Award : 4 Star GOLD VisitEngland
Dons Barn definitely has the WOW Factor. The cottage has been given a Gold Award by the Tourist Board for exceptional quality of accommodation and customer service for every year since 2009.
It was originally a winnowing barn built in the 1700s and has been converted into a cosy cottage. It has an impressive view across the orchard garden and fields beyond, through the massive oak barn door windows. You can watch the sun setting from your bed on the galleried first floor.
Superfast Broadband is supplied to this cottage.
Cottage Walk Through
As you enter the main room to this lovely cottage, you see in front of you the lovely millstone built into the breakfast bar. A whole slice of tree was used for the work top showing the ‘waney edge’ of the tree on both sides.
There is a Belfast sink and gas hob with an electric grill and oven. Beyond the Millstone is the main room with its massive inglenook fireplace and enormous Kilim covered Knoll Sofa, almost a room within a room! You can hide away from the world and cosy down for a romantic afternoon in front of the roaring log fire.
The end of the room is dominated by the wonderful roof to floor handmade oak windows which cuts through the bedroom floor above. We have created a handmade iron balcony which affords lovely views straight from the bed across the orchard gardens and fields into the setting sun.
With its old ‘Suffolk White’ brick floor, soft red brick walls and lime-washed paintwork; this cottage has all the ingredients for a wonderfully cosy and relaxing atmosphere. Dons Barn is one of six cottages that make up the Old Grove Farm which dates back to the 1720s.
Dog owners please note there is an acre of dog exercise Orchard and meadow at Dons Barn along with a pretty Dog washing station for muddy doggies including white fluffy towels ! – plus there are footpaths directly from the cottage into open countryside with a lovely dog friendly pub just a 15 minute walk away.
Up to 2 well behaved dogs are always welcome, it costs £20 per pet for up to 7 nights. please refer to this webpage All About Bringing Pets for charges, rules and how this cottage may suit your pet.
The Gardens
You enter the cottage through a small herb garden, you are welcome to take any herbs you wish.
There is a mature orchard garden at the front of the cottage where guests can laze around under the apple and pear trees and have a BBQ in summer. There’s a table and chairs directly outside the cottage.
We have a large central courtyard where you can unload your car when you arrive. The courtyard has a large open sided historic ‘Cart Lodge’ barn where guests can pull out a BBQ or just sit under the fairy lights and and watch the night skies.
A second barn contains bikes for guests to use, a coal bunker and log pile for guests to purchase fuel – (don’t worry the cottage is warm and cosy with its central heating alone).
Behind the ‘Cart Lodge’ barn in a second orchard garden where we have established some peaceful, private areas with tables and chairs. This is an ideal dog exercise area – next to it is a large off road car park.
You can walk directly from the gardens onto footpaths leading to the church, pub or circular countryside walks.
The South Suffolk Cycle route runs past the cottage.
Outside
The Old Grove Farm is set in open countryside and is made up of brick buildings in a E shape, which were once a farm workers cottage, winnowing barns, dairies and bakeries.
It has a large central courtyard with a long barn creating a double quadrangle. The buildings are now converted into six lovely holiday cottages with individual entrances from different areas and surrounded by gardens and orchards. This is where our business started and where we are based.
While being right in the countryside, we are not cut off from civilisation and a 5 – 10 minute car drive will get you to shops and supermarkets, cafés, swimming pools, museums and the river Stour.
Good pubs are all around us and our local which is ¾ mile walk across the fields, has it’s own micro brewery and a selection of the best beers and ciders – The White Horse Edwardstone.
Dons Barn is a very special place that is a joy just to be in. Perfect for a couples romantic getaway.
Green Credentials
This building dates back to 1700 and is renovated and repaired with traditional and reclaimed original materials, like the ancient reclaimed wood, doors and beams, traditional lime plaster and paints, original Suffolk White floor bricks, locally sourced timber and locally fired or reclaimed bricks.
We operate or own Clear Water Treatment plant which biologically cleans all our waste water to such a pure degree that it can be discharged back into the environment.
We use many ecover products whenever possible.
We encourage guests to explore the local area by bicycle (we have bikes for guests to use free of charge) or foot.
Guests can take fresh herbs from our herb garden and fruit from our own apple, pear, plum and quince trees – some of these trees were thought to be extinct, but we have them!
We sometimes keep bees and have many flowering plants to encourage them to our gardens.
We share our grounds with bats, badgers, foxes, hares, rabbits, deer and an amazing array of birds – from buzzards and owls to blue tits, goldfinches and woodpeckers: all these animals and more find food here and shelter in our hedges.
Local Area
The tiny Village of Kersey, which is widely regarded as Suffolk’s prettiest village, is a leisurely 10 minute bike ride down the lane from us. Luckily it has an excellent pub right by the ford for thirsty cyclists!
Supermarkets and shops are within a 10 minute drive.
The famous village of Lavenham – Englands best preserved Medieval Village’ is just six miles away.
There are many great gastro pubs like The Crown Inn and The Angel in Stoke-by-Nayland and the The Swan in Lavenham.
Our local pubs like The Lindsey Rose or The Kersey Bell do excellent food and are charming and dog friendly.
Our favourite is Number 10 in Lavenham which is a wine bar which does really good food and is happy with doggies in the restaurant, bar, courtyard and garden.
This area is amazingly rural and untouched by city life, with tiny single track lanes leading nowhere or to a pub, footpaths galore and tiny Medieval Villages where time seems to have stood still.
If you are staying for more than a weekend then a day out at the unspoilt Suffolk Coast is always a lovely trip.
The coast starts just 30 minutes away near Colchester or Ipswich and our favourite beaches and places on the coast are between 50 – 70 minutes away, places like Pin Mill, Nacton, Levington, Orford, Aldeburgh, Dunwich, Southwold and Mersey Island.
The nearby villages of Long Melford, famed for its setting for the Lovejoys TV series, Nayland, sitting prettily on the river Stour, Polstead, with its bluebell wood and impressive views over the Box river valley, are all close by and there are many more tiny villages with lovely walks and pubs to explore.
Although this cottage is near London, this is an area you can feel a million miles away from City life and really relax and enjoy just being part of.
Standard Inclusive Features
Kitchen: All cottages are complete little homes and facilities include modern central heating, refrigerator, hobs, oven and / or microwave, toaster, crockery & serving dishes, cutlery, many utensils, fire-extinguisher, lots of pots & pans, glasses & mugs, kettle, coffee maker, teapot, kitchen towels, oven gloves, olive oil, salt & pepper, sugar, herbs, tea, fresh and instant coffee, washing up liquid, cloths, general cleaning materials, etc.
Bathroom: Soap, fluffy cotton towels, bath mats, shaver point, toilet brush, toilet roll.
Bedroom: Cotton bed linen, wardrobe with coat hangers / chest of drawers, iron, ironing board, hairdryer.
Living room Logs and coal are available at cost – a packet of firelighters will be provided. TV, books, games, magazines, local brochures, OS and other maps, folder with our special ‘What To Do’ insiders-guide to the local area.
Bikes: Please check with the owner that these are available before you arrive to avoid disappointment if they are in for maintenance
Washing: There is a washing machine and dryer in the walk-thru which is for the use of the 6 cottages on the old Grove Farm. There are also deck chairs and rugs for the garden.
Baby: Cot and high chair provided in cottages accepting babies (please bring babies bedding).
