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Suffolk's
Historic Farms
Peter Hopper
Suffolk is a farming county with a rich agricultural
heritage. In this new book, inspired by his weekly
column in the East Anglian Daily Times, Peter
Hopper features eight of Suffolk’s most ancient
and interesting farming estates, revealing their history
through the stories of the generations of families
that have lived and farmed there. He has uncovered
a wealth of fascinating detail through interviews
and research, and his account is illustrated with
photographs of some of the most picturesque corners
of the county.
The moated St John’s Manor Farm, at Battisford,
near Stowmarket, has existed for more than 1,000 years
and was once owned by the Order of St John, the Knights
Hospitaller, while Glemham Hall at Little Glemham
has been home to the Cobbold brewing family since
1923. The first member of the family to live there
was Captain John (Ivan) Murray Cobbold, the first
chairman of Ipswich Town after the club turned professional
in 1936. Priory Farm, at Preston St Mary near Lavenham,
boasts the splendid and historically important timber-frame
barn that was once used as the famous auction rooms
in the popular TV series Lovejoy, and a Roman site
on the farm was excavated by Channel 4’s Time
Team. Kentwell Hall, at Long Melford, regularly hosts
Tudor re-creation days, which give visitors a flavour
of what it would have been like to live and work on
the estate in the 16th century.
With his journalist’s eye, Peter Hopper has
picked out gems of information and interesting asides
to add depth to his survey of these historically important
farms. Readers will learn about an attempt to reintroduce
a butterfly extinct in the county, discover how many
oaks it took to build an average mediaeval house in
Suffolk, and read about the hoarder who eventually
established a farm museum to display his collection.
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About the
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