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Rougham Hall Guided Walks
Key details
When:
No dates currently available.
When any dates become available, they will be shown here.
Where:
The walk starts in the courtyard at Blackthorpe Barn:
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Sat Nav: IP30 9HZ
Pricing:
Tickets
Per Person £10
Each person attending needs a ticket
The only way to visit the Hall ruins
**There are currently no scheduled dates for guided walks to the hall.
Any new dates will be shown on this page, with the option to buy tickets.
Until any new dates are planned, there is currently no way of visiting the old hall.
Rougham Hall now stands as a ruin after it was bombed in 1940 and it is NOT open to the public at all, except as part of these guided walks. Anyone found trespassing at the hall site will have their details taken and be required to leave immediately.
However, every so often George Agnew, great grandson of George William Agnew who bought the Rougham Estate in 1904, expertly guides a group of visitors to walk around this part of the beautiful Estate.
Pausing at key points along the way, George shares stories of the fascinating local history as well as his Agnew family history. The walk takes in Rougham Hall Park and includes a visit to see the hall ruins themselves.
The only way to visit the hall ruins are as part of an organised group guided by George Agnew and any dates for such a walk will be shown on this webpage. The walk lasts approximately two and a half hours and starts and finishes at Blackthorpe Barn.
The hall is on private land and is not open to the public at any other time or for any other reason, such as photography. We kindly request that you respect this.
All profit from the walks goes to The Rougham Estate Trust.
➡️ Find out more about the history of the Hall here.
➡️ BBC Suffolk: The Ruins of Rougham
Important information
If the weather has been wet, the walk can be muddy.
The terrain is not suitable for buggies and the walk continues at pace, with stops for talks, so it is not suitable for small children.
Gallery
01/01
How it Works
01
Park in one of the Blackthorpe Barn car parks
There is free parking around the Barn
02
Come to the courtyard at Blackthorpe Barn. George will meet the group here.
The courtyard is beside Roots Café. For more information, see the Ground Plan.
Please arrive in good time for the start of the walk.
03
Let George know your name and the number in your group.
04
The walk takes in woodland areas which can be muddy.
05
George will stop at various locations to tell the history of the Estate.
06
You will be able to view the ruins of Rougham Hall.
The ruins themselves cannot be entered due to structural instability, but they will be viewed from the outside.
07
The walk will then return to Blackthorpe Barn.
Back at the Barn, you can have a bite to eat or a drink at Roots Café, if you would like (not included in the ticket price).
08
The walk goes ahead in all weathers.
If the weather is very bad, so that the walk can’t go ahead, we will try to contact you by email or the phone number you gave us.
09
Facilities are at Blackthorpe Barn
Please use the facilities at Blackthorpe Barn, at the start and end of the walk.
There are no facilities or places to sit down on the walk itself.
10
Not suitable for everyone
- The walk itself is not strenuous as such, but due to the nature of this walk and where it goes, it may not be suitable for everyone.
- The walk continues at pace, with stops where George explains some of the history of the area.
- There are no places to sit down.
- The ground underfoot is uneven in places and can be muddy.
- It is intended for adults and is not adapted for children.
- The walk itself takes around 2.5 hours.
Things to Bring
- Bring sturdy shoes or wellies, especially if it’s been raining recently
- Bring a water bottle
- Bring a raincoat if it looks like rain; the walk will go ahead in all weathers, unless it is really bad
- Anything you bring with you will need to be carried for the duration of the walk
- Keep dogs on a short lead
- There are no facilities on the walk itself
Please Note
Rougham Hall is NOT open to the public except as part of guided walks with George Agnew. Anyone found trespassing at the hall site will have their details taken and be required to leave immediately.
Blackthorpe Barn
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
SatNav: IP30 9HZ
Plenty of parking on site
Free to park
Disabled access available
This is a rural location and paths can be muddy
Blackthorpe Barn is situated just south of Junction 45 of the A14, three miles east of Bury St Edmunds, in the village of Rougham.
Look out for the entrance gates to a long tree-lined avenue at the White House junction, with the Barn on the right of the avenue.
Blackthorpe Barn’s black and white signs direct visitors from local roads.
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We had a fab opportunity to host the local press for an educational tour of our rethatch recently.
They got to interview owner George Agnew and master thatcher Stuart from @dodsonbrosthatchers who was very impressive.
We took the chance to capture some of our own behind-the-scenes content and educational insights to share with you soon.
It was a cold morning, but we all walked away having learned something new!
Keep your eyes peeled for the feature in the East Anglian Daily Times. 👀
Get your taste buds ready for our new weekly special at Roots Café.
This dish has chicken, bacon, our homemade Caesar dressing, mini gem lettuce and beef tomato, all served in a toasted ciabatta.
It is available now but for this week only.
Whether you are local to Rougham or visiting the grounds for a walk, it makes for a perfect stop during your day.
Join us this week to try it for yourself before the menu rotates.
#RoughamEstate #RootsCafe #Suffolk #BritishFood #CafeSpecial
You may already know that all the coffee we serve here at Rougham Estate is supplied by the award-winning speciality coffee roasters @butterworths based locally in Bury St Edmunds.
Now we are pleased to say that Butterworth’s coffee is also used in all our coffee cakes too.
This one here is a delicious coffee and walnut cake (first pic) made by the fabulous @rudisbakin who makes many of our cakes.
We’re keen to support local businesses where possible.
Sunday is the perfect day for a trip out into the Suffolk countryside to have coffee and cake. You’ll find a range of sweet treats, cakes and scones here as well as a large selection of tasty drinks, hot, cold and alcoholic.
Come and enjoy!!
#supportlocal #suffolklife #suffolksfinest #burystedmunds #coffeeculture
Looking for something new this weekend?
How about trying the new Korean Buttermilk Fried Chicken dish on our Roots Café menu, with kimchi and spring onion salsa, a fried egg and gochujang BBQ sauce, all atop tasty focaccia. It’s a great breakfast to set you up for the day or as brunch, perhaps after a walk through the woods here - the snowdrops are wonderful right now.
Why not make a day of it with a browse through the Lifestyle and Garden Shop, full of delightful and desirable items to beautify your home and outdoor spaces.
Or, if you’re looking for something more refreshing, we’re pleased to have the Roaming Sauna with us all weekend. Bring your ‘cossie, a couple of towels and perhaps some friends, and enjoy the full hot and cold reset experience in the peace of the gorgeous Suffolk countryside (book directly with @the_roaming_sauna_ ).
Rougham Estate - the perfect place to relax and restore your energy at the weekend.
Roots Café open daily 9am - 4pm
Rougham Estate Shop open daily 10am - 4pm
2 minutes south of the A14, J45, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Plenty of free parking. All the details from our website.
#roughamestate #suffolkliving #suffolklife #suffolksfinest #daysoutsuffolk
Our new collection of nature-inspired Spring workshops are now open for booking.
The @the__coddiwomplers return for their popular Willow Weaving sessions, where you can make mini-baskets or sculptural flowers.
If you prefer working with light and colour,Danielle Hopkinson from @stained_glass_studio is back with her Fused Glass workshops to help you create striking garden art and sculptures.
These friendly, hands-on sessions are the perfect way to learn a new skill this season. Spaces are limited, so early booking is highly recommended.
Find out more and book your spot the link is in the bio.
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Since the Barn rethatch has been so popular, we’ve decided to share regular updates on our progress and answer some of your questions.
While you can see the transformation in person (but only from the ground), these posts are for those who can’t stop by regularly and for those who want to see it from a bird’s eye view. They also serve as a wonderful visual record of the project.
As you drive down the avenue towards Blackthorpe Barn, you’ll notice the piles of straw waiting to be transported to the Barn by digger. Progress is well underway and we’re looking forward to sharing the milestones with you!
To answer some of your questions:
Is it full of life?
Absolutely. The old thatch is a bustling habitat for spiders, beetles, moth larvae, and more. It’s its own little ecosystem!
Can we watch?
We’d love for you to see the progress! You and your children are more than welcome to observe from our designated safe zones.
Does the new thatch go on top of the old?
Yes! As long as the base layer is still in good condition, they don`t need to strip it back to the rafters. We remove the weathered surface and fix the new thatch directly into the sturdy old layer. It’s a bit like adding a fresh, protective coat over a solid foundation.
Keep your questions coming. We love to answer them!
#Rethatch #roughamestate #blackthorpebarn #restoringheritage
Before the first customer walks through the door, the Rougham Estate is already buzzing with the morning hustle, shared laughs, and a brew or two.
It’s the hidden energy, the morning prep, and the care poured into every single corner.
We love the buzz of a busy day and the team that brings it all to life. It’s what we do, and we love every second of it!
#roughamestate #blackthorpebarn #roughamestateshop #shopinburystedmunds
Our special for this week has a Mediterranean twist.
Get an early taste of summer with this dish of greek giant beans on toasted sourdough with cashew cream, tzatziki, pickled red onions and dill.
Only available this week at Roots Café so don’t miss out.
#Suffolkfood #BrunchSpecials #Eatlocal #Rootssuffolk #RoughamEstate
Tag us @RoughamEstate
The Rougham Post
Read about what's happening on the Estate
