18 Iconic Buildings to Explore in Suffolk

Bungay Castle is a late 12th-century castle erected by Hugh Bigod, the powerful Earl of Suffolk. Bigod was one of the strongest opponents of King Stephen, who tried to buy his loyalty by granting him the earldom. Bungay Castle started out as a Norman motte-and-bailey castle built out of wood and earthworks, built by the Norman knight Roger Bigod of Norfolk, around 1103. It was strategically situated in a bend of the River Waveney. Only from 1140 on the castle was started to being rebuilt in ston

Clare Castle is a high-mounted ruinous medieval castle in the parish and former manor of Clare in Suffolk, England, anciently the caput of a feudal barony. It was built shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 by Richard Fitz Gilbert, having high motte and bailey and later improved in stone. The remains are a scheduled monument and a Grade II* listed building. They form the centrepiece of a public park.

Euston Hall is a red-brick Georgian country house, the home of the Duke of Grafton. The house that we see today is only a wing of a much larger house which was destroyed in a devastating fire in 1902. Apart from the Hall, visitors can enjoy the landscaped park and formal gardens, as well as the Capability Brown-designed waterways, the charming Church of St Genevieve, the watermill and an interesting collection of agricultural bygones in our small exhibition room.

Bridge Cottage is a 16th-century thatched cottage in Flatford. It was constructed as a single dwelling around a timber frame and the gaps between the frame were filled with daub and wattle, a mixture of twigs covered by a plaster made out of mud, straw and animal dung. The cottage is located just upstream from Flatford Mill which, along with neighbouring Valley Farm and Willy Lott's Cottage, are leased to the Field Studies Council; a group uses them as locations for arts-based courses.

Framlingham Castle is a magnificent 12th century fortress with a long and colourful past which makes a fascinating family day out in Suffolk. It was once home to some of the most formidable names of Tudor England and it was behind these very walls that Mary Tudor was proclaimed Queen of England. The castle then transformed into an Elizabethan prison and later a workshouse in the 17th century.

Gainsborough’s House is the birthplace of Thomas Gainsborough RA and shows an outstanding collection of his work. It is now a museum and gallery, located at 46 Gainsborough Street in Sudbury, Suffolk, England. A varied programme of temporary exhibitions is also on show throughout the year. The house remained as a private residence until 1920, after which time it had various functions including a guest house and antique shop.

Giffords Hall is a family owned vineyard planted on the site of an ancient glacial riverbed near Long Melford in Suffolk. THeir sandy/clay soil produces quality grapes, high in natural sugars and acids, that lend themselves particularly well to both sparkling and dry, aromatic still wines. Their wines have a delicate floral character very typical of the region. Their vines’ condition is excellent because of the hard work of the professional team working at the winery.

The House in the Clouds is one of the UK's/world's most famous follies! Set in 1 acre of private grounds, this iconic landmark overlooks Thorpeness Golf Course, Thorpeness Meare and the sea on the very beautiful Suffolk Heritage Coast. It was a water tower at Thorpeness, Suffolk, England. It was built in 1923 to receive water pumped from Thorpeness Windmill and was designed to improve the looks of the water tower, disguising its tank with the appearance of a weatherboarded building more in keep

Kentwell Hall is one of the finest moated Tudor Houses in England, set in over 25 acres of its own gardens and parkland, with numerous historic buildings. Kentwell is not just a house but a family home that has been saved and renovated over the years and offers an interesting mix of periods within what is still an essentially Tudor layout.

Ickworth House is a country house near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. It is a neoclassical building set in parkland. The house was the residence of the Marquess of Bristol before being sold to the National Trust in 1998. The house, built between 1795 and 1829, was formerly the chief dwelling of an estate owned by the Hervey family, later Marquesses of Bristol, since 1467. It was one of the iconic attraction in this area and attracts a lot of tourists.

Lavenham Guildhall is properly known as the Guildhall of Corpus Christi and is one of the finest timber-framed buildings in England. The building dates from around 1530 built on the back of the boom of the cloth industry in the early 16th Century. Originally built as a religious meeting place for wealthy Catholic merchants, the Guildhall has also been used as a prison, a workhouse, a pub, a chapel and a social club for US troops stationed nearby during the Second World War

Melford Hall is a stately home in the village of Long Melford, Suffolk, England. It is the ancestral seat of the Parker Baronets. The hall was mostly constructed in the 16th century, incorporating parts of a medieval building held by the abbots of Bury St Edmunds which had been in use since before 1065. It has similar roots to nearby Kentwell Hall. It passed from the abbots during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and was later granted by Queen Mary to Sir William Cordell.

Orford Castle is a Grade I listed, 12th century keep on the east coast of England in the county of Suffolk, which was described by historian R. Allen Brown as “one of the most remarkable keeps in England” in his 1962 book on Orford Castle. The castle is remarkably intact allowing visitors to explore from the basement, through the lower and upper halls to the roof where there are magnificent views seaward to Orford Ness.

Palace House in Newmarket is home to The National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art. It was built by James I in 1606-1610, so he could visit the area for hunting and hawking, the palace was further west on the High Street than the present palace site. One of the iconic attraction in this area and also a historically important place.

Somerleyton Hall and Gardens is located on the Norfolk - Suffolk border, just a stone’s throw from the coast and part of the Broads National Park. Home to Lord and Lady Somerleyton and their young family, who open their doors to the public from Easter to the end of September. The hall is Grade II* listed on the National Heritage List for England, and its landscaped park and formal gardens are also Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. The formal gardens cover 12 acres.

The Red House is the former home of composer Benjamin Britten and singer Peter Pears. The collections left by the two men richly document their lives as performers and creators who made this place their home for nearly twenty years. Their home in Aldeburgh offers a charming snapshot into the two men's lives. Lovingly preserved, the house and gardens are open for all to explore.

The Willis Building in Ipswich, England, is one of the earliest buildings designed by Norman Foster and Wendy Cheesman after establishing Foster Associates. Constructed between 1970 and 1975 for the insurance firm now known as Willis Towers Watson, it is now seen as a landmark in the development of the 'high tech' architectural style. The building houses some 1,300 office staff in open-plan offices spread over three floors.

Willy Lott's House is a Grade 1, listed building. Willy Lott was a tenant farmer who worked the 39 acres around Flatford that made up Gibbeon's Gate Farm. He lived in a house attached to the farmland, which long after his death, became known as Willy Lott's House. Willy Lott's parents lived in this house, Willy and his sisters and brothers were born there.