The Old Rectory
Ipswich,
Suffolk
Bed & Breakfast
+44 (0)1449 740400
Visit owner's website
£110 - £130
per night
A secluded spot. Delicious home produce at breakfast and dinner, tea on the terrace in summer, log fires in winter and very kind hosts
2 rooms
Rooms sleep 2
Children welcome
Pets welcome
Babies welcome
Your enquiry details
2 Guests 15 Oct 24 - 15 Oct 24
Direct with the owner
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£110 - £130 per night
The Experience
A handsome house surrounded by large gardens and sheep-dotted fields. Maggie’s home is filled with beautiful things: old family china, prints, portraits, blue and white decorated lamps, polished wood – a piano. Bedrooms are peaceful and pretty, one on the first floor and another (with extra twin, let to the same party only) on the second floor. Both have private bathrooms.
Breakfast is well worth waking up for: granola, compote, homemade jams, home-buzzed honey, sausages and bacon from their own pigs; sourcing local food is a passion and Maggie loves to cook, so dinner will be equally good. Guests have their own sitting room with books and games and Paddy is happy to show you the sheep, pigs and chickens.
An hour’s walk along ancient, peaceful paths will take you into Lavenham and you can return via a different route, admiring the gentle countryside, listening for birds.
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We think you'll love
- The wonderful, nearly all home-produced food served at breakfast and dinner – Maggie loves to cook and she really pulls out all the stops
- Walking in such peaceful countryside along quiet lanes
- Having tea and home-baked cakes on the terrace in the sunshine
You should know
- If you want supper you must remember to let Maggie know before you arrive
- Dogs welcome but not sheep-chasers. You are surrounded by animals
Essentials
- Swimming pool
- EV charger
- Hot tub
- Garden
- Open fire / woodburner
- Breakfast included
- Breakfast available
- Meals available
- Vegetarian meals
- Oven
- Parking on premises
- Free parking nearby
- Accessible by public transport
- WiFi
- Television
- Spa
- Central heating
- Limited mobility
- Wheelchair access
- Mobile reception
- Hob
- Bar
- Barbecue
- Licensed premises
- Paid parking nearby
- Air conditioning
- Relaxation areas
- Washing machine
- Tennis court
- Microwave oven
- No smoking
- Credit cards
- Working farm
- Owner has pets
- Dishwasher
- Pets welcome
Family friendly
- Baby monitor
- Books and toys
- Children welcome
- Babies welcome
- Stair gates
- High chair
- Fire guard
- Cot available
Nearby
- Pub/bar within 3 miles
- Restaurant within 3 miles
- Shop within 3 miles
Activities
- Bikes available
- Food courses
- Kayaking
- Other courses
- Sailing
- Surfing
- Wild swimming
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Accommodation
Pricing
- Nightly price
- from £110
- Surcharges
- Extra bed/sofabed available £25 per person per night. 1-night bookings accepted on Saturdays; 2+ nights including Saturday: 25% discount.
- 1 Double
- From £110
- 1 Twin/double
- From £110
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Information
Booking information
- Check in
- 4pm-9.30pm
- Check out
- By 11am
- Closed
- Rarely.
- No smoking
- Smoking not permitted anywhere in the property.
- Owner has pets
- Animals living on the property
- Meals
- Dinner, 2-3 courses with wine, £20-£30. Pubs/restaurants 2 miles.
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Location
The neighbourhood
The Rectory is remote, half a mile down its own lane in a hidden valley. Lavenham, England's 'finest medieval village', is a great place to explore with half-timbered buildings, an ancient church, good independent shops, galleries and places to eat – try delicious tapas at the Greyhound. The Bildeston Crown is another fine place to eat. Gainsborough's House in Sudbury has just re-opened.
Local points of interest from Maggie Lawrence
- Hidden away, at the end of a no-through lane, we are a rural idyll. Home-grown sausages and eggs at breakfast, home-baked cakes at tea and dinner includes our own lamb or pork, veggies from the garden and fruit from the orchard. Even honey is home spun.
- Close by are all the medieval wool towns, most famously Lavenham - the Guildhall, church, beamed houses (as in the nursery rhyme and Harry Potter). Also, Long Melford with its antique shops and Cavendish and Clare. Kersey is a hidden gem
- Just 25 mins away is "Constable Country" where Willy Lott's cottage and Flatford Mill are unmissable. A day can be spent walking the banks of the Stour and taking tea in Dedham before driving home via the villages of Stoke-by-Nayland, Nayland and Boxford.
- Aldeburgh and Southwold are 80 minutes away, but our favourite is Orford with its castle, prize winning bakery, the best smoked fish, boat trips and Orford Ness - National Trust and lighthouse. Ask us about Sutton Hoo and Staverton Thicks on the way.
- Cambridge is an hour away and Bury St Edmunds with its Abbey and gardens, Ickworth Park, Newmarket, home of flat racing and Anglesea Abbey are all sights within easy reach. In summer gardens are amazing - Wyken Hall, Helmingham amongst other NGS days
- Gourmet Suffolk - we love our food and have a long list of recommendations from micro breweries to Michelin starred restaurants: some walkable and some to be enjoyed on your day out. We offer maps and guides for walks or bike rides in any direction.
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Introducing
Maggie Lawrence
Maggie and Paddy have lived here for nearly 30 years and brought up five children who have now fled the nest. Maggie runs the house and her husband Paddy is a clock mender, so you will see a lot of clocks around the house. They are passionate about producing as much of their own food as they can, or sourcing as locally as possible.
For those who dream of Sunday afternoon tea at a country rectory during the impossibly romantic Edwardian period, this would fit those dreams. And beyond there is nothing to spoil the image. The quiet countryside and its drowsy medieval towns and villages all maintain the sense of being lost in time.