Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and shabby-chic bedrooms, and the
Angel Eaterie
offers a good-value set-price lunch
menu and a la carte menu at lunch and dinner. Keep an eye out for special offers.
3 Angel Hill, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk P33 1LT. www.theangel.co.uk.
&
01284/714000.
Fax
01284/714001. 75 units. £125-£145 double; £205-£260 suite. Rates include English breakfast. AE, DC,
MC, V. Free parking.
Amenities:
2 restaurants; bar; babysitting; room service.
In room:
A/C (in some),
TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).
Ickworth Hotel
Wellies (boots) at the grand front door of this stately
home-turned-grand-family-hotel speak volumes. Borrow them for walks in 728 hect-
ares (1,800 acres) of parkland, then just put them back. It's English country-house
hospitality and part of the Luxury Family Hotels group. Half of this Palladian palace
is National Trust (guests have free entry), but hotel guests get to stay in the high-
ceilinged rooms and walk the echoing corridors. Rooms are big and comfy, with the
personal feel of a house, and children can run free; there are also one- and two-
bedroom apartments in the Dower House, in the grounds near the church, and the
three-bedroom Butler's Lodge in a walled garden. There's a big swimming pool in a
barn, a cellar games room with table tennis and PlayStation, and a tennis court and
trampoline outside; adults get the spa. There are two excellent restaurants,
Freder-
ick's
(adults only) and the
Conservatory,
the original orangery, for family meals and
huge breakfasts.
Horringer, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk IP29 5QE. www.ickworthhotel.co.uk.
&
01284/735350.
38 units
(inc. 11 apartments in Dower House, and Butler's Lodge). £405-£485 double; £305-£385 apartments.
Rates include dinner and breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking.
Amenities:
2 restaurants; bar; bikes;
room service, indoor pool; spa.
In room:
TV/DVD, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).
13
LAVENHAM
66 miles N of London; 35 miles S of Cambridge; 9 miles S of Bury St. Edmunds
This is a classic Suffolk “wool village” with some of the best surviving examples of
medieval architecture in England. It's full of half-timbered houses with the tradi-
tional Suffolk pink wash, but the jewel in the crown is the
Guildhall
on the main
square, now owned by the National Trust. The huge
Church of St. Peter and
St. Paul
has wonderful carvings on the misericords and the chancel screen, as
well as ornate tombs.
Essentials
GETTING THERE
Trains go from London's Liverpool Street Station to Colches-
ter with connections to Sudbury. For connecting buses, contact
Chambers & Son
(
&
01787/227233;
www.chamberscoaches.co.uk). Trip time is up to 2
1
⁄
2
hours.
If you're driving from Bury St. Edmunds, take the A134 south then follow signs to
Lavenham on the A1141.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Lavenham Tourist Information Centre,
Lady Street (
&
01787/248207;
www.southandheartofsuffolk.org), is open from
Easter to October, daily 10am to 4:45pm and weekends from November to March.
ORGANIZED TOURS
The Tourist Information Centre (see above) offers
guided walking tours of the village from Easter to October (Sat 2:30pm, Sun, and
bank holiday Mon 11am). Cost is £3, free for children 13 and under. Booking
ahead is recommended.
