Easter lambing at Kentwell Hall, 2025: visiting one of England’s finest Tudor homes.
- teamthomastravels
- Apr 11
- 4 min read
Spring has well and truly sprung at Long Melford’s Kentwell Hall! Newborn lambs, daffodils galore, garden croquet and delicious cakes await at this spectacular Tudor home in the Suffolk countryside.
We wanted to take Jamie to see lambs this Easter, so when we realised that we could combine it with a visit to a stately home (and the Tudors have always been our favourites), we were sold!
With origins tracing back to the Domesday Book of 1086, the original manor known as “Kanewella” passed through various hands, including Norman lords and the powerful de Valence family in the 13th century. It was the wealthy Clopton family, however, who shaped the property we see today over three centuries. Starting in the late 15th century, successive generations expanded the house, adding wings and an upper level, culminating in the mid-16th century with the E-shaped red-brick, moated manor house that still remains.
Kentwell Hall is approached down a mile long, lime tree lined avenue planted in the 17th century - the views across the fields of grazing sheep to Long Melford’s magnificent medieval wool church haven’t changed for centuries – and you continue your journey back in time by crossing the Tudor bridge over the moat to reach the house and formal gardens.
Inside the Hall
Throughout the house, you'll notice the evolution of architectural styles as the building changed owners over the years. While the core remains Tudor, later additions and renovations introduced Georgian and Victorian elements, such as different styles of fireplaces, plasterwork, and window designs. A serious fire in 1826 led to some major reconstructions which introduced Scottish Baronial and English Jacobean styles to the Hall’s interior. Keep an eye out for original features like heraldic stained glass windows, some dating back to the medieval period.
The stairwells and rooms such as the Great Hall, Chinese bedroom, Victorian bedroom and the Drawing Room contain an eclectic mix of period furniture, art and treasures collected on the travels of the current owners, Patrick and Judith Phillips, who have lovingly restored Kentwell Hall into a family home since they took it on in 1970. A particular highlight for us was the pair of vast leather screens illustrating the coronation procession of Edward VI.
The farm
For the next week, visitors to Kentwell Hall can also enjoy seeing newborn lambs with their mums in the lambing sheds or “sheep maternity wards” and their older peers frolicking in the surrounding paddocks. Jamie’s favourites were the adorable free roaming piglets pelting around the farm yard and snuffling around our feet and there were also chickens, a horse and a peacock to see. This is where you’ll also find the loos, baby changing and tea room/cafe! We had brought sandwiches with us (there are picnic tables by the car park, the only place where you are allowed to eat your own food), but both bought a hot drink to take around the grounds.
Exploring Kentwell Hall’s gardens and grounds
When visiting Kentwell Hall in spring, one of the first thing you’ll notice as you reach the fish filled moat is the staggering number of daffodils. Walking down towards the farm you’ll see dense banks of them, bobbing beneath trees covered in spring blossom.
Kentwell Hall also boasts a collection of fascinating outbuildings, including a 15th-century Moat House, believed to have served as a brew house and bakery to an earlier hall, historic barns and a camera obscura. The surrounding 25 acres of gardens and parkland, developed over centuries, offer a blend of formal layouts, a walled kitchen garden full of apple trees, an impressive hedge maze in the shape of a castle, a woodland walk, ancient Lebanon cedars, a paved courtyard maze and a striking sculpted tree based on the Tower of Babel.
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What’s on at Kentwell Hall?
The house, gardens and farm are open from 11-4 (house 12-3pm) every day until April 17th for Easter lambing, making a visit the perfect activity for all the family in the school holidays.
Kentwell Hall is famous for its “living history” reenactment events. Over the Easter weekend (18th-21st April), visitors can step back in time and experience Tudor life first-hand, with costumed interpreters recreating daily activities. You can also enjoy Easter themed games and activities like an egg hunt, egg rolling and an egg and spoon race.
Further Tudor merriment can be enjoyed over the May Bank Holiday weekend (3rd-5th May) as Kentwell celebrates May Day. From traditional players telling the story of St George and the Dragon to garland making and dancing, visitors can also interact with actors as they recreate traditional Tudor crafts, cooking, and social interactions.
Check the Kentwell Hall website for events later in the year including food and drink festivals, Magic Weekends and historical reenactments including Tudor Midsummer, WWI and Kentwell Through the Ages.
Tickets and other useful visitor information:
Tickets should be booked online in advance. The house is only open on select dates, so be sure to double check before booking! Paying on the gate is £2 extra, online rates are below:
House and Gardens | Gardens only |
Adults £19.95 | £11.95 |
Child (8-15 years old) £10 | £7 |
Child (3-7 years old) £5 | £4 |
Under 3s free | Under 3s free |
Free car parking is available on the grass to one side at the top of the approach.
Buggies are not permitted in the Hall so we switched Jamie into a baby carrier for walking around the inside.
Smoking, including vaping, is not allowed anywhere on site.
How to get to Kentwell Hall
Kentwell Hall is in the Suffolk village of Long Melford, 12 miles south of Bury St Edmunds and 16 miles north of Colchester.
The closest train station is in Sudbury, 3 miles away, which runs to London Liverpool Street.
The address for visiting is Kentwell Hall, Long Melford, CO10 9BA
You can also follow Kentwell Hall on Instagram!
Disclosure: We visited Kentwell Hall in collaboration with the Bury St Edmunds tourism board and were given free tickets in exchange for this blog and Instagram content, but we were not paid to post and as always, all opinions are our own.
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