Suffolk & Constable Country

Day 1 – Audley End House & Gardens

Board our private executive coach at your preferred pick up points – stop at a convenient property en route such as Audley End House and Gardens near Saffron Walden to discover the sumptuous splendour enjoyed by royalty and the aristocracy in one of England’s grandest stately homes – continue to the 4* Stoke by Nayland Hotel on the outskirts of Leavenheath.

Day 2 – Gainsborough’s House, Lavenham & Melford Hall

Gainsborough’s House at Sudbury, the birthplace of the famous painter, dates back to the 16th century and boasts an outstanding collection of more of his work than any other gallery – Lavenham is one of England’s finest medieval villages with a 15th century church and the Guildhall, an early 16th century timber framed building that dominates the Market Place – continue to the National Trust’s Melford Hall, one of East Anglia’s most celebrated Elizabethan houses where little has changed externally since 1578.

Day 3 – Constable Country, Dedham, Bridge Cottage & Christchurch Mansion

This morning is spent with our Blue Badge guide exploring Constable Country located on the Suffolk and Essex border – East Bergholt is the site of John Constable’s Studio and St Mary’s Church, built in the 15th and 16th centuries and renowned for the absence of a tower or spire to house the bells – at Dedham our tour takes in sights such as Constable’s School and Dedham Parish Church, dedicated to St Mary the Virgin in 1492 – Bridge Cottage at Flatford is located upstream from Flatford Mill and houses an exhibition on John Constable, several of whose paintings famously feature the mill – with historic room settings, outstanding paintings and furniture and the modern Wolsey Art Gallery, the Tudor building of Christchurch Mansion is one of East Anglia’s most important visitor attractions.

Day 4 – Sutton Hoo, Aldeburgh & Benjamin Britten’s The Red House

This morning we visit the National Trust’s Sutton Hoo, an Anglo Saxon royal burial site where the priceless Sutton Hoo treasure was discovered in a huge ship grave in 1939 – a guided tour of the picturesque 16th century fishing village of Aldeburgh includes a visit to The Red House, where Benjamin Britten lived and worked for the last two decades of his life, and the interiors of the House including his studio and library are presented as they were in the mid- 1960s.

Day 5 – Ickworth House

Stop at a convenient property en route home such as Ickworth House, located in 70 acres of stunning gardens and 1,800 acres of idyllic ‘Capability’ Brown parkland, home to a fine collection of Old Master paintings, silver and Regency furniture and dominated by its huge central Rotunda dating from 1795 – return to our original departure points with comfort stops en route.