Melford Hall

Melford Hall is a turreted red-brick Tudor mansion at Long Melford, built in the 1550s by the lawyer Sir William Cordell, who entertained Elizabeth I here in 1578. Plundered in the Civil War and devastated by fire in 1942, it was nursed back to life by the Hyde Parker family, naval officers who have owned it since 1786 and still live here, their sea paintings and Chinese porcelain filling the rooms. Beatrix Potter was their cousin and a regular guest; her sketches and the original Jemima Puddle-Duck toy are on show. Outside are a walled garden with topiary and a reflecting pond, a 17th-century banqueting house and a park grazed by Jacob sheep. Four waymarked walks of 3.75 to 6 miles start from the hall, among them routes to Sudbury Mill and Lavenham. Reviewers say the compact house is brought to life by the volunteers and recommend the introductory talk. Tips from visitors: parking is easy and a shuttle bus runs from the car park to the front door; dogs on leads are welcome in the park, the bookshop and the outdoor tea-room seating but not the house.