South Elmham Hall is in the parish of St Cross South Elmham, one of nine South Elmham parishes, together known as 'The Saints'!  South Elmham is just south of the Waveney valley and is typical Suffolk countryside, mainly arable, but with some ancient unimproved water meadow where sheep and rare British White Cattle graze.
The walk begins at the Hall and explores the farm's 455 acres using public footpaths and waymarked paths.  This walk visits The Minster, the ruins of an eleventh century church of which little is known, but it may have replaced an earlier wooden Saxon minister built nearby.

South Elmham Hall

After crossing a field of sheep (with Beattie firmly on the lead), we emerge on to a quiet country lane

Signs of spring - the primrose ...

... and celandine

Farmhouse with the walls painted 'Suffolk pink'

This field ditch would once have been dug out by hand by the farm labourers

This farmhouse is a typical seventeenth century 'lobby entry' house.  The door was opposite the chimney and one entered into a small lobby before walking right or left into adjoining rooms, with a fireplace in each room.  There are many surviving examples of this type of building in Suffolk.

This area was once common land for the villagers to graze their beasts.  It is 'unimproved' meadow and is rich in flower species.

Debb's Lane is an ancient 'green lane'

The area to the left is an old water meadow
What a shame the hedge has been taken out recently!

Now just a pile of logs!

The ruins of The Minster

A closer view

We pass a magnificent pollarded hornbeam

Beattie investigates a hole in the trunk!

The little stream is called 'The Beck'

Heavy rollers used to prepare the field for seeding

Primrose growing in a field ditch

I was fascinated by these bracket funguses

South Elmham Hall seen on our way back to the car

The barn

And a close-up

Ducks on the pond
It must be a day out for the boys!

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Photographs taken with a Fuji MX-2900 Zoom or a Canon EOS 20D
Copyright © 2009 Derek Cockell     All Rights Reserved