COLLEGE FARM HOUSE has
an interesting history. It was built in about
1470 on the site of an earlier house, and
was owned by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey during the
reign of King Henry VIII.
Cardinal Wolsey was born and brought up in Ipswich, and on becoming Chancellor in the government of the time, Henry VIII gave to him most of the land to the west of Ipswich, including this house and farm as a reward for his work. However, Wolsey fell from grace after he could not persuade the Pope to grant Henry a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. The house and land were then taken away from him and given to Eton College at Windsor in exchange for land that the College owned near the Hospital of St. James' in the Field, which is now the site of St. James's Palace.
College Farm remained in the possession of Eton College until December 1800 when it was sold and became part and parcel of the Hintlesham Hall Estate. This Estate has subsequently been split up over the years and sold away, and Ian's parents bought the farm and the house in 1962 to add to their other farm in Hintlesham. We, Ian and Rosemary and our children Catherine and Philip moved here to live in 1975, and it has been our family home ever since.
Cardinal Wolsey was born and brought up in Ipswich, and on becoming Chancellor in the government of the time, Henry VIII gave to him most of the land to the west of Ipswich, including this house and farm as a reward for his work. However, Wolsey fell from grace after he could not persuade the Pope to grant Henry a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. The house and land were then taken away from him and given to Eton College at Windsor in exchange for land that the College owned near the Hospital of St. James' in the Field, which is now the site of St. James's Palace.
College Farm remained in the possession of Eton College until December 1800 when it was sold and became part and parcel of the Hintlesham Hall Estate. This Estate has subsequently been split up over the years and sold away, and Ian's parents bought the farm and the house in 1962 to add to their other farm in Hintlesham. We, Ian and Rosemary and our children Catherine and Philip moved here to live in 1975, and it has been our family home ever since.
THE FARM is run by Ian
and Philip, and we farm approximately 650 acres
of mainly flat arable land. We own 250
acres of this and the rest is farmed under
contract for other farmers. Ian has worked
on the family farm since leaving
school, and has seen farming change
considerably during his working life. They
at one time had a large herd of pigs, and
then later on a herd of beef cattle, but these
are all gone now and we are totally arable
farmers.
The main crops grown on the farm are primarily wheat, oilseed rape, oats and sometimes beans for cattle feed. The highlight of the farming year is of course the harvest which usually starts in the middle of July. There are 12 acres of woodland and about 15 acres of permanent grassland which abound with wildlife and birds. The land is next to an RSPB Bird Reserve at Wolves Wood near Hadleigh where you can hear nightingales singing on a summer's evening. There are marked footpaths throughout the farm to wander and see the wildlife, such as deer, rabbits, pheasants and occassionally badgers.
Rosemary has been taking Bed and Breakfast guests for 20 years now, and really enjoys meeting people from all over the world. As a new diversification, our son Philip and his wife Elaine have opened a shop in a converted farm building which sells nearly-new Children's Clothes, Toys, Books, Nursery Equipment, Maternity Clothes and much more. They also sell new Trampolines, Climbing Frames, Swings, Garden Games, Go Karts etc. The shop is called "Bibs and Bobs" and it is very popular with young mothers from far and wide.
As you can see, there is a lot going on at College Farm, so do come and stay in this historic house and experience our way of life in the lovely Suffolk countryside.
The main crops grown on the farm are primarily wheat, oilseed rape, oats and sometimes beans for cattle feed. The highlight of the farming year is of course the harvest which usually starts in the middle of July. There are 12 acres of woodland and about 15 acres of permanent grassland which abound with wildlife and birds. The land is next to an RSPB Bird Reserve at Wolves Wood near Hadleigh where you can hear nightingales singing on a summer's evening. There are marked footpaths throughout the farm to wander and see the wildlife, such as deer, rabbits, pheasants and occassionally badgers.
Rosemary has been taking Bed and Breakfast guests for 20 years now, and really enjoys meeting people from all over the world. As a new diversification, our son Philip and his wife Elaine have opened a shop in a converted farm building which sells nearly-new Children's Clothes, Toys, Books, Nursery Equipment, Maternity Clothes and much more. They also sell new Trampolines, Climbing Frames, Swings, Garden Games, Go Karts etc. The shop is called "Bibs and Bobs" and it is very popular with young mothers from far and wide.
As you can see, there is a lot going on at College Farm, so do come and stay in this historic house and experience our way of life in the lovely Suffolk countryside.
