Relaxing in Suffolk

 


The journey to Thornham Magna yesterday all went smoothly. Our top floor barn conversion is very nicely done and in a lovely quiet spot. When I popped outside first thing to unplug the car I saw a deer wandering through the garden. I think maybe a muntjac, as it was small and squat. Or maybe I was projecting....

Ipswich was our first trip of the week. We spent a pleasant hour or so at Christchurch Mansion, pictured. The rooms have been preserved, or else recreated for a variety of eras from Tudor onwards. Lots of paintings by local lad, Gainsborough. Not really our thing.

Some of the rooms were lovely though, packed with ornate oak panelling and walnut furniture. 

The adjoining gallery had an exhibition of photos by another local lad, John Ferguson, which was much more to our taste.

Ipswich as a whole is not somewhere I'd rush back to. There are some very beautiful Tudor buildings dotted around, but overall it lacked character and a lot of the shopping centre was empty shops.

The waterfront area likewise retained no clue to its heritage, other than a grand customs house.

Nonetheless we spent a few hours mooching around before returning to chill out.

Em x


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