CHRISTMAS
Prepare for the enchantment as the doors of the magical Christmas Festival open again in 2026, promising a wonderful experience infused with festive delights.
Christmas at Blackthorpe Barn
‘Tis the season for festive delights!
Step into the pure delight of Christmas as the beloved Rougham Christmas Shop reopens in mid-October. Meander through a magical wonderland filled with thousands of decorations, creative delights, wreaths, and aromatic treasures. Discover gifts for all and indulge in treats galore.
Prepare for the return of the boutique Arts and Crafts Fair! Featuring the exquisite work of talented, independent artists and craftspeople from around the country, this event will span five weekends starting in November.
Our home-grown Rougham Estate Christmas trees, including the Pick-Your-Own Nordmann Firs, potted and freshly-cut options, will be available for sale starting at the end of November. Look forward to bringing the spirit of the holidays home.
Tickets for Christmas events are usually made available during the month of September.
Christmas Shop
Step into the enchanting world of the Rougham Christmas Shop, a treasure trove of decorations catering to all tastes. Discover items that add glamour, decadence and finishing touches to your home; a joyous experience filled with indulgent festive loveliness.
2026 Dates:
Opening on Monday 19th October, daily 9:30am – 5pm (Sundays to 4pm)
Arts and Crafts Fair
Showcasing diverse talents, this annual craft fair features exquisite, handcrafted works made by talented artists and craft-makers from around the country.
Running for 5 consecutive weekends with a different mix of makers at each event, both day-tickets and season tickets are available.
2026 Weekends, open from 10am – 4pm
14th – 15th Nov
21st – 22nd Nov
28th – 29th Nov
5th – 6th Dec
12th – 13th Dec
Christmas Trees
From mid-November our very own Rougham Estate Christmas trees are on sale. Come and choose your own tree on the plantation or select from the freshly-cut trees, all grown within 1 mile of Blackthorpe Barn. Potted trees are available too, in the courtyard.
Christmas Wreaths
Handmade on-site with foliage from Rougham Estate, our delightful Christmas wreaths come in various sizes, from small to huge, ensuring a beautiful festive welcome at your door. They are sold from the Christmas shop as they are made and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you would like to make your own wreath, we hold workshops in the pre-Christmas period.
Christmas Craft Workshops
Christmas is the time to treat yourself; coming to one of our Christmas craft workshops makes a wonderful start to the season. Why not make your own decorations this year, a special gift for a loved one or even your own fresh Christmas wreath! All our workshops are tutored by friendly, professional craftspeople.
Gift Vouchers for Christmas
The perfect gift for Christmas, these vouchers can be used in the Rougham Estate Shop and Café and last for a whole 12 months.
They can be spent in the magical Christmas Shop to buy gifts and decorations, for a tasty bite to eat in Roots Café and towards buying one of our locally-grown Rougham Estate Christmas trees.
It’s an excellent way to give a Christmas present that keeps on giving; during the rest of the year the vouchers are valid for the inspiring Lifestyle and Garden Shop too, open January to mid-October.
From £25 upwards, the vouchers can be used over multiple visits.
What others say
Gallery
Christmas Quick Links
It’s not Christmas ’til we have been to Blackthorpe Barn!”
– M BW
We go every year. We absolutely love it”
– J H
NEVER MISS A THING
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Check out our brunch special starting from today…
A zesty and filling dish of a hash brown topped with salmon mousse, poached egg, chopped chives, chilli flakes and drizzled with lemon and dill oil.
Great for al fresco dining in our courtyard or the sunken garden ☺️☀️
Available this week only so don’t miss out!
#brunchspecial #roughamestate
Have you been to Rougham Sunflowers yet?
Here are some pictures of lovely people and dogs who have had their picture taken here – can you spot yourself? It’s been wonderful to welcome so many people here already and we expect to be open for another week or two yet.
Dogs are welcome on the grass in the picnic area and in the special dog path through the sunflowers, but not in the main maze or in the sandpits or on the bale pyramids.
The sunflowers are open every day, 9am-5pm, with 9am-10am on Tuesdays and Thursdays being reserved for ticketed SEN-friendly visits.
Entry and parking are free, pay for any sunflowers you cut and take home. Bring a picnic if you like or enjoy the Roots&Co offerings of loaded bagels, topped strawberry cups, cakes, snacks, hot and cold drinks and more.
There is plenty of space to run around and play, lots of photo ops (tag us @roughamestate), games, football goals (bring your own football), sandpits and the big bales of straw to climb around on. Face painting is available (£5). Cash and card accepted everywhere.
It’s all good old-fashioned outdoor fun – great for getting the kids (and yourself!) off the screens for a while.
The postcode for the field is IP30 9HX. It’s just south of Junction 45 on the A14, to the east of Bury St Edmunds. We posted a driving directions reel a day or two ago – check that out if you want to see how to get here.
And only half a mile away is Blackthorpe Barn, the home of Roots Café and the fabulous Rougham Estate Lifestyle and Garden Shop, which is running a Summer Sale right now – so don’t forget to pop in there, maybe for a new vase for your sunflowers.
The sunflower field is only open for a few weeks a year, so come soon and don’t miss out on the essence of summer!
All the details and almost every question answered on our PYO Sunflowers webpage. Link in profile.
#roughamsunflowers #suffolkdaysout #burystedmunds #freedaysoutwithkids
Another month gone and what a month it has been….Sunshine, school holidays and plenty of al fresco dining.
In the month of July we saw the sunflowers in full bloom and harvest underway – despite the challenging weather.
Here’s to a great month and hello to the month of August 🙌
#roughamestate #GoodbyeJuly
Here’s how to find the Rougham Sunflowers
We’re about 1km from Junction 45 of the A14, near Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.
Open every day 9-5
With ticketed SEN-friendly hours 9-10 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Free entry, free parking, no booking needed, apart from the SEN-friendly sessions.
Thousands of sunflowers as well as games, big bale pyramids, sandpits, room to run and play and enjoy being in the great outdoors.
Pay for any sunflowers you want to take home or any food and drink you want.
Bring your own picnic if you like.
Well-behaved dogs on short leads welcome in the play/picnic area and in the little dog path through the flowers but not in the main maze due to problems in previous years.
Toilets on site, including an accessible loo and baby-changing.
We’re only open for about 2-3 weeks, as long as the sunflowers last, so don’t wait to visit!
Info about evening events coming soon.
Almost every question answered on our sunflower page of our website.
Postcode IP30 9HX. Link in profile.
#suffolksunflowers #roughamsunflowers #suffolksummer
Following on from the last harvest update, now with feed barley, oilseed rape and milling rye safely in the shed, we’ve moved on to our milling wheat.
The variety is called Skyfall (yes, really, named after the Bond film). This lot is off to a Midlands flour mill to be turned into bread flour, so next time you’re buttering toast, there’s a good chance it began life right here on the Estate.
#harvest #roughamestate
Last Saturday Rougham Church was brightened by bunches of sunflowers from our field for the Rougham Sings concert in aid of My Wish Charity.
Lovely to see the flowers bringing colour and joy to the wider community as well as the families enjoying the PYO field this summer.
#sunflowers #roughamestate
As the county is hit with a drought and a hosepipe ban, it’s lovely to see our pollen-and-nectar strips still bursting with life.
The deep‑rooted plants are planted intentionally to feed bees, butterflies and insects – helping pollination and giving refuge in this tough weather.
#farmlife #roughamestate
🌻Welcome back, sunflower lovers! It’s sunflower time again🌻
Open daily – the Rougham Sunflowers are open for 2026!
Free entrance and free parking.
🎟️Open every day 9am – 5pm, with 9am-10am on Tuesdays and Thursdays reserved for ticketed SEN-friendly visits. Otherwise, no booking is needed.
🚗The field this year is south of A14, J 45 near Bury St Edmunds. It’s just over half a mile from the junction, postcode IP30 9HX.
🌻Many sunflowers are already open (the pictures here were all taken yesterday) and there are still thousands yet to open. The flowers are about chest-high due to the lack of rain and the ground is currently dry and dusty but will be muddy if it’s wet.
🧒🏻The well-loved big straw bale pyramids are back, as are the sandpits, bug hunt (£1), pedal tractors, football goals (please bring your own football) and lots of games to play, as well as picnic benches, a marquee for shade/shelter and plenty of room to run around. Toilets are also on site.
🥯Food is provided by the Roots&Co Kiosk serving filled bagels, strawberries, snacks, cakes, ice cream, hot, cold and alcoholic drinks. Card payment preferred, cash accepted.
🧺If you want to bring your own picnic you are welcome to do so.
👩🎨Face painting (£5) by the talented @faceitfaceart will be available starting from Tuesday 28th July.
🌻If you would like to take some sunflowers home with you, just pay for what you pick: £2 per stem, £8 for 5, £12 for 10 stems. Card payment preferred, cash accepted. You may want to bring gloves – the stems can be prickly.
🐕Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the picnic area on a short lead and in the special dog-path through the sunflowers. Due to problems in previous years, dogs are not allowed in the main maze.
📸Tag us in your photos – we love to see them!
And keep your eye open for details about some wonderful evening openings coming soon, with a 5k run, a sunflower painting workshop and a Sundowner evening planned.
All the details can be found on our website – link in profile or DM for the link.
🌻We are looking forward to welcoming you here!🌻
#roughamsunflowers #burystedmunds #suffolk
Tag us @RoughamEstate
