’ve had to temporarily close the café side of the business” explained Tim “however the hampers have never been busier – it’s like Christmas but with no end date!”

But in the early weeks of lockdown business took an unexpected turn. “We realised that we could be part of the much needed homedelivery network. We stock basic provisions like bacon and pasta but also bread flour and yeast which if you recall were like gold dust”.

And so ‘Local Free Fridays’ was launched, with no delivery cost in the immediate IP10 and IP11 areas. Tim continued “Although demand has certainly reduced since the easing of lockdown, we’d like to think that a positive legacy of Coronavirus will be the public’s renewed appreciation for small local businesses. We hope that not everyone will drift back to the major supermarkets now that they’ve discovered providers like us – butchers, bakers, farm shops and delis – that were invaluable in their time of need.”

But at the other end of the scale from these basic provisions, the demand for Artisan Smokehouse Luxury Hampers has been off the scale. Their values are straightforward; tried, tested, ethically sourced British

produce, only importing when a quality British provider can’t be sourced. “We’re only interested in providing the very best that we can find. Gill has an exceptional eye for detail and ensures the presentation is exquisite whether you’re spending £20 or £200”.

Each hamper is carefully packaged in a bespoke, black, handmade box (also British made) and as may contain fresh and perishable items the day of delivery can be specified. Of course a message card is also included. “The personal messages we’ve been sending from givers to recipients throughout these strange and challenging times have been really emotive” says Tim. “Everything from love and loss to humour and congratulations – we’ve all been through the ringer and somehow food seems to bring people together”.

But it’s not just the personal gift giving that’s been driving Tim and Gill’s business, as corporate hampers have been an inventive way for companies to show staff and clients how much they’re valued and to unite them too. “We had a significant order from one of the high street banks for breakfast hampers for staff. It meant they could all meet remotely via the internet but at the same time share their goodies and feel truly valued, it was a huge success.”

Smoked Halloumi plus Parmesan, Truffle Gouda, Morbier, Snowdonia Black Bomber, Comte and Weydeland. Then of course we also have all the accompanying preserves and crackers”.

Although they’re not ready to reopen the café and deli quite yet, the 2020 story of The Artisan Smokehouse is one of positive out of crisis. The dedication Tim and Gill have shown to making the most of the opportunities they could see has meant they’ve been able to keep their café staff furloughed while taking on the extra work themselves. For a full list of the meat, cheese, fish and pantry products available visit www.artisansmokehouse.co.uk – you can even create your own bespoke hamper!

INFORMATION www.artisansmokehouse.co.uk If you would prefer to speak to someone then please call 01394 448414 (normal office opening hours 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday)

And with increased demand the creative juices have also been flowing with new products being stocked including, chilli-smoked halloumi and, soon to be available, biltong. Newly themed hampers include the French Feast Hamper, The Mediterranean Hamper, Vegan Meze, Vegetarian options, Chilli Meats… the list goes on.

There’s also a new completely sustainable hamper on the way with every effort made to use biodegradable and fully recyclable packaging.

“We’re extending our cheese selection too and offer Smoked Stilton, Smoked Cheddar, Smoked Goats Cheese and

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S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

CALL OF THE COAST After the enforced intensity of the first stages of lockdown Catharine Howard takes inspiration from the coastal calm of a seaside plot

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GARDENING

E

arlier this year when Lockdown started, shopping began in earnest.

Plants were flying about in cardboard all over the country as stay-at-home Brits turned to their own plot. Those that had gardens were very lucky.

The relationship between owner and their patch has taken on new life. In our case sowing, germinating, transplanting. We were at the whim of change of sunlight hours, tumbling temperatures, open and shut greenhouse doors and administering the right dose of water. It became gardening central. We’d bought lots of seed to grow cutting flowers for a cancelled wedding and instead they have gone into pots and turned parts of the courtyard into a theatrical set.

I am enslaved.

Has it been worth it and is this really how to garden? At Beth Chatto gravel garden I have seen the level of tweezering that goes into maintaining the edge of perfection.

It is all getting very pernickety. What about something more natural? Self-seeding?

Cultivating chaos? Letting nature in?

Let us look elsewhere.

Go down to the coast near here and at the end of the public road, park by the telephone box and head for the sea. On a corner site, opposite an empty plot where, until bomb practice in the war gave a direct hit, was The Lifeboat Inn, cornerstone of a well-knit local community of coastguards and fisherman.

I want to take you here to the other side of gardening where beach and garden blur.

The thin strip of houses straggles along the coastal path. The buildings were originally functional and put up by the MOD when they used the remote area as a test site. They face the sea, bear a fleeting resemblance to green Monopoly houses, have been taken in, dusted and given glad rags. Most have east and west gardens and front a wide shingle expanse down to shore-line. Summer is red valerian scrambling round voodoo headdress verbascums. Spring is sea campion and yellow horn poppy. Autumn teasels and sedum. The shingle supports a shifting ecology of plants that come and go in nomadic style. I am told that the vegetation of the beach has changed a very great deal in the last 20 years.

Back to our garden on the corner. It has been rebuilt with gazing out to sea windows but if you ask the owner, he has kodachrome snaps of a former incarnation of a pink washed edifice, a low grey wall and round flowerbeds to seawards. Beds in which against all the odds of the elements, roses were to be raised. Flower show blooms; marigolds, marrows, sweet peas grown by Ron Harrison who lived here with his wife Nina and four children. The children have grown up, dispersed but not far and cycle down for regular visits.

The owner tells the story of his predecessor, of a blue boiler suited man, battling to grow his English garden fare, adding nutrients and compost to feed the hungry sand to make the classic English garden. Ron had more luck a little bit inland where there is a secluded allotment plot sheltered by trees as a windbreak.

To make this garden gravel was imported in tons and added as a mulch topping to plants and then augmented by the ‘blow ins’ from the beach. The local nursery at Campsea Ashe holds the national collection of santolinas. It’s a lovely bobbly sub shrub, aromatic and with a range of yellows in the palette – the curry plant is another that copes happily with the salt whipped breeze. What does well are plants adapted to extreme drought; the xerophytes. The sea cabbage has come in off the beach, a frilly version of its much larger garden cousin with seedbeds like gooseberries.

Some plants have taken a toehold – the smallest of sedums amongst paving cracks.

The common fennels have made themselves into a gauzy curtain which is given shimmer and colour by purple toadflax and white gauras. This year the Verbena bonariansis – (the bread and butter of the late summer garden) has decided to sulk but it is there in the seed bank and will be back.

This haven for plants adapted to extremity, with incomers welcome to settle in, is totally harmonious. There is a light touch with materials, mostly recycled. Found objects are there from the tideline and this includes a southernwood that came in on the tide.

Best of all is the fence of strained sheep-wire between concrete posts – the winter months see windbreak mesh going up on the prevailing side. Forget borrowed views and jumping the fence. “My garden’s boundaries are the horizon” were Jarman’s words for Prospect Cottage down at Dungeness.

The same holds good here.

INFORMATION Catharine Howard is a designer, gardener and plantswoman with many years of creating and renovating gardens.

For a consultation or garden design contact her at www.catharinehoward.co.uk

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AUC TIO NS & ANTIQU E S

LOCKDOWN LOTS At the very turn of the year when I wrote my first Auction Centre editorial for Essential Suffolk I remember sharing with you how exciting it was looking at the auction calendar ahead and wondering what it would bring in the way of interesting and exciting sales.

I would never have imagined by the third week in March our Auction Centre would be in total lockdown for three months as the COVID-19 Pandemic hit. Along with many businesses we had no idea of what the future held and when we would be able to start up again as we are an operation that relies on people attending our premises for the purpose of both buying and selling.

Fortunately, by mid-June, we manged to restart our auctions in a largely online format. An onsite Machinery Sale for Strutt & Parker Farms in Essex was conducted entirely online via a timed auction after three days of socially distanced viewing over a large site. It resulted in a 100% sold rate and a sale total in excess of one million pounds!

By June 20th we had held our first auction at the Auction Centre, Campsea Ashe. A sale of Art Deco, 20th Century Design and Retro items was conducted online only, behind closed doors after two days of socially distanced restricted viewing. Clients could bid live via the internet, leave absentee bids or for high value items bid over the telephone. It is a very strange experience selling to an empty room but the online bidding is very intense and at times brisk and keeps the most experienced of auctioneers on their toes! The result was the best total achieved for this genre of sale.

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Geoffrey Barfoot Auction Centre Manager

By mid-July we were allowed to have bidders back in the room on a sale day, with our general sales producing huge numbers of lots, following post lockdown clear outs. Attendees have to be restricted of course and customers must wear masks and socially distance from each other but we find that, once they have viewed a sale, many clients prefer to return home and bid via the internet from the comfort of their chair.

We then broke with tradition and held an Antique and Fine Art auction in August and on a 33°C sweltering Saturday this brought one of our best summer totals with over 550 people registered online from all over the UK, China, USA and Europe.

As we go forward into the autumn season of sales with another Art Deco sale, our largest Rural Bygones auction (over 1000 lots), Antiques and Fine Art and the collective Machinery, all in the space of eight weeks, we anticipate that with people doing more and more shopping from home internet bidding will become even more prolific.

INFORMATION Clarke & Simpson Auction Centre, Campsea Ashe Nr Wickham Market, IP13 0PS. T: 01728 746323 For details of forthcoming auctions visit www.clarkeandsimpson.co.uk/auction-centre

P R O P E RTY

Essential

PROPERTY 48 51 53 55 60

Jackson-Stops Mortimers Clarke & Simpson Grier & Partners Hopkins Homes

50 Lawford

52 Old Martlesham

54 Metfield

56 Letheringham

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HASKETON ● A stunning manor house ● Grade II listed ● Extending to some 6,500 sq ft ● 3 reception rooms ● Open plan kitchen / living room ● 6 bedrooms ● 4 luxury bathrooms ● 3 dressing rooms ● Self-contained 1 bed annexe ● Large function barn ● Detached office building ● Formal landscaped gardens ● 3 acre paddock ● Tennis court ● Picturesque lake ● In all about 15.5 acres

GUIDE PRICE £2,750,000

MARLESFORD ● A beautifully presented and refurbished farmhouse ● Extending to some 3,900 sq ft ● 2 reception rooms ● 7 bedrooms ● 3 bathrooms ● Substantial 4 bedroom annexe barn ● Separate studio /office ● Picturesque English country house gardens ● Kitchen garden ● 2.5 acre meadow with stable range ● In all about 4.6 acres

GUIDE PRICE £1,400,000

THE NATIONAL AGENTS LOCALS RECOMMEND

EAST BERGHOLT ● A stunning Queen Anne rectory ● Grade II listed ● Spectacular views over the Dedham Vale ● 4 reception rooms ● Kitchen / Breakfast room ● 6 first floor bedrooms ● 4 bathrooms ● 3 attic bedrooms ● Annexe ● Extensive range of outbuildings ● Walled garden ● Tennis court ● Swimming pool ● Lawns & woodland ● Croquet lawn ● Rose garden ● In all about 8 acres

GUIDE PRICE £3,150,000

YOXFORD ● Tudor country house ● Grade II listed ● Extending to some 3,400 sq ft ● Beautifully restored ● 3 reception rooms ● 34 ft kitchen / dining room ● Study ● 5 bedrooms ● 4 bathrooms ● Attic bedroom ● Formal south facing gardens ● Potting sheds & stores ● Grazing / water meadows ● Woodland ● In all about 17 acres

GUIDE PRICE £1,100,000

01473 218218 Tim Dansie

Jonathan Penn

James Squirrell

ipswich@jackson-stops.co.uk

S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

SHIRBURN MILL FACTS LOCATION: Lawford PRICE: ÂŁ1,300,000 AGENT: Grier & Partners

Historic House & Mill This remarkable property is situated in the Dedham Vale and positioned on a site mentioned in the Domesday Book. Steeped in history Shirburn House, Shirburn Mill and the two Mill Ponds form integral parts of the famous landscape and architecture of the Dedham Vale.

Consent is also in place for a sympathetically designed two and single storey extension to the rear of Shirburn House, enhancing and greatly enlarging the kitchen into a full kitchen/dining/family room overlooking the gardens to the rear, along with a main bedroom suite above.

Initially constructed between 1800 and 1806 the Mill is in need of restoration and repair and to this end planning permission and a schedule have been agreed with Tendring District Council that provide a route forwards.

In total Shirburn Mill is set in a little over ten acres of land with ample space for grazing within two fields boundaried by hedges and separated by the upper mill pond. To the rear and side of Shirburn House there are formal gardens. The rear has an area of gravelled terrace which gives way to the landscaped garden. The side garden is formally set out for vegetables and fruit and has in previous years been highly productive.

The house itself is set in an elevated position overlooking The Mill and approached via private driveway from the road to its imposing entrance Portico. It is a blend of construction styles dating from the early 19th century including traditional nine inch brickwork through to timber frame elements under a hipped slate tiled roof.

Five bedrooms and a generous ground floor offer extensive accommodation over two floors. The kitchen opens out to a south facing, sunny rear terrace.

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INFORMATION Grier & Partners 01206 299222

FAMILY RUN BUSINESS WITH OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE

Woodbridge

Guide Price £625,000

Ufford

Guide Price £575,000

An attractive and very spacious 3/4 bedroom detached family house with a large garden. Entrance Hall, bedroom 4 / playroom, dining area, kitchen/garden room, sitting room, shower room, utility and study on the ground floor, first floor two double bedrooms and one single with large family bathroom, courtyard garden and extensive garden to the rear of the property, single garage. Early viewing advised.

An established 4 bedroom detached bungalow in a highly sought-after area with a large garden. Entrance hall, sitting room, conservatory, dining room, kitchen, cloakroom, utility, bedroom 4/study, main bedroom with en-suite and dressing area, two further bedrooms and family bathroom, two single garages.

SALE AGREED. MORE REQUIRED.

Woodbridge

Framlingham

Guide Price £347,500

An immaculate 4 bedroom semi-detached house with a home office, conservatory, garage and enclosed garden located in a desirable area of Woodbridge. Ideal family home. EPC: D

Framlingham

Guide Price £325,000

Plot 9 The Woodyard. This is one of 9 brand new detached bungalows located in the highly sought-after and historic market town of Framilingham. Entrance hall, kitchen, sitting room, two bedrooms and bathroom, enclosed garden and single garage.

Woodbridge

Guide Price £475,000

An established 1970’s built 4 bedroom detached family house which has been owned by the same family since new. Entrance dining hall, kitchen, utility, sitting room, study, cloakroom, 4 bedrooms and family bathroom, nice size corner plot, double garage and single garage with ample parking. EPC E.

Well what a year 2020 has turned out to be so far and as we all come out of lockdown and start getting use to the ‘New Normal’ we have been rushed off our feet and have had to employ a new member of staff (Abi Coomber) to help us cope with the demand. Since the stamp duty holiday was announced everyone is wanting to take advantage of the cash savings this brings and who can blame them after the last three years of uncertainty.

Investors and London buyers are back and house prices are remaining strong and could even increase as there’s still a short supply of quality homes. Now is definitely the time to make a move and we are so pleased one of our favourite magazines is back up and running to promote our clients’ properties ‘well done Essential Suffolk’.

If you are thinking of moving and would like to appear in the next edition of the Essential Suffolk magazine call MORTIMERS Estate Agents for a FREE VALUATION.

Linda Mortimer MNAEA

Dale Mortimer MNAEA Dip DEA

Guide Price £385,000

Plot 7 The Woodyard. A brand new 3 bedroom detached bungalow comprising; Entrance hall, sitting room, kitchen, family bathroom, main bedroom with en-suite and two further bedrooms, enclosed garden and single detached garage.

Charsfield

Guide Price £495,000

A stunning 4 bedroom detached family house in the desirable village of Charsfield.

Entrance hall, cloakroom, sitting room, kitchen/dining room, utility, main bedroom with en-suite, two further bedrooms and family bathroom, single garage, parking and gardens.

Guide Price £350,000

Woodbridge

A charming two bedroom period cottage in a very sought-after area of Woodbridge which benefits from off-road parking. Sitting room / dining room, kitchen, down stairs shower room, two bedrooms and bathroom, cottage garden and parking. EPC: D

Thomas Mortimer

Patricia Masson

Rosemary Barnard

Abi Coomber

Call 01394 386688 or email info@mortimersestateagents.co.uk

S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

MULBERRY COURT FACTS LOCATION: Old Martlesham PRICE: £2,995,000 AGENT: Jackson-Stops

Stunning Seclusion Nestling in a delightfully mature and secluded valley setting, Mulberry Court dates from 1830. The original late Regency cottage has been comprehensively restored and substantially extended in a handsome Georgian New England style by the present vendors and is offered for sale on the open market independently for the first time in its history.

Within, the beautifully appointed, light and well laid out accommodation extends to some 5,689 sq ft and includes a central reception hall with Dijon limestone flooring, set off which are well proportioned sitting and dining rooms, together with the stunning fully fitted Tom Howley-style kitchen/living room with quartz work surfaces.

Beyond the atmospheric study with its vaulted ceiling, is a Mark Wilkson butlers’ kitchen which links well with an elegant drawing/ dining room with its full height shuttered sash windows. The wing is completed with a flexible use guest/staff bedroom suite/annexe.

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On the first floor the master suite includes a vaulted bedroom, twin dressing rooms with Mark Wilkson cabinetry and a luxury bathroom. In addition, there are three further bedrooms and three further bath/shower rooms. The leisure wing can be independently accessed and includes a jacuzzi, swim spa ‘endless pool’, a studio/gymnasium and a separate changing room with WC and shower room.

A gently curving private driveway sweeps through an impressive gated entrance, through the parkland grounds and beyond the ‘Monet’ pond before reaching the house and accessing the coach house and parking. The secluded gardens are laid mainly to wellmaintained lawns and interspersed with mature oak, beach and yew trees. In all the property extends to approximately 6.5 acres.

INFORMATION Jackson-Stops 01473 218218

Wickham Market, Nr Woodbridge £795,000

Laxfield £695,000

A Grade II listed farmhouse with unconverted former dairy, workshop building & grounds extending to over 3 acres, in a semi-rural location on the outskirts of Wickham Market. Hall, sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility/boot room, office/study & cloakroom. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms & WC. 3 attic rooms. Former dairy. Workshop. Gardens & grounds extending to approximately 3.5 acres. Ref: 6415

A beautifully appointed 5-bedroom house offering stunning accommodation of over 2,000 sq ft, on a generous, landscaped plot, a short distance to the north of Laxfield's village centre. Entrance hall, sitting room, open plan kitchen/breakfast room/family room, dining room, study, utility room & cloakroom.

Master bedroom with en-suite shower room, guest bedroom with en-suite shower room, 3 further double bedrooms & family bathroom. Garage, carport & large driveway. Fully landscaped gardens.

EPC = TBC Ref: 6049

Brandeston, Nr Framlingham £600,000

Eye £595,000

A delightful, beautifully presented & spacious detached house within the popular village of Brandeston.

Hallway, kitchen, 2 reception rooms, snug, utility room, boot room & cloakroom. Bedroom 1 with en-suite. 3 further bedrooms & bathroom. Parking & garage. Rear garden with summerhouse & garden shed. EPC = D Ref: 6379

A handsome 5-bedroom detached house in a rural position yet within a mile of the market town of Eye. Hall, 3 reception rooms, kitchen, pantry, cloakroom & stores. Bedroom 1 with en-suite dressing room & shower room, 4 further bedrooms & bathroom. Parking, cart lodges, garage & stores. Pretty gardens extending to over half an acre. Ref: 6343

Monk Soham, Nr Framlingham £595,000

Laxfield £500,000

A wonderful detached cottage in an enviable standalone position along a small lane, enjoying field views.

17’5 x 15’5’ kitchen/dining room, sitting room, drawing room, study, ground floor bedroom and shower room. 3 first floor double bedrooms, en-suite shower room & bathroom. Ample parking. Large store/ studio. Superb landscaped gardens extending to just under 0.75 acres. EPC = E Ref: 6456

A thatched period cottage with spacious & flexible accommodation, located in the heart of the popular & desirable village of Laxfield. Entrance porch, sitting room, kitchen, breakfast room, dining room, office/occasional bedroom 4, utility room, bedroom 3 & shower room. 2 first floor bedrooms & a family bathroom. Front & rear gardens. Off-road parking to side. EPC = F Ref: 6457

Maypole Green, Dennington £395,000

Aldeburgh - Commercial £375,000

A charming Grade II listed detached cottage with gardens extending to quarter of an acre, located in the rural hamlet of Maypole Green. Entrance porch, sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, utility room & bathroom. 2 first floor bedrooms. Extensive mature gardens. Off-road parking.

Double garage. Ref: 6445

A rare opportunity to acquire a prime, vacant retail unit in the centre of the popular & highly regarded coastal town of Aldeburgh in Suffolk. Ref: 5932

Clarke and Simpson, Well Close Square, Framlingham, Suffolk, IP13 9DU

T: 01728 724200

www.clarkeandsimpson.co.uk

S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

YEW TREE FARM BARN FACTS LOCATION: Metfield PRICE: ÂŁ795,000 AGENT: Clarke & Simpson

Large Barn Conversion At the end of a quiet private lane, used by just two other dwellings, Yew Tree Farm Barn is surrounded by fields with direct access to a complex of footpaths and bridleways making it ideal for dog walks and hacking. The barn, which is of predominantly timber and brick construction with part rendered, part weather boarded elevations, was converted in 1992 and has the advantage of not being listed.

The main barn itself is two storeys with timber framed double glazed windows throughout as well as an oil fired central heating system. The light and spacious reception hall overlooks the front courtyard and rear garden and leads to the dining room, study and sitting room where there is a wood burning stove and French doors to the hallway and to the library.

The kitchen, which has been renewed within the last five years leads to a good sized breakfast room with French doors to the courtyard. The kitchen also leads to the utility room, cloakroom and the dining room.

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On the first floor are three bedrooms including a principle double with dressing room and large en-suite bathroom. Immediately adjoining the main barn is a self-contained annexe but with a connecting door which could be easily reinstated. Not only is there a good sized sitting/dining room with French doors leading to the garden, adjacent is the kitchen, a double bedroom and a large bathroom. In previous years, the vendor has let this for holiday use.

The gardens surround the barn on three sides and include a substantial pond with abundant wildlife. In total the grounds extend to approximately three acres with two acres being fenced paddocks.

INFORMATION Clarke & Simpson 01728 724200

HADLEIGH ROAD, EAST BERGHOLT £765,000

THE STREET, EAST BERGHOLT £625,000

An opportunity to acquire a generously proportioned detached four bedroom family home enjoying mature and extensively planted garden to both front and rear. The house is situated within easy walking distance of the village centre with its wide range of facilities making it ideally suited to both young families and the older buyer.

Available with No Onward Chain, rarely available within the centre of this stunning Suffolk village, Chapel House dating in parts from 1560 forms part of the historic East Bergholt village street scene. With four bedrooms, two bathrooms a generously sized kitchen breakfast room along with very well presented gardens. We highly recommend a viewing of this charming home.

MILL HILL, LAWFORD £1,300,000

WHITE HORSE ROAD, EAST BERGHOLT £435,000

This remarkable property situated in the Dedham Vale and positioned on site mentioned within the Domesday Book, offers a purchaser the unique opportunity to acquire a home, together with the associated Mill, Ponds and Land, that is enhanced by its historical setting. Combined with the approved enabling planning permission in place which sets out a clear route of enhancement going forward for the site, Shirburn Mill is an opportunity not to be missed.

Situated in a quiet part of the village of East Bergholt this detached cottage brings together the charm of period property with modern open plan living space. Presented to an excellent standard, this village property of real character with exceptionally well presented gardens is now available to view.

T: (01206) 299222 E: enquiries@grierandpartners.co.uk www.grierandpartners.co.uk

The Old Shop The Street, East Bergholt Colchester, Suffolk CO7 6TF

S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

THE FROGERY FACTS LOCATION: Letheringham PRICE: For sale by auction, guide ÂŁ195,000 to ÂŁ215,000 AGENT: Mortimers

Riverside Retreat Located between the market towns of Framlingham and Woodbridge this charming two bedroom period cottage is packed with character and enjoys a rather idyllic situation.

On the ground floor the sitting room has exposed beams and two built in storage cupboards. A small hallway leads to a dining room and the kitchen beyond at the rear of the property. The bathroom, with white suite, is positioned off the central hallway close to the stairs. On the first floor there are two bedrooms, the landing bedroom also has a built in cupboard.

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The small gated front garden is laid to lawn with hedging and fencing. The rear garden is also grassed with a brick outbuilding, fencing and hedging. The bottom part of the garden widens and abuts the river Deben.

INFORMATION The Auction will be held at 12 noon on Friday, September 4 in the rear garden of the property.

Mortimers 01394 386688

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S EP TEMBER & O CTOBE R 2020

My Suffolk Jill Barrett is the owner of

Barretts of Woodbridge – a vibrant and independent store specialising in inspiring and beautiful home furnishings.

Along with her partner and fellow Director, Michael Grist, they are proudly leading this thriving 50 year old business through the most trying of times for the high street

How did you come to live in Suffolk?

Jill: I was born in Norwich and at the age of two my mum and dad, Ann and Jack, moved the family to Woodbridge to open Barretts of Woodbridge.

We’re so spoilt for choice in Woodbridge.

The list includes The Galley (the Suffolk Black Pig is a must), The Riverside (now A-Listers), The Shapla (best curry anywhere), The East Coast Diner (fabulous pizzas and burgers), and The Table.

What do you think is special about shopping in Woodbridge?

Has COVID-19 changed this at all?

What do you love about Suffolk?

If you could choose one picture to sum up Suffolk for you, what would it be?

We love the wide open skies, the enchanting seaside towns, the variety of walks available, but most importantly, the lovely people.

Woodbridge has an eclectic mix of individual shops, restaurants, cafes and pubs, with Barretts right in the heart of the town. Whilst COVID-19 has brought about necessary change, it has given market towns like Woodbridge the edge – we can’t think of anything worse than having to wear a face mask all day in a shopping centre!

A beautiful view of the Woodbridge Tide Mill every time.

What’s the key to surviving on the high street for more than 50 years?

Michael: I moved here from Belfast back in 1987 to join BT, and have spent the last 10 years at Barretts, with Jill as my boss!

You mention walking, where do you most enjoy this?

We’re both very keen walkers, and our local favourites are the walk along the Deben from Woodbridge to Ufford, and the ‘Sailors Path’ from Snape to Aldeburgh (with excellent pubs and restaurants at each end). We also recently discovered a lovely walk to Boulge from Woodbridge during lockdown.

Do you have a favourite Suffolk product?

There’s always some Suffolk chorizo in the fridge!

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Where in the county do you like to eat out?

essentialsuffolk.com

If you were taking visitors for a day out in the county where would you go?

Aldeburgh would be first on the list, with fish and chips on the beach, and the circular walk to Thorpness.

The past six months has been hard for businesses generally – how has Barretts fared?

It’s been super busy since we re-opened in June, and we’re so grateful to our loyal customers. Carpets, Curtains and Blinds in particular have been busy, with people planning their make-overs during lockdown.

People buy from people they like, and the staff at Barretts are really lovely people! We have our customer’s best interests at heart, and that helps to build lasting loyalty. There’s always a happy, friendly atmosphere in the store, with lots of laughter. We keep it fresh, so whilst people will continue to see quality brands like Sanderson, Hypnos, and Christie, we try to ensure there’s always something new and exciting to see when you visit.

AWA R D W I N N I N G G A R DE N S F ROM DRE A M S TO R E A L I S AT ION

Landscape Design and Construction Contractors

sales@rogergladwell.co.uk

T: 01728 638372

M: 07785 966221

www.rogergladwell.co.uk