Melford Hall

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An Elizabethan manor house in Lond Melford near Sudbury was built in 1578, and it is considered to be one of the earliest country houses that had ever been built in England.

The history of the manor house has been associated with the Hyde Parker family who lived in the house between 1786 and 1960. They refurbished and remodelled rooms and purchased furniture, ceramics, and paintings, in parallel with the trend of the periods.

Visitors can look round the Dining Room, which is filled by oak panels, Georgian, Regency, and Victorian Drawing and Bedrooms. There are portraits of Sir Henry Parker and the members of the Hyde Parker’s family, pictures of voyage and 18th century table set, which survived from the air raids.

Melford Hall was once resided in by Ethol, who was a cousin of Beatrix Potter. Visitors can look round the Beatrix’s bedrooms including the turret rooms where she kept her pet. Don’t miss out the collections of the sketches and letters drawn and written by Ethol and Beatrix Potter on the 1st floor.

Visitors can stroll through a charming Edwardian garden with topiaries and hedges, which are arranged and trimmed in a geometric pattern, and look at the 17th century banqueting house, which was built for the Sawage family.

The manor house, formal garden, and parklands with 130 acre of deer park are managed by the National Trust.

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