A guide to visiting Long Melford, Suffolk: our one day itinerary
- teamthomastravels
- 5 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Spend a relaxing Suffolk day trip in one of the county's loveliest villages, Long Melford, home to not one but two magnificent Tudor mansions, one of the country’s finest medieval wool churches, a high street full of charming tea rooms and independent shops, fab pubs and an independent brewery! Some might recognise it as the setting for 1980s/90s television series Lovejoy.
Planning a visit? Here’s our suggested itinerary for spending a day in Long Melford.
Start your day with a trip back in time: You have a choice of 2 spectacular Tudor manor houses to explore in Long Melford: Privately owned Kentwell Hall, still surrounded by a moat, is open on select days throughout the year and also runs special events like Easter lambing and historical reenactment days. As well as walking through grand rooms in the house, there are over 30 acres of grounds and gardens to enjoy. You can read our blog about visiting Kentwell Hall here.
Melford Hall, now a National Trust property, was visited by Queen Elizabeth I and has links to Beatrix Potter. It also has a stunning Tudor house and an extensive estate to amble around, including an attractive octagonal banqueting house within the grounds.
Next, journey back yet another hundred years and visit Long Melford’s wonderful Holy Trinity Church. This Medieval wool church has one of the longest naves in England and some extremely rare Medieval stained glass windows that survived the Reformation and the English Civil War: look out for a Pieta and the unique Hare window, a group of three hares symbolising the Holy Trinity. At the top of both aisles, you’ll find some unusual memorial brasses and the Clopton Chantry Chapel has 15th century painted vines around the ceiling along with the words of an Old English poem, The Vine of Life, by monk John Lydgate. Just outside is another Tudor red brick building: the Holy and Blessed Trinity Hospital. Originally established in 1573 as an almshouse for 12 men and today it is a charity providing accommodation for women and married couples.
For lunch we have two pub recommendations that you could book a table at:
The Hare: Bang opposite Kentwell Hall and a very short walk from Melford Hall, The Hare is exactly what you want from a traditional county pub. It serves delicious home cooked food and a scrummy Sunday Roast, the bar is dog friendly and here is an outdoor play area forthe kids in the beer garden. Full disclosure, my (Emma’s) cousin owns the Hare, but we’d recommend it regardless, it’s fab!
The Bull: Walk beyond Melford Hall to the village sign and you’ll see a big black and white timber framed building. Built as a wealthy merchant’s house in round 1450, the Bull has been an inn since around 1580, providing food and rooms for travellers on the road between Norwich, Bury St Edmunds and London. Famous for its Sunday roast, it’s still a hotel today and has a lot of its original timber, beams and fireplaces inside. There's also a sunny patio out back.
More Suffolk guides by us:
Take a stroll further down the high street (at 2.5 miles long it is said to be the longest in the country!) past historic houses, tea rooms, art galleries and antique shops. If you keep walking, just outside the village is Melford Country Park and opposite, Nethergate Brewery & Distillery. The Country Park is the perfect place to let the kids blow off steam before the drive home, with woodland and small lakes to explore. If you have another day in the area, you can also take a brilliant circular walk through the countryside to another Suffolk gem, Lavenham, famous for its huge number of spectacular timbered houses. You can read our visitor’s guide to Lavenham here.
Nethergate Brewery began life nearly 40 years ago in a tiny 10 barrel microbrewery in Clare, 7 miles up the road. The vision of two friends who were disappointed by local real ale, Nethergate has won multiple awards and in 2020 branched into producing gin alongside their popular pints. Fan favourites include Old Growler, a porter and Suffolk County, a traditional best bitter. You can try a variety of beers brewed on site and even book a tour of the facilities!
How to get to Long Melford:
Long Melford is in Suffolk, in the east of England, right on the border with Essex.
By train: The closest station, Sudbury, is around 2 miles away and from there, you can get to London Liverpool Street about 80 minutes.
By car: Colchester and Bury St Edmunds are about half an hour’s drive away, with Cambridge about an hour away.
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Disclosure: Our visit to Kentwell Hall was arranged in collaboration with the local tourism board, Bury St Edmunds and Beyond, but we are not paid to post and as always all opinions are our own!