Stately homes & castles

Stately homes & castles (click on an image to go to their website)

As you will see below there are masses of impressive country houses, historic buildings and castles to visit from Piglets with an hour or two at the most. Perfect for a day out to return to a well stocked bar and a home cooked evening meal as you rest after a day of touring!

Audley End House (5 miles)

This stunning Jacobean mansion stands resplendent in front of the meandering River Cam and the local village cricket pitch. Aside from the fabulous ornate interiors, there has been a recreation of the Victorian working kitchens showcasing a life “below stairs.” Across the road is a miniature railway that takes visitors deep into the late Lord Neville’s estate woods (English Heritage).

Audley End House| Piglets Boutique B&B
Prior’s Hall Barn, Widdington (5.7 miles)

One of the finest surviving medieval barns in eastern England, tree-ring-dated to the mid-15th century, with a breathtaking aisled interior and crown post roof, the product of some 400 oaks (English Heritage).

Prior's Hall Barn | Piglets Boutique B&B
Easton Lodge (10.7 miles)

The Gardens of Easton Lodge are an idyllic haven (Historic England, Grade II listed). They have been partially restored to their former glory by a team of dedicated volunteers and the owners of Warwick House.

Easton Lodge gardens | Piglets Boutique B&B
Duxford Chapel (12.6 miles)

A modest but complete and attractive 14th-century chantry chapel, perhaps originally a hospital (English Heritage).

Duxford Chapel | Piglets Boutique B&B
Hatfield Forest (15 miles)

Hatfield Forest National Nature Reserve is the best surviving example in Britain of an almost complete Royal Hunting Forest. It has seen many owners, from Kings to commoners. No other Forest on earth evokes the atmosphere of a medieval hunting Forest so completely (National Trust).

Hatfield Forest | Piglets Boutique B&B
Hedingham Castle (16.3 miles )

Hedingham Castle is the most iconic of all East Anglian fortresses commanding Essex for nine centuries. Climb the Great Tower,  and immerse yourself in vivid medieval interiors. Delve deep into the historical atmosphere by coming to one of our legendary events, or escape here for the day and roam through the centuries in the ancient landscape

Heddingham Castle | Piglets Boutique B&B
Melford Hall (20.8 miles)

Devastated by fire in 1942, it was nurtured back to life by the Hyde Parker family and it remains their much loved family home to this day. It is their stories of family life at Melford – from visits by their cousin Beatrix Potter through to our visitors today that make this house more than bricks and mortar.

Melford Hall | Piglets Boutique B&B
Kentwell Hall (21.5 miles)

Kentwell is not only a stunning period house, but it is also a lived-in and much-loved family home with its story beginning over 500 years ago. Built originally by the Clopton family, local wealthy wool merchants, Kentwell Hall has been home to a succession of owners, with each leaving their own mark.

Kentwell Hall | Piglets Boutique B&B
Paycocke’s House (23.3 miles)

A stunning Tudor merchant’s house whose walls have more than a few stories to tell (National Trust).

Paycocke's | Piglets Boutique B&B
Grange Barn (23.7 miles)

One of Europe’s oldest timber-framed buildings, Grange Barn stands as a lasting reminder of the once-powerful Coggeshall Abbey. With oak pillars soaring up to a cathedral-like roof, bearing the weight of centuries, it was saved and restored in the 1980s. This 13th-century building has truly stood the test of time (National Trust).

Grange Barn | Piglets Boutique B&B
Anglesey Abbey & Lode Mill (24.6 miles)

At the age of 30, the future Lord Fairhaven began to create his first home. Wanting to inspire and surprise visitors, he created a spectacular garden with planting for all seasons and a cosy house in which to entertain. Life revolved around horse racing and shooting, and guests enjoyed 1930s luxury (National Trust).

Anglesey Abbey | Piglets Boutique B&B
Wimpole Hall (25.3 miles)

A working estate still guided by the seasons, with an impressive mansion, parkland, gardens and Home Farm (National Trust).

Wimpole Hall | Piglets Boutique B&B
Ickworth House (26.6 miles)

An Italianate Palace in the heart of an ancient deer park. Formal gardens, pleasure grounds, rolling Suffolk landscape and woodlands invite gentle strolls or long walks, runs, bike rides and picnics. The Italianate Garden mirrors the architecture of the house, whilst also encasing an idiosyncratic Victorian stumpery, contrasting light and shade (National Trust).

Ickworth | Piglets Boutique B&B
Wicken Fen (33.8 miles)

One of Europe’s most important wetlands, supports an abundance of wildlife. There are more than 9000 species, including a spectacular array of plants, birds and dragonflies (National Trust).

Wicken Fen | Piglets Boutique B&B
Bourne Mill (35.4 miles)

Picturesque watermill with working waterwheel. A delightful piece of late Elizabethan playfulness. Built for banquets and converted into a mill in the 19th century (National Trust).

Bourne Mill | Piglets Boutique B&B
Flatford Mill (43.2 miles)

Flatford lies in the heart of the beautiful Dedham Vale. This charming hamlet was the inspiration for some of John Constable’s most famous pictures, for example, The Hay Wain or Boatbuilding near Flatford Mill among many others. Wandering beside the River Stour or looking at Flatford Mill and Willy Lott’s House you can feel as if you are actually walking through one of his paintings (National Trust).

Flatford Mill | Piglets Boutique B&B

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