Take a trip on the Gainsborough Train Line
Visit Sudbury, an attractive market town, for water meadows and the birthplace of Thomas Gainsborough, now a museum and art gallery
Running from Marks Tey on the Inter City London Liverpool Street line to Norwich via Ipswich, the Gainsborough Train Line is a rail journey that takes you to Sudbury, the birthplace of Thomas Gainsborough, one of the most important British artists of the 18th century.
The line crosses a majestic 32-arch viaduct, the second largest brick-built structure in England, near the village of Chappel and high above the river Colne.
Chappel and Wakes Colne
If you stop off at the Chappel and Wakes Colne station, home to the East Anglian Railway Museum, you can walk under the impressive viaduct.
Willy Lott's House, Flatford, River Stour
Bures
The next station, Bures, sits on the Essex-Suffolk border by the River Stour. From here you can reach a destination named for another English painter, John Constable.
Constable Country is an area on the River Stour in the Dedham Vale National Landscape and focused on Flatford where John Constable created some of his most famous paintings, including The Hay Wain.
Where to find John Constable in Suffolk
Flatford celebrates John Constable's 250th anniversary
Constable Park on the River Stour is a unique riverside destination where nature, adventure and relaxation come together.
Where to stay: The Crown in Stoke by Nayland, Gladwins Farm, Milsoms, Talbooth House and Spa.
Inside Gainsborough's House
Sudbury
The Gainsborough line ends at Sudbury, an attractive market town with many historic buildings, not least Gainsborough’s House Museum, a Grade I-listed Georgian merchant house with exhibition galleries set in period gardens.
Sudbury Water Meadows offer lovely scenery and riverside trails in a quiet landscape, with wildlife, mill cottages and a weir. The designated bathing site at Friars Meadow is the only river in the country tested by the Environment Agency to have a ‘good’ status and considered safe for swimming.
Sudbury is the ‘Silk Capital’ of the UK, producing much of the country’s high-quality silk, with silk mills still operating in the town.
Sudbury is within the Suffolk Wine Trail, a new venture aiming to make Suffolk’s vineyards a new UK wine-tasting and touring destination.
Where to stay: The Mill and Black Lion at Long Melford, Cavendish Hall, Ancient House.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Gainsborough Line
The Gainsborough Line is a Community Rail Partnership that promotes the Greater Anglia train service to Sudbury from Marks Tey on the London Liverpool Street to Norwich Inter City rail service via Ipswich.
- What stops are on the Gainsborough Line
From Marks Tey, on the London Liverpool Street to Norwich Inter City rail service via Ipswich, the stops are Chappel and Wakes Colne, Bures, and Sudbury.
- How do I take the Gainsborough Line
You can take the Gainsborough Line from Marks Tey to Sudbury.
- Who was Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) was born in Sudbury in Suffolk and became one of the most important British artists of the 18th century. Despite being best known for his portrait work, Gainsborough gained greater satisfaction from his landscapes. A founding member of the Royal Academy, he is credited as being the originator of the British landscape school.
Today, visit his birthplace, Gainsborough's House in Sudbury.
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