This is a 16th Century historic village house in Chelsworth - a very pretty riverside village close to Lavenham - the cottage easily accommodates 2 couples and has many beautiful original features with 2 double bedrooms and a small enclosed garden.

Cafors was built in the 16th Century and its name mean the house by the river bridge, inside it is clearly apparent that this was once a much larger and grander house as the massive sculptured beams and Tudor wood panelled sitting room shows.

The farmhouse kitchen is very well equipped with electric cooking hob and oven, a microwave and a dishwasher. The room is very cosy with a wealth of ancient beams and a sunny outlook onto the small enclosed garden.

The sitting room has a massive inglenook fireplace and a very efficient log burning stove, the ceiling is very high denoting the importance of this building and 2 of the walls have early Tudor wood panelling to the ceiling.

A hidden door in the panelling opens up to a small winding staircase (with grab handles), which leads up to 2 separate double bedrooms and a bathroom with a bath.

Outside there is a very sunny, small private garden with a BBQ and seating. The owner has thoughtfully provided a range of herbs for you to use.

The village of Chelsworth is famous for it's Open Gardens Days each June and the whole village is closed to traffic - people come from abroad to see what is a marvellous display of quintessential English Cottage Gardens at their best.

Chelsworth is one of 3 tiny villages on the river Brett linking the picturesque medieval villages of Lavenham and Bildeston, it is little more than a string of ancient pretty cottages mainly on one side of the road facing the water meadows and the church, but there is an excellent pub there.

There are lovely walks around the meadows and up the river valleys straight from the cottage and the official Suffolk Cycle Route passes by the cottage - bikes are freely provided.

Cafors is a lovely place to relax into and to enjoy the beautiful surrounding English countryside.

Pets are welcome (by arrangement) and all prices include Vat, towels, linen, heating, and a generous `Proper English Breakfast' Welcome Pack.

Cafors is a complete little home and facilities include modern heating, TV, DVD, CD, books, games, guides, our special Local Information folder and a fully equipped kitchen including modern electric cooking, microwave, dishwasher - there are basics like sugar, fresh coffee, etc etc always stocked. It also has a travel cot and high chair.

We kindly ask smokers not to smoke in the cottage, thank you.

Please use the Availability Calendar to contact me with any further questions or booking enquiries.

About Suffolk

In Charles Dickens's days, boys living in Scotland and here in East Anglia would be allowed to leave boarding school a day early because it took so long to get back home to those places.

Even though we are just 60 miles from London, this area was always very inaccessible and remained so until very recent times.

Now the local mainline train journey to London is a mere 45 minutes and a car journey takes about an hour and a half.

But still Suffolk has retained an unusually strong independent rural atmosphere and one of the great joys of the area are the beautiful little hamlets that even locals get lost getting to though the meandering 'spiders web' of tiny lanes and byroads. Many of these villages are wonderfully preserved in their medieval origins, our local village of Lavenham being a fantastic example.

The area is very rich in History from the Saxon treasure of Sutton Hoo and the rebel Queen Bodicea who defeated the Romans, right up to the many expeditions of Settlers leaving for America - in fact the First Governor of Massachusetts came from this tiny hamlet of Edwardstone when I am based at The Old Grove Farm.

The landscape and the Architectural beauty of the area has long inspired Artists to work and move here. The greatest English landscape painter John Constable painted all his famous masterpieces along the Stour which is just 5 miles from The Grove Cottages. His work undoubtedly created this landscape as the quintessential English Landscape, which is one reason why visitors to the area feel so at home.

Flatford Mill where many of Constables most well known works of art such as 'The Haywain' were painted is now a National Trust area devoted to this artist and preserving his memory and the area he made so famous.

The Great Portrait painter Thomas Gainsborough lived in Sudbury which is the closest town to us and it is a real pleasure to visit his home which is now a very interesting museum and exciting showplace for local artists and events, it also has a wonderful print making workshop where courses on all kinds of printmaking are constantly held and very much sought after.

The great artist Sir Alfred Munnings, famous for his portraits of Rural Suffolk Life lived and had his studio close to the river Stour at Dedham and these are now an interesting museum devoted to him and his works of art.

For more information, please visit: my  'What to Do' Web Pages where I have an extensive insiders guide to South Suffolk

Here are a few photos I took around the area of Lavenham, Long Melford and Polsted - The seaside is at Aldeburgh which is a totaly unspoilt seaside village, famous for its Arts events and good food - it is about 50 minutes from Lavenham.