Long Melford

Introducing Long Melford

For such a small and stringy village, self-important Long Melford has a lot to boast of. For starters there are its two fine stately homes and a 2-mile High St that claims to be the longest in England, not to mention the stunning timber-framed buildings and antique shops that line it. Here too is a magni-ficent church, which presides over a sprawling village green that’s totally disproportionate to the village’s size.

From outside, the romantic Elizabethan mansion of Melford Hall (NT; 376395; adult/child £5/2.50; 1.30-5pm Wed-Sun May-Sep, 1.30-5pm Sat & Sun Apr & Oct) seems little changed since it entertained the queen in 1578. Inside, you can imagine her being fussed over in the panelled banqueting hall. There’s also much Regency and Victorian finery and a display on Beatrix Potter, who was related to Parker family who owned the house from 1786 to 1960.

There’s a noticeably different atmosphere at Long Melford’s other red-brick Elizabethan mansion, just up the road and down a tree-lined avenue. Kentwell Hall (310207; www.kentwell.co.uk; adult/child £7.50/4.75, admission varies on event days; noon-5pm Apr-Sep), is a private home with a wonderfully lived-in feel despite being as full of centuries-old ghost stories and as much Tudor pomp as you could hope for. It’s surrounded by a rectangular moat and there’s a Tudor-rose maze and a rare-breeds farm that’ll keep the kids happy. Kentwell bristles with bodices and hose from mid-June to mid-July, when several hundred Tudor enthusiasts don traditional attire and recreate a year in the Tudor calendar.

The magnificently pompous Great Church of the Holy Trinity (281836; 10am-5pm Apr-Sep, 10am-4pm Mar & Oct, 11am-3pm Nov-Feb) nearby is a very stately affair, well worth sticking a nose into if only for its stained-glass windows.

Long Melford is also famed for its antique shops, thanks in part to a hit TV series called Lovejoy that was shot here. Viewing appointments are required in some.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009