September News; Arctic Monkeys, Quiz Night & Summer Weddings
There’s lots to talk about in this month’s post, and with no apologies, I’m going straight in with the exciting news that Sheffield band, Arctic Monkeys, revealed that their new album ‘The Car’ will be available on October 21st. Nothing extraordinary there, I hear you say…except that this very album was recorded right here at Butley Priory and they’ve kindly shared their choice of recording location with the press. We can’t wait to hear it!
Just as entertaining, was our August team outing to the Oyster Inn, Butley for their weekly pub quiz. If you haven’t been before, it’s well worth a visit. Landlady Jane & her team offer a warm welcome in the surroundings of a traditional Suffolk pub – and they make a cracking pizza too, all from their very own wood-fired oven. Delicious.
Two teams went head-to-head for the battle of the brains; The Monks and The Butley Babes – the latter of which was suggested in a poll on Instagram. Whilst the Babes shone in the music round, it wasn’t enough to outwit The Monks who went on to win first place overall! A re-match is certainly in discussion.
A few weeks ago, we welcomed the delightful residents from Grove Court in Woodbridge to the Priory. On arrival, they were greeted with a delicious light lunch, and fresh figs picked straight from the garden that morning. Nick Raison entertained them with some old favourites from his piano and after lunch, many of them enjoyed a wander around the Priory, finishing with a group photo in the garden. An enjoyable time was had by all.
Naturally, it’s still an extremely busy time for us with holiday guests in Butley Priory Cottage, plus several weddings taking place in the glorious August sunshine. We’ve received some incredible reviews from our clients, here’s just one from David and Sandy…you can read more on our google review page.
“Butley hosted our wedding in August 2022 (after two years of covid delay!).
Donna and team are absolutely brilliant; they struck the perfect balance of being super organised and tending to every detail - but while keeping a very relaxed atmosphere throughout the whole weekend. We had tipis (Events Under Canvas, also brilliant) and lots of different vendors as per most weddings - Donna brought it all together and the whole day went seamlessly, we couldn’t have asked for any more. We booked the farmhouse and cottage too, would highly recommend this as it meant about a 1/3 of our wedding party were on site from Friday - Sunday which added to the relaxed atmosphere throughout the whole weekend (loads of time to get ready, no need to move about). The venue is truly unique, all our guests commented on how beautiful it was - including the farmhouse. Both the priory and farmhouse have great facilities you can use the whole weekend which was perfect for making dinners and breakfasts for the group. Overall we cannot thank Butley and the team under Donna enough for what was an incredible weekend, I wish we could do it all over again!!!”
And we’ve received some incredible images from the pro photographers. Below you’ll find some of our favourites from Jenna & Sonny’s wedding back in July.
Last week, we commissioned some photography of our own from the talented Alexander Parnell, for some updated images of Butley Abbey Farmhouse. We focused on the ground floor reception rooms,The Drawing Room, The Morning Room and The Library (sounds like a game of Cluedo) - lighting log fires on such a hot day wasn’t ideal but needs must to tempt guests to stay for the winter months. We also created an exquisite lunch (or dinner) party to showcase the dining room for those looking for somewhere extra special to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. The breakfast room looked just as inviting, with the table set with bowls of peaches and strawberries, and pastries from Pump Street. We’ll show you the fruits of our labour next month!
I must just show you this flawless little scene of an outdoor rehearsal dinner at Butley Abbey Farmhouse from last Friday evening. Just as the sun was setting, some 30 friends & family of the bride & groom gathered to enjoy oysters and seafood platters in the garden. Just how adorable does this look?
On to September and it’s another busy month for us, with a drinks party for Friends of Orford Museum, lots more weddings and of course, we welcome our first guests for the Suffolk Sandlands Metal Detecting tours, with the second group following later in September. We’re also heading over to Detectival near Cambridge – the UK’s largest metal detecting event - to meet fellow detecting enthusiasts and to promote our 2023 tours. Maybe we’ll see you there?