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Spend a day with us in Aldeburgh and Thorpeness
I wasn’t impressed when I was asked to leave the office and spend the day on the Suffolk coast, reminiscing about my childhood and gathering photos for our blog, but someone had to do it…
This wasn’t my first trip to Aldeburgh or Thorpeness. I was fortunate that my Grandparents moved out of London to Aldeburgh when I was young, which means I’ve gained many glorious childhood memories of balmy summers spent here. From family gatherings to weddings, and sadly even Funerals, Aldeburgh will always hold a special place in my heart.
Just two hours along the A12 from London, we always knew we were getting close when we joined the never-ending Road (as we called it), aka the 6-mile stretch of A road that goes between Friday Street Farm Shop and Aldeburgh golf club, just before we turned in to my Grandparents.
I was often lucky enough to spend a week of my school Summer holidays here, taking turns with my Cousins and siblings to get dropped off by our Parents. Looking back, I’m not quite sure how they coped with us all every Summer. There could often be 30 of us descending on them for family gatherings and parties, along with extended family who has also moved to the town and would join us.
We’d wander into town through the Caravan Park, collect the daily paper and essentials, say hello to everyone my Grandad knew, then stroll back up the town steps, past the Rugby Club and through the park. I also have many memories of the annual Carnival in August every year, lining the streets past the Moot Hall with colourful floats, marching bands and fireworks. The Moot Hall was built around 1550 and is one of Britain’s best-preserved Tudor public buildings, so it has done rather well given it’s situated only feet from the harsh North Sea.
Fast forward 20 years, and there is a different feel to the place these days. With several well-known chain stores and an abundance of holiday homes, there are also notable restaurants and interlopers (like me) everywhere you look. But within these changes lives a booming tourist industry and hotspot, which has helped keep the local economy alive alongside the increase in popularity from out-of-towners. It’s not just 19th Century houses lining the promenade either; the pebble beach is still awash with fisherman’s huts selling the daily catch, there are an array of boutique shops lining the High Street including antiques and arts, independent bookstores, and various culinary temptations from fish and chips to fine bistro dining. There’s even a Sailing Club, a tiny cinema to spend a few hours away from the outside world, and several tasty pubs.
And don’t forget, the town is also renowned for its connection to Benjamin Britten. Britten, the founder of the Aldeburgh Festival, takes place in June every year, and remains the centre of the international Aldeburgh Festival of Arts at nearby Snape Maltings, founded in 1948.
I don’t think Aldeburgh will ever lose its magic. The streets are still full of beautiful cottages surrounded by gorgeous gardens of hollyhocks and roses; the friendly competition between the two fish and chip shops goes on, and the beach has remained untouched and undeveloped. Aldeburgh has emerged from being an insignificant fishing village into a prosperous shipbuilding and trading town and we just know it will remain that way for years to come.
Just under two miles North of Aldeburgh is the whimsical village of Thorpeness. Picture the scene: long pale grasses hiding huge timber-clad beach houses and white-washed buildings, wooden boardwalks down to the North Sea, and a moat surrounded by Tudor houses with colourful front doors and dotted with pedalos and wooden boats. The air is full of warm salty breeze and the smell of freshly brewed coffee from one of two eateries surrounding the mere, and horses come and go, offering tourists a ride around the town in peak season.
The area bears witness to a fantastical past which started in 1910 when Stuart Ogilvie bought the hamlet and transformed it into a private fantasy holiday village. Today the village is just how Ogilvie envisaged it with mock Tudor houses, a ‘House in the Clouds’, an 18-hole golf course, a pub, and a rather lovely golf and country club.
Thorpeness is full of quirky buildings, some of which are more than meet the eye. For example, Ogilvie ingeniously disguised the village’s water tower as an overgrown house, the striking ‘House in the Clouds’ above, lest it offend the eye! This 5-storey house is still in use today and overlooks the golf course on one side, with views of the boating lake, village and beach on the others.
The House in the Clouds has since been remodelled and the water tank converted into a ‘room at the top‘, offering perhaps the best view in Suffolk. The House stands in 1 acre of private grounds overlooking the golf course and Meare, has five bedrooms, a dining room, and a drawing room, connected by a flight of stairs with 68 steps, with built-in landings at each floor level. It must be one of the most picturesque holiday cottages in Britain and sadly not something we can offer you, BUT, don’t forget our two holiday cottages in the area, the lovely Lavender Cottage under 2 miles away, and Seawaves Cottage just over 20 miles away.
You won’t regret holidaying in this part of the world, I promise you, Karen x
