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Willow Weaving Workshop: Swifts
Key details
When:
Date:
Time:
11th Apr
10:00 - 13:00
11th Apr
14:00 - 17:00
Where:
The Meadow Room, behind Blackthorpe Barn
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
SatNav: IP30 9HZ
Pricing:
Ticket
per person £48
Each person attending requires a ticket
All tickets now sold out
About this event
This Spring, come join the Coddiwomplers for a hands-on willow weaving workshop. Guided by two experienced basket makers, you’ll learn traditional willow weaving skills and techniques while creating beautiful pieces for your home or garden.
In April, to celebrate the return of our migratory birds, participants will be taught how to weave willow swifts. This project uses ‘flat weave’, which is a simple, versatile weave that is perfect for beginners. During the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to weave one or two swifts and some willow leaves.
The course is suitable for beginners and no prior experience is required. Some manual dexterity and hand strength will be needed.
What Will I do?
- Learn some basic skills and techniques of willow weaving
- Make one or two swifts and some willow leaves
Who is this workshop suitable for?
- People aged 16 and over
- Beginners; no experience necessary
- Some manual dexterity and strength is required for weaving the willow
Important information
Gallery
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How it Works
01
Come to Blackthorpe Barn and park in one of the free car parks
02
Make your way to the Meadow Room, behind Roots Café
03
Enjoy making your Willow creations and go home feeling proud at what you have achieved
04
Browse around Rougham Estate Shop and visit Roots Café for a bite to eat and a drink.
Roots Café is open each day 9am – 4pm.
Rougham Estate Shop is open each day 10am – 4pm.
What to bring
- Wear comfortable clothing
- Secateurs, if you have some
What is provided
- All materials
- Tea, coffee and biscuits
Refund & cancellation policy
If you need to cancel a workshop
If you are unable to attend your booked workshop and notify us at least 7 full days in advance of the workshop date, we can offer a refund or a transfer to the same workshop on an alternative date, providing there are places available or a course is planned for the future.
If cancellation is within 7 full days of your workshop unfortunately we are unable to offer a refund. We do appreciate that sometimes unforeseen circumstances may mean that you can’t attend so we are happy for you to send along a friend to take your place. We will need their name and contact details prior to the workshop.
Our right to cancel a workshop
All our workshops have a minimum attendance level and may be cancelled if too few bookings are received. We reserve the right to cancel or postpone workshops at any time. Should we need to cancel a workshop, we will give you as much notice as possible of the cancellation. You will receive a full refund or, if you prefer, a transfer to an alternative available course, space permitting. Unfortunately, we cannot accept any liability for travel or other costs.
Where to find us
Blackthorpe Barn, Rougham,
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
SatNav: IP30 9HZ
There is plenty of free parking available.
Accessible parking is available near the entrance to the Café/Shop area.
Please Note: The car park closes when the Roots Café closes and the entrance gates are locked after this time, unless your workshop goes beyond this time in which case the gates will be locked once the workshop finishes.
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.
The Meadow Room can be found behind the old thatched Barn and behind Roots Café.
What3Words for the Meadow Room: hands.dunk.drums
Never miss a thing
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There’s still time to make the most of your garden before summer comes to an end.
As we move towards autumn, it’s the perfect time to add colour, texture and interest to your outdoor space, whether you’re looking to refresh a border, fill a few gaps or simply find something new to enjoy.
Don’t miss @watsons_plants here at Rougham Estate this weekend and Monday. Chris will be here to offer advice and inspiration on choosing the right plants and making the most of your garden as the seasons change.
Pop by, have a browse and get your garden ready for autumn.
#RoughamEstate #WatsonsPlants #Gardening
Looking for something to do with the family as we head into the last few weeks of the summer holidays?
Rougham Estate has ancient woodlands waiting to be explored. With winding paths, towering trees and plenty of nature to spot along the way, it’s a world of discovery for children, grown-ups and dogs alike.
It’s a great way to get some fresh air, stretch your legs and enjoy the Estate together before the summer holidays come to an end. You can also stop for a treat at Roots Cafe after!
#RoughamEstate #AncientWoodland #SuffolkWalks #FamilyDaysOut
What could be living in here?
Last chance to book on our Fermentation Workshop on Saturday 5 September.
Join chef Rowen Halstead of @wastenotrowen for a hands-on 90-minute workshop exploring the simple art of fermentation and how it can help reduce food waste at home.
You’ll learn the science and techniques behind fermentation before creating two ferments of your own: a curried root vegetable kraut and spiced pickled pears with whey. You’ll then take your creations home to enjoy.
No previous experience is needed, and everything you need is provided, including ingredients, recipe cards and jars if required.
Tea and coffee are included too.
Saturday 5 September, 11am–12.30pm
£38 per person
Meadow Room, behind Blackthorpe Barn
Suitable for ages 16+
Places are limited and booking is essential. More info and to book via link in our bio.
#wastenotrowen #roughamestate #limitfoodwaste
Two new specials this week not to miss out on!
Our brunch special is a breakfast bap of brioche bun with sausage meat pattie, bacon, emmental cheese, sun-dried tomato mayo, fried egg with salsa verde.
Or…
Salad of the week - strawberry, rocket, feta, cucumber, sunflower seeds with balsamic glaze.
Only available this week so don’t miss out.
#roughamestate #specialoftheweek
A look back at the last days of Rougham Sunflowers 2026🌻
It’s been a week since the sunflower field closed its gates for this season, and what a great year it was! The flowers were glorious this year, with the early rain and then the long, warm, sunny days. Thank you for coming to see them and spend time at the field. We’ve really enjoyed seeing you here!
The sunflowers ended in style with the Sundowner evening on Saturday, which was everything we hoped it would be: good food, great music, drinks in the golden hour and the most wonderful atmosphere as the sun went down over the flowers.
On the final Sunday afternoon, the Canvas Club workshop group painted their sunflowers at the field and some truly beautiful paintings went home with some very happy painters.
None of it would be possible, however, without our brilliant team, who worked so hard throughout the season to make the sunflower experience what it was. The team encompasses so many people who all contribute to the end result - from drilling the seed earlier in the year, to setting up everything in the field for visitors including making games and props, to those manning and servicing the field and the Roots kiosk each day, who open up early and close and clean up each evening, and those in the background who pull the event together in many other ways - it’s a HUGE team effort. Thank you to each of you!! You have been amazing and we are very grateful to every one.
🎃Now it’s time to look ahead to the autumn festival of pumpkins in October. They will be in the same field as the sunflowers this year and will be open every weekend in October and daily for the final week, from 24th-31st.
There’s a great line-up of food trucks and two evening Pumpkins by Torchlight events being planned. Keep your eyes open for more details, here on socials and on our website.
✨And while the pumpkins are in full swing, on 19th October, the Christmas Festival will begin with the opening of the Christmas Shop at Blackthorpe Barn just half a mile down the road.
There’s so much to look forward to! We look forward to seeing you again soon!👋
#roughamestate #burystedmunds #suffolkdaysout
We’re hiring at Rougham Estate!
We have a number of seasonal vacancies available across the Estate, with roles to suit people looking for weekend work, seasonal hours or the chance to join our team during some of our busiest times of year.
We’re currently recruiting for a range of roles, including opportunities around our Pumpkin season and in Roots Café as we head towards Christmas.
If you enjoy working with people, being part of a busy team and working in a unique setting, we’d love to hear from you.
You can find our current vacancies and full details, including how to apply, on Indeed - or the link in our bio.
#RoughamEstate #JobsSuffolk #SuffolkJobs
OPEN AS USUAL
After a short closure we are open as usual from today: Roots Café 9-4pm and the Lifestyle and Garden shop 10-4pm.
Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to seeing you!
#roughamestate
A quick update for our visitors…
Roots Café and the Shop will be closed this Thursday 20th August due to an unexpected interruption to our water supply.
We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and hope to welcome you back as soon as possible.
Thank you for your understanding.
#temporaryclosure
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