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Rougham Hall Guided Walk
Key details
When:
No dates currently available.
When any dates become available, they will be shown here.
Where:
The walk starts in the courtyard, by the Roots Café patio
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Sat Nav: IP30 9HZ
Pricing:
Tickets
Per Person £12
Each person attending needs a ticket
The only way to visit the Hall ruins
If no tickets are available for a Guided Hall Walk on this page, sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear when the next walk is planned.
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 the current dates for these walks are 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. We kindly request that you respect this.
All profit from the Rougham Hall Walk tickets 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 the Roots Café patio, between the “All Entrances” archway and the Café and Shop entrance.
For more information, see the Ground Plan.
Please arrive in good time for the start of the walk and let George know that you are there.
03
The walk takes in woodland areas which can be muddy.
Wear suitable clothing and footwear for an outdoors walk taking in uneven ground through woodland and parkland, as well as walking on paved roads.
04
George will stop at various locations to tell the history of the Estate.
05
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.
06
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).
07
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 when booking your ticket.
08
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.
09
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 fascinating 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.
10
Refunds and Cancellations
If you have bought a ticket for a Rougham Hall Walk and are now unable to attend, your ticket can be refunded in full, up to 3 full days before the date of the walk.
Please notify us of your cancellation by filling in the form on the cancellation page to request a refund.
We will get back to you about your cancellation as soon as possible.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
If no dates are shown for the next walk to Rougham Hall, then unfortunately there are no walks planned.
However, the walks to Rougham Hall are often organised at fairly short notice. Keep your eye here on our website to know when the next one is.
We let our newsletter subscribers know of new walk dates first; you can sign up for the newsletter here.
The walk takes about 2.5 hours and is about 2.5 miles long. It goes through woodland and parkland as well as walking along paved roads.
Yes, well-behaved dogs on a short lead are very welcome on this walk.
If your dog is not good around groups of people or other dogs, please consider leaving them somewhere where they would be happier.
Wear sturdy shoes or boots, depending on the recent weather. The route takes in woodland and parkland covering uneven ground, as well as walking on paved roads in places. It can be muddy if it’s been raining recently.
The walk goes ahead in all but the worst weather, so bring a raincoat if rain is likely. Anything you bring with you will need to be carried for the duration of the walk.
Yes, at various points along the walk George will stop and will talk about the fascinating history of the area. However, there is nowhere to sit down on the walk.
Yes, we have information about the history of the Hall on this website:
Read about the Hall here
Read about the night when the Hall was bombed
Find out about the history of the Estate
The walk to the Rougham Hall ruins goes over uneven ground, through woodland and over parkland, and so is unfortunately unsuitable for both buggies or wheelchairs.
The walk to Rougham Hall goes ahead in all weathers.
If the weather is so bad that it really can’t go ahead, we will attempt to contact you using the contact details you gave us when booking your ticket.
If you have to cancel your ticket for the Hall Walk, you are welcome to do this up to 3 full days before the event.
Please use our Cancellation Form to let us know and we will refund your ticket.
No, the Rougham Hall ruins are not open to the public and are situated on private land. They cannot be visited unless you are part of this guided walk with George Agnew.
Anyone found trespassing will have their details taken and be required to leave immediately.
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After a short closure we are open as usual from today: Roots Café 9-4pm and the Lifestyle and Garden shop 10-4pm.
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Roots Café and the Shop will be closed this Thursday 20th August due to an unexpected interruption to our water supply.
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#temporaryclosure
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