_Unique sights in Suffolk

Suffolk is known not just for its lovely rolling countryside and estuarial coast, but for its unique attractions that show you the country’s rich heritage and culture.

Take a look out for these…

Wool Towns

From the 13th century, the wool trade was a mainstay of the English economy, no more so in Suffolk where raw wool was sold to the weavers of Flanders. This brought extraordinary wealth to the wool merchants of Lavenham, Hadleigh, Kersey, Clare, Cavendish and Long Melford who built magnificent churches and timber-framed houses.

The Industrial Revolution passed the East of England by (no fast-running water) so these towns’ riches ran out – but the unspoilt buildings remain.

At Lavenham look out for The Crooked House, built around 1425 and the most photographed house in the town, The Guildhall, The Swan Inn with its Airmen’s Bar, Little Hall and De Vere House, featured in Harry Potter film The Deathly Hallows.

The Museum of Food

De facto the National Museum of Food at Stowmarket, over 84 acres, 17 buildings and 40,000 objects, you’ll discover how our food is grown, made, and eaten and why this region is known as ‘Britain’s Breadbasket’.

Formerly the Museum of East Anglian Life, the Food Museum has a range of exhibitions, activities, events and programmes throughout the year, plus a lovely riverside walk.

Ickworth House and Gardens

Where else are you going to find an Italianate 102 feet high domed rotunda emerging from the Suffolk countryside?

Neoclassical Ickworth House, set in lovely parkland near Bury St Edmunds, is now run by the National Trust and was built between 1795 and 1829, the creation of Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol, who commissioned Italian architect Antonio Asprucci to design him a classical villa in the Suffolk countryside.

Originally planned as an art gallery, that plan was foiled when the Earl's collection was seized by Napoleon.

Part of the house is now a luxurious hotel.

Willy Lott’s Cottage

Stand on the banks of the River Stour, gaze at Willy Lott's Cottage and you’re basically looking at a scene painted by John Constable, the famous English painter who was born at nearby East Bergholt.

A Grade I listed building originally erected in the 16th century, the cottage is just downstream from Flatford Mill in the heart of Dedham Vale, an idyllic English rural landscape that is largely unchanged since Constable painted here.

A National Trust site, the location is used for arts-based courses such as painting.

Where to find John Constable in Suffolk

The Nutshell Pub

In the Guinness Book of World Record for being the smallest pub in Britain, The Nutshell is an iconic landmark on The Traverse in Bury St Edmunds.

Just 15ft by 7ft in size, the pub boasts oddities, trinkets and an array of strange décor across the walls and ceilings, including a 400-year-old a mummified cat.

Orford Ness

There’s an other-worldly, post-apocalyptic eeriness to Orford Ness, the UK’s longest shingle spit and an internationally important site for nature conservation.

Reached by boat from Orford Quay, its managed by the National Trust who organise walking tours such as ‘Island of Secrets’. Formerly administered by the Ministry of Defence, it was used top conduct secret military tests through the Cold War.

You’ll come across ominous derelict buildings, overgrown by nature that used to house operations such as atomic bomb testing, bomb flight recording, radar research and development, firing trials, and much more.

Newmarket

There can only be one worldwide home of flat horseracing, which makes Newmarket unique.

King Charles II founded the Round Course, part of which is still used today as the July Course and built a new palace close to the High Street. His private quarters, including his bedroom, survive as Palace House which is now the home of the National Horseracing Museum.

If you’re not here for a racing meet (the season runs from April to November), one of the tours will give you a fabulous insight into the workings of the racing industry. They include an early-morning visit to The Gallops, exploring the National Stud on foot or by bus, and champagne and afternoon tea.

Sutton Hoo

Sutton Hoo is England's Valley of the Kings, the 7th century cemetery for the royal dynasty of East Anglia, the Wuffingas, who claimed descent from the god Woden.

It’s thought that many of the 18 or so burial mounds were looted over time, but in 1939, in the King’s Mound, was found the richest burial ever found in northern Europe, that of King Rædwald, laid to rest in a 90ft long ship, surrounded by his extraordinary treasure.

Rædwald was famous for his victory over the Kingdom of Northumbria but also establishing altars to Christ beside the old gods.

Much of the treasure can now be seen in the British Museum and sadly the wooden boat eroded, but learn the story of the Anglo Saxons at Sutton Hoo and immerse yourself in the place they lived, not least the views down the River Deben to Woodbridge.

Dunwich

This is England’s Atlantis, the largest medieval underwater site in Europe but in medieval times Dunwich was one of the largest and most prosperous ports on the east coast. It was swallowed up by the sea after devastating storms.

Locals have claimed that at certain stormy times you can hear the church bells ringing, although they usually hear these bells as they are staggering home from the local pub after closing time!

A reconstructed model a Dunwich Museum allows you to see it as it probably looked in its heyday.

Where is Suffolk’s Lost City?

Thorpeness

A mock Tudor village of timbered and thatched houses by the seaside, with a shallow boating Mere punctuated with Peter Pan-themed islands and a House in the Clouds? Honestly, you’ll think you’ve discovered Suffolk’s very own version of Brigadoon!

Find Thorpeness on the coastal road just north of Aldeburgh – you can’t miss Maggi Hambling’s Scallop on the shingle beach – and discover the history of this picturesque holiday village.

Ness Point

The most easterly point in the country is at Ness Point in Lowestoft, meaning this is the first place in the country where you can see the sunrise. No wonder it hosts First Light Festival every June.

East Anglia Transport Museum

An open-air museum for vehicle lovers and history enthusiasts alike and home to trams, trolleybuses and locomotives, the East Anglia Transport Museum can be found at Carlton Colville near Lowestoft.

Learn about transport development through the years and take a ride on vintage trams, buses, and the narrow-gauge railway.

Bawdsey Radar

The world’s first radar station was opened in 1937 at Bawdsey near Orford and it played a significant part in helping the RAF win the Battle of Britain in 1940.

Today Bawdsey Radar is a unique and incredibly interesting museum about the history of radar. Learn about the fascinating story of radar in this fun and interactive museum designed for all ages, with plenty of engaging activities to keep everyone entertained while learning.