May News

Spring has definitely sprung here at Butley and we’ve enjoyed seeing the daffodils, tulips and now a glorious sea of Bluebells in the surrounding woodland.

As ever, we’ve been welcoming many lovely couples to Butley, showing them around the Priory, Cottage and Farmhouse, with viewings booked midweek, evenings and weekends – keeping us very busy indeed. 

April saw our first wedding of the year for Emily & Marie who enjoyed fantastic weather throughout their wedding weekend, albeit a little blustery.

Their ceremony took place inside the Great Hall, followed by a confetti line outside the Church gate where Emily’s father rang the church bell with gusto! Many of Marie’s family had travelled over from France to join in with the celebrations.

After canapes in the South garden, our guests were welcomed back into the Great Hall for a delicious four course dinner, complete with cheese course – interestingly served before dessert in traditional French style. After dinner, guests adjourned to a tipi on the front lawn for music and dancing until the wee hours – we wish them our hearty congratulations!

Butley Priory Cottage enjoyed its first influx of guests over the Easter holidays for midweek and weekend breaks. We’ve had wonderful feedback and many 5 star reviews. Guests particularly enjoyed its great location for visiting the Suffolk Coast and tourist hotspots, plus that it’s dog friendly, with plenty of safe outdoor space.

“Beautiful cottage in an amazing location. We had a great time as did our dog!” - Darren

“Great house and grounds. Great for dogs to run around safely in the grounds” – John

Meanwhile, Brian has been beavering away at repairing our stone wall just outside Butley Abbey Farmhouse. It’s taken a while, but he’s so nearly there and it’s looking fantastic, we particularly love the gargoyles he’s installed and don’t the red and yellow tulips look striking against it?

Our new venture ‘Suffolk Sandlands’ is gathering some attention with a brilliant feature in the East Anglian Daily Times. We’ve had a good response from the metal dectorists favourite magazine, the May edition of Treasure Hunting.

Suffolk Sandlands provides metal detecting enthusiasts with an incredible opportunity to enjoy a three-day detecting holiday on prime farmland with unrivalled archaeological interest, with evening talks from our local expert historians. You can read more about our tour dates for September HERE

Lastly, a couple of birthdays have been celebrated in the Events office for both Kimmy & Donna, where ample supplies of delicious cake were provided by Libby – too tasty for words, thank you Libby.

APRIL NEWS

And there I was, thinking April heralded the start of Spring!

As I write, there are proper snowflakes charging past the window and the temperatures have dropped considerably from the balmy sunshine we enjoyed last week. Though I must say, the Farmhouse does look very pretty with snow falling all around it.

April sees us hosting the first of many weddings this year for a lovely couple, which means we’ve been busy checking all our supplies are well-stocked, bar menus written, catering spreadsheets add up and that everything is in place and looking ship-shape. We’re excited to get wedding season underway!

We took delivery of the brand new ‘Extraordinary Escapes’ coffee table book, which complements the Channel 4 series of the same name where Sandi Toksvig pays a visit to the Priory, along with her pal Alison Steadman. It’s quite a beautiful book and features some most inspiring properties and locations. You can order a copy right here.

As well as working hard to ensure our venue is in tip-top shape, we’ve been beavering away on a tantalising new project for a niche activity holiday, with our first trips planned for September this year. We are launching “Suffolk Sandlands” this month which provides a three day metal detecting tour for small groups of detectorists, led by expert guides with talks from local historians and archaeologists. Accommodation will be in Butley Abbey Farmhouse.

If you haven’t yet heard the story, the Butley Seal was discovered in a field by a keen local 10 year old detectorist, George Henderson. It is believed to be around 800 years old and has fetched £4000 at auction – bound to have put a smile on the young lad’s face and that of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, who received 50% of the proceeds.

Image: SWNS

And with that, we’re delighted and thrilled to announce that the Butley Seal will remain in its rightful home. On hearing of the discovery, Sir Edward placed a bid that secured the return of the Seal to the Priory and we can’t wait to see it!

With perfect timing for our venture, National Trust’s Sutton Hoo (a few miles from us) will be exhibiting the extraordinary and wonderful Staffordshire Hoard from May to October this year. The largest hoard of Anglo Saxon gold and silver was found in 2009 by a metal detector in a farmer’s field. May this bring us luck.

Image: Sutton Hoo

Talking of history, last week we welcomed members of the Ufford Art History group for a tour of Butley Priory. Led by Sir Edward, the members enjoyed a fascinating talk of Priors and Royalty and a tour of the building, before settling down to enjoy tea & biscuits in the Great Hall.

MARCH NEWS

In February we saw a visit from our retail friends at Snape Maltings. If you haven’t been, it’s well worth a visit for a spot of retail therapy. Their home store is divine and very difficult to walk away without a purchase or two! Conversations revolved around our ongoing partnership with the ‘wedding gift list’ leading to potentially curating a range exclusively to Butley Priory, most of which you’ll see within The Farmhouse and Butley Priory Cottage. We’ll keep you posted as to how this exciting prospect develops.

On a more solemn note, we helped a local family say goodbye to their loved one by hosting a wake in the Great Hall. A warming log fire and a glass of Prosecco greeted our guests, with delicious finger food from Jake’s Kitchen.

Over at the Farmhouse we welcomed our first guests of the year for their half term family holiday, swiftly followed by a big birthday celebration for another charming family. It really is a warm and welcoming family home for large group stays in Suffolk.

Another two wedding viewing days saw many newly-engaged couples immediately falling in love with Butley Priory. Cupid clearly very busy working his February magic!

This time of year, although relatively quiet for events, is extremely busy with the general maintenance required in keeping our beautiful venue ship-shape. Nigel and Baz have been busy re-laying the terrace in the South Garden and we can’t wait to see our guests enjoying this area in the Summer with a glass of champagne in hand.

Electricians, plumbers, chimney sweeps, alarm guys and carpenters – we’re struggling to think of a service that hasn’t walked through our doors this month!

And for all their hard work, #TeamButley were treated to a delicious lunch at The Butley Oysterage. Homemade fish pie, moules mariniere, whitebait – it all looked so good and hard to choose what to feast upon! – Thank you, Edward and Clare.

We had perfect weather conditions for our Home-Start charity event, grey drizzle. What better way to spend a dank afternoon, than a game of bridge with friends, followed by a delicious a tea in beautiful Butley Priory in front of roaring log fires in the Great Hall and Drawing room.

Everyone deemed it a great success; we raised £3000 for the charity. The event was organised by Clare Greenwell, ambassador for Home-Start. Anthony Horowitz patron of the charity spoke to us about Suffolk Home-Start and drew raffle prizes included lunch for two at The Crown & Castle in Orford, a £100 voucher for brunch, lunch or dinner on the Lady Florence from Orford Quay, two overflowing hampers with smoked fish from Pinney’s, treats from Orford General Store, Fishers Gin , chocolate from the Pump Street Bakery, a handmade bridge cloth and cards from Catherine Pickthorne, a signed copy of Anthony’s book Moonflower Murders, while Hilton Macarons provided the prettiest and tastiest macarons for the event in various scrumptious flavours and a box for a raffle prize. Thank you everyone for your support and generosity for a fantastic cause.

Tree planting is going well, willow, copper & green beech and silver birches. Alas we lost a few in the storm, yet the Priory gardens are looking lovely with crocus, snowdrops and the wild daffodils are turning the woods yellow.

We look forward to welcoming Libby Pearson next week as our new assistant manager. Libby ran her own florist business Myrtle & Mint in Ipswich. She has been operational manager at the stunning florist Scarlet & Violet in London for the last four years. Libby is a keen gardener so we are excited that under her influence our gardens at Butley will blossom.

FEBRUARY NEWS

January often gets labelled as a fairly miserable month, but I have to say it’s been anything but dull here at Butley. Plenty of blue skies and sunshine for starters, viewings with newly engaged couples and a surge of planning meetings for weddings happening this year.

Hello, I’m Donna, your new General Manager and guest author of this month’s blog post. Now four weeks into the role and I’m nicely settling into life at Butley and absolutely loving my new surroundings.

A little bit about me…

Having worked in weddings & events for just over 11 years, I’ve been lucky to have overseen many ceremonies and receptions, with elopements and intimate weddings being my absolute favourite!

I have a son aged 12 & a daughter aged 16, so I’m fully experiencing the teenage years right now! They’re both obsessed with football, so you’ll usually find me cheering them on pitch-side on a Saturday morning. Sadly, there isn’t much time for hobbies, but last year my son and I discovered a love for fly-fishing, so occasionally we’ll head off for a weekend on the riverside which although a little exhausting, it’s so relaxing for the mind.

And for a couple of little random facts… I have an unstoppable love for Mr Kipling’s French Fancies and I once did a tandem skydive. But never will again.

It’s been a whirlwind of a month so far, meeting lots of new faces, still getting lost in the Farmhouse (the rooms are never-ending) and I quietly squeal to myself every time I see some deer. I’ve been lucky to see so many, particularly at dusk and even managed to see a baby muntjac with its mother. There’s a resident owl too.

Butley Priory Cottage has now had the final touches of décor with some beautiful prints for the sitting room and bedrooms. So, with the sunshine on our side, it was time to call in Sadie from Big Fish Photography to capture some charming photos of the cottage.

This adorable two bedroom cottage, (sleeps 4 + 2 with sofabed) sits right next door to the Priory, making it the perfect addition for wedding guest accommodation. With the forest on our doorstep, it’s an ideal location for a weekend break in Suffolk with plenty of enjoyable walks to be had and local pubs for lunch. You don’t need to be a wedding guest to come and stay and it’s a dog-friendly cottage too.

Nigel has been busy with sanding and re-painting the floorboards at the Priory. Arguably one of the mightiest annual tasks on the calendar, it’s a messy job and we’re very grateful to him and his right-hand man, Richard. We’re all excited to see it looking refreshed for our next wedding viewing day on 5th February.

The Farmhouse has received a thorough Spring clean which, with all its vast, endless rooms, has kept Kimmy occupied. We’ve also been planting trees, Winter flowering cherry and for Autumn colour, Liquid Amber, Maple, Cotoneaster and Forest Pansy.

Last week, I met up with Emily Chantal MUA, Kerry-Ann’s Cake Boutique and Gemma Giorgio Photography – three wedding supplier friends who I’ve known for some years now. They wanted to come and say hello to me in my new home and have a peek around the Priory and Farmhouse. I hope we’ll see more of them here this Summer.

L-R Kerry-Ann, Donna, Emily & Gemma

And so, we move into February, heralded as the month of love for Valentines. We’ll be greeting our first guests of the year to the Farmhouse and welcoming more couples to the Priory on our wedding viewing days.

For all you lovers out there, why not escape to a romantic cottage break for Valentines to Butley Priory Cottage? Available from Fri 11th-Sun 13th February, coupled with long forest walks, a visit to nearby Orford or Aldeburgh before returning to the quiet charm of the cottage with a roaring log fire, it’s an enchanting bolthole for a weekend with your love. To enquire, simply drop us a line here.

Photo: Big Fish Photography

Lastly, our congratulations to The Unruly Pig for winning the Number 1 spot in the UK Top 50 Gastropubs. Just 5 miles down the road from us, it’s a delightful place for a spot of lunch after your viewing or during your stay.

JANUARY NEWS

Happy New Year!

We have an exciting and packed year ahead, starting with the arrival of our new General Manager Donna Stockley. Our trusty Emma Thomas-Abbott is handing over the reins after four impressive years, and is setting up her own business. We wish her every success.

Emma has taken Butley Priory to dizzy new heights. It’s all thanks to her (24 hour) hard work, style and charm that we have weddings booked from April to December for 2022. Donna has many years of experience with weddings and events, we are eager to see her ideas and plans blossom, and take us to new level.

We wait with bated breath for our planning decision developing the Monks’ Barn to create a larger venue, which can be used instead of a marquee for larger weddings and functions.

December closed with a full Christmas programme. Our party was a rip-roaring success, mulled wine, sausages and mince pies – with children scampering about. Kimmy and Nigel, our head housekeeper and handyman/Mr Fix-it shared a few funny highlights/lowlights about working in the Priory over the years, from rock stars to blocked drains, and maybe the odd ghostly tale.

Butley Priory Staff Christmas Party

Sophie and Henry’s magnificent wedding on the 18th December was a blast with Christmas carols and dancing until the small hours. We had a series of family Christmas gatherings in Butley Abbey Farmhouse and Butley Priory Cottage. Intrepid guests made it all the way from Mougins in southern France, with Moose their Bernese Mountain dog to stay in the Priory. Some of our guests enjoyed the Christmas quiz at the Oyster Inn in Butley. In total 46 guests over the festive season. Thank you Kimmy for changing all those sheets, mopping floors and Nigel for keeping it ticking over and making everywhere snug for our guests.

Alas we have had to cancel our charity Home-Start bridge afternoon on 5th January due to covid, but we are rescheduled for Wednesday 2nd March. Currently we are fully booked (grand total of 92 participants) but do get in touch to see if we have any cancellations. We have some excellent raffle prizes including lunch for two at The Crown & Castle in Orford, a £100 voucher for brunch, lunch or dinner on the Lady Florence from Orford Quay, a hamper filled with goodies with Fishers Gin, chocolate from the Pump Street Bakery, smoked fish from Pinney’s and treats from Orford General Store. Special thanks also go to Hilton Macarons who are donating some delicious and pretty macarons for the event. Thank you all for your generosity.

Lady Florence at Orford

Hilton Macarons

DECEMBER NEWS

December News

The Priory garden has been uprooted and replanted by Kinna Mosley who runs Nature Alchemy a garden design company. We don’t want to rush winter, but we can’t wait for the spring. Shades of Sissinghurst, we’ve created a variety of blue and purply hues, whites and greens in the ancient Tudor garden. The east garden by the kitchen will be a mass of soft pinks, herbs and fragrant roses.

Tony from Kiwi Fencing, came to the rescue as the weather turned cold. He did a rapid job of deer proofing, keeping out the ever hungry and inquisitive muntjac. It’s been pretty chilly so morale for the work force has been kept buoyant with rhubarb doughnut sugar hits from the Pump Street Bakery. We’ve planted the front of the Priory with lavender and box balls. We found two beautiful urns from Marlesford Mill, for either side of the steps (actually need a bit of clever cement work….).

Our exquisite Butley Priory Cottage, next to the Priory is nearly refurbished. Just a few more finishing touches and it will be perfect for a cosy winter retreat for up to six guests. Brides get first pick for additional weekend wedding accommodation otherwise it’s yours. 

Open days have been packed with prospective brides and their families. There is nothing nicer than talking to the happy couples about their plans for their dream wedding.

We have our Christmas party in December when we will be decorating our 15ft tree in Great Hall.  On Twelfth Night, January 5th we have a Home-Start charity bridge afternoon -  a few spaces left. Raffle and a slap up proper afternoon tea included. Please book by clicking here.