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Suffolk self catering holiday cottage for 9
Gedgrave Broom, near Orford, Suffolk
Sleeps 9 
“Thank you again for an utterly magical and unforgettable holiday in this beautiful, hidden away cottage!”
About the property
This truly magical thatched cottage is literally in a world of its own, hidden down a mile long track, through a 200 acre forest and overlooking ancient water meadows that have little changed over hundreds of years. The relaxed atmosphere in the cottage and its truly idyllic location lend it to good old fashioned family holidays where children can roam around ‘Famous Five’ style, making dens in the woods and going on ‘proper’ adventures. John Seymour lived and wrote his classic book ‘The Fat of the Land’ here which went on to inspire the TV series ‘The Good Life’, it will be all to obvious to any visitor where his inspiration came from!
Downstairs there’s a large living room, a dining room, two bedrooms (1 double, 1 twin), a bathroom and a cloakroom. Upstairs you’ll find 3 further bedrooms (2 doubles, 1 single), a bathroom and a shower room. Outside there’s an acre garden of grassland immediately around the house, a barn that can be hired for parties, and a private 200 acre wood beyond for your use. Thi cottage is dog friendly - see note below
The accommodation
The front door leads to a hallway with space to leave your coats and boots.
Living room: This has a lovely open fire and mantelpiece, three sofas and coffee tables. A TV, DVD player and video recorder are hidden away in a cupboard, and there’s an Ipod docking station.
Dining room: There’s a large dining table and chairs, side boards, and a telescope so you can enjoy those wide open light-free skies at night.
Kitchen and larder: There are two electric cookers with eight hot plates and four ovens. There’s a dishwasher, a washing machine, a tumble dryer, and a microwave.
Cloakroom/Laundry: With a w.c. and a separate butler sink for handwashing.
A door in the living room leads to a hallway with access to the two ground floor bedrooms and bathroom.
Bedroom 1: A double bedroom with a chest of drawers, bedside tables and a bedroom chair.
Bedroom 2: A twin bedroom with a chest of drawers, chairs, and hooks with hangers on the back of the doors for your clothes.
Bathroom: There’s a bath with hand held shower attachment, a w.c., a heated towel rail and a hand basin.
First floor:
Stairs from the ground floor hallway lead up to a long landing with doors to all the first floor bedrooms and bathrooms.
Bedroom 3: With a double bed, a dressing table with drawers, hooks and hangers on the back of the door to hang your clothes, two hardwood chairs and bedside tables.
Bedroom 4: A single bed with a bedside table, a chest of drawers, a chair and hooks and hangers on the back of the door to hang your clothes.
Bedroom 5: A double bedroom with a chest of drawers, bedside tables and hooks and hangers on the walls for your clothes and a bedside chair.
Bathroom: There’s a bath, a w.c. and a hand basin.
Shower room: With a shower, a w.c. a hand basin and a heated towel rail.
Outside there’s an acre of grassland garden which is fenced with gates. There’s a BBQ area and a play barn, which houses a table tennis table and mini snooker, and can also be used for parties on arrangement with the owner. Beyond this is over 200 acres of woodland for you to explore by foot or bring your bikes. On rare occasions when forest operations are planned, some of the wood may be unavailable. The landscape around the cottage hasn’t really changed since the 1600s. The fields have not been cultivated and so beautiful displays of bluebells, aconites, snow drops, orchids, cow slips can be seen in the spring and summer. The garden is particularly beautiful when covered in snow drops in the early spring.
Gedgrave Broom is a very relaxed historic property, and whilst the interior is not perhaps as highly finished as some of our other properties, it is a very special and unique place to stay.
About the area
Orford is around a mile away and can be reached down private farm tracks and so is very suitable for cycling. This delightful village is on the River Ore and boasts an 'English Heritage' Norman castle and working river quay serving sailors, fishermen and sightseers. The village has a fantastic choice of places to eat and drink including The Trinity at the Crown and Castle (owned by restaurateur, journalist and author Ruth Watson, presenter of Channel Five's 'The Hotel Inspector'), the Kings Head pub and the Butley Oysterage. Nearer the quay are The Jolly Sailor and a café with lovely views over the river. Across the river is the National Trust's Orford Ness, the site of mysterious research projects in the 1950's and 60's but now a nature reserve.
Trips down the river can be booked from Orford Quay to see the area's famous avocets at the RSPB's Havergate Island, and regular Lobster Pot Lifting parties are a treat not to be missed. If you are eating in, good local food can be purchased in the village from an award-winning butcher, and smoked fish from Richardson's Smokery, as well as the world famous Pinneys are all complemented by the village store, which also has a tea room open all year round.
The owners of the cottage can offer guests a ‘Jane Austin’ style carriage ride in an open modern carriage pulled by two beautiful black 17 hand carriage horses – you can either explore the estate or be taken down to the pub in Orford, subject to weather conditions. Price on application and arrangement with the owners, conventional riding is also available locally.
This detached thatched cottage was originally built in 1600s and was part of the 10,000 acre Sudbourne Hall Estate, owned successively by Viscount Hereford, the Marquis of Hertford, and then by Lyons, the Ice cream billionaire. He sold to the late Sir Alan Clark’s family and his father Kenneth Clark lived at Sudbourne Hall between 1904 until the end of WW1.
The cottage was lived in by the estate woodman and warrener. The current owners great Grandfather bought the property from the Clarks in 1918. Joseph Watson, known as ‘Soapy Joe’, was an Edwardian soap magnet who patented the ‘Watsons Matchless Cleanser’. For services to his country he was elevated to the peerage and became Baron Manton in 1922. He founded one of the first major agricultural research centres, to help increase food production and improve the diets of the poor. The cleaning up of the old slums in Yorkshire towns and cities was attributed to the use of his revolutionary carbolic soap, and the subsequent health benefit to the poor was immeasurable.
What’s included?
All prices include 100% cotton bed linen, towels, and electricity, plus a welcome pack of home produced sausages, free range local eggs, a loaf of freshly made bread, and a bottle of wine. A delicious supper of homemade Beef bourguignon can be purchased by arrangement from the owners and left in the oven for you ready for your arrival.
This detached property is equipped with a mix of storage heaters and plug in fan heaters, an open fire with an initial supply of logs and kindling, to get you started. Appliances include a TV with the four main terrestrial channels, a DVD player and VHS recorder, Ipod dock and an electric hob and oven, a dishwasher, fridge, freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer. Kitchen gadgets include a food processor, hand held mixer and microwave. The cottage has carpet or rugs in the living room and dining room, lino in the kitchen and carpet in the bedrooms.
Restrictions and notes:
Sorry no smoking or unaccompanied teenagers permitted at this property.
A dog is sometimes permitted on request at the time of booking.
Please note that the wood is on an agricultural tenancy to the Forestry Commission and all notices regarding their operations should be observed at all times. There are no public rights of way through the wood.
The cottage is heated with a mix of storage heaters and fan heaters, there is no central heating.
Tariff
For weekly prices please visit the online booking calendar for details.
How to book this property
1. Check availability and price by clicking here. Move your mouse pointer over one of the underlined dates to reveal the prices for breaks starting on that date.
2. Make a provisional booking by clicking on your arrival date, then click on your departure date. You will then be prompted to fill out a booking form. Only dates that are underlined can be selected as arrival and departure dates. For enquiries about other dates please email or call us.
3. How to pay. When you have filled out your booking form you can choose to pay online by credit or debit card or send a cheque. A 25% deposit is requested at the time of your booking. The balance and a £100 returnable good housekeeping deposit (subject to terms and conditions) are due six weeks before your holiday commences. Please note there is a 1.5% charge for credit card payments. There is no charge for debit card or cheque payments.
4. More information about making a booking is available by clicking here
For all other enquiries please either email bookings@bestofsuffolk.co.uk or call us on 01728 638962.
email: bookings@bestofsuffolk.co.uk or call: 01728 638962 and click here to join our mailing list.