★★★★★ 4.9 from 41 Google reviews VisitEngland 4 star
A field of flowering blue linseed with rolling farmland behind

Four generations since 1932

Farm stay Suffolk

Our family and the farm

Wattisham Hall has been in our family since 1932, when Jeremy's great-grandfather, Taylor Knock, bought the farm. Jeremy and his brother Simon are the fourth generation to farm here. The two of us, Jo and Jeremy, moved into the Hall in 1997, and since then we've renovated the house and garden alongside bringing up our two daughters and working full time.

The family at Wattisham Hall sitting by the moat with their two dogs
Owls End before it was converted, with its old timber frame and tin roof

How the cottages began

The idea for the cottages came in 2003, after Pauline (Jeremy and Simon's mum) and Jeremy went on a farm diversification course. Income from arable farming was falling, and converting the old barns was a way to support the farm while giving redundant buildings a new use. Work began in 2004, and all three cottages opened at Easter 2005.

Who you'll meet

We live on site and look after bookings and enquiries, so we're usually the first people you'll meet. Jo replies to emails in the evenings, after her day job in education, and Jeremy answers the phone. Our golden retriever, Margo, follows Jeremy everywhere around the farm (including onto the tractors) and loves attention from guests.

Our younger daughter, Charlotte, is studying photography at university and takes many of the photographs of the cottages. Her sister Katie is a primary school teacher in Essex. Simon and his wife Michelle live in neighbouring Hitcham, where Simon looks after the hens. Their son Daniel is a land agent, whose skills are a great help to the farm. Anna is currently studying for a psychology degree, and Taylor helps out whenever he can.

Helen, Pippa and Jeanette, overseen by mum, Pauline, clean and prepare the cottages between stays. David works on the farm and looks after the day-to-day maintenance of the cottages, and Jon takes care of the grounds. That suits Jeremy, who isn't fond of gardening unless it can be done from a tractor.

Members of the Wattisham Hall team standing by the barn steps in the sunshine Jeremy in the cab of his tractor, with Margo the golden retriever beside him Free-range brown hens on the grass at Wattisham Hall Farm, with a field of yellow oilseed rape behind

“

Jo and Jeremy are always so accommodating, we love coming to wattisham for a relaxing weekend with our loved ones

Bobbie, by email

“

One of my favourite places. Been staying here for 10 years. Beautiful surroundings, fully equipped cottages and lovely owners.

Louise, Google review

A tractor rolling a field after harvest on a sunny day

The farm today

We farm 640 acres of arable land, growing wheat, barley, linseed and beans. Around a tenth of the farm is managed for nature and biodiversity under the Sustainable Farming Incentive, which includes hedges and margins of grass and wildflowers. We're also members of the Wool Towns Farm Cluster, which links neighbouring farms together for larger conservation projects.

The work we're proudest of is our hedges, which we lay or coppice to keep them in good condition for wildlife. This winter we're laying hedges on the north side of the farm.

A blue roller working a dry field beside a maize crop The tines of a seed drill working the soil
Margot the golden retriever beside a roadside egg stall

Eggs from the farm

Simon keeps 3,200 free-range laying hens in Hitcham. Their eggs are for sale at the stall on our drive and from the egg vending machine in Hitcham. Because of bird flu biosecurity restrictions, we're sorry that we can't offer visits to see the hens.

The year from your cottage door

A skylark perched on yellow flowers in a spring field

Spring

Skylarks singing and hares courting in the open fields, with the scent of spring flowers

A combine harvester bringing in the wheat harvest

Summer

The hum of combine harvesters bringing in the harvest, and the smell of golden straw

A green tractor working the soil in a field

Autumn

Tractors working the soil as the fields turn brown, with the smell of crisp leaves and freshly turned earth

A red kite soaring overhead against a blue sky

Winter

Red kites and buzzards soaring over the cottages, the occasional snowfall, and peace and quiet

Wildlife

The moat attracts plenty of birds, including a kingfisher at times, and now and then an otter. We've put up owl boxes around the farm for barn owls, and you'll often see red kites and buzzards overhead. Out in the fields there are roe deer, skylarks, partridge and pheasant.

A brown hare sitting up in the grass A bumblebee on pink comfrey flowers
Two people and a small dog walking along a shady woodland footpath

Walks from the door

Public and permissive footpaths cross the farm, so you can choose a shorter or a longer circular walk straight from your door. If you're feeling energetic, it's about three miles to Bildeston and its pubs, by way of the spinney and Needham Lane. The paths can be muddy and aren't suitable for wheelchairs, so it's worth bringing wellies.

Staying on a working farm

A few things are useful to know before you arrive.

  • Harvest runs from mid July to mid August, when tractors and trailers are busy on the tracks and the drive. There are usually a couple of noisier evenings each year
  • For your safety the farmyard is out of bounds, and we ask everyone to keep away from machinery even when it's parked
  • Dogs need to be kept on a lead at all times, because of the gamebirds and other wildlife
  • We ask guests to keep to the footpaths, so that wildlife in the field margins and woodland isn't disturbed
  • Wattisham airfield is next door, and its landing lights are in one of our fields. You're likely to see Apache helicopters, sometimes training at night, and most of our guests enjoy watching them
The farmyard with its grain silos and a crop sprayer

Come and stay on the farm

Stays start on a Friday or a Monday, for a minimum of two nights.

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