Workcations: the new trend of mixing business and pleasure

Unless you were self-employed or a freelancer, working from home (WFH) was always a luxury only afforded to those with special circumstances but, since the advent of Covid-19, remote or hybrid working is now so commonplace jobseekers expect flexible working to be part of their terms.

In recent studies, over 90% of homeworkers said they enjoyed working from home, whilst flexible work environments is one of the top three reasons why people look for new jobs. If you’ve done it you’ll understand the perks: no morning commute, comfortable surroundings and decent coffee on tap.

London residents reported the highest levels of hybrid working across Great Britain, with 4 in 10 workers both working from home and travelling to work. Source: Characteristics of homeworkers, Office for National Statistics

But, the grass isn’t always greener in your own back yard. Homeworkers report feelings of isolation and loneliness without regular face-to-face contact with colleagues. Motivation, creativity and focus can all take a hit and that creeping feeling that you’re ‘always on’ affects our mental health, often leading to burn-out. The boundary between home and office disappears and you find yourself eating, sleeping and working in the same few square feet, 24/7.

So what to do? Can we have our proverbial homemade cake and eat it?

At Butley Priory we’ve created the perfect solution and yes, if cake is a requirement, we can provide it. Our luxurious Suffolk holiday home is available to a gathering of hybrid workers to re-group, relax, reset and rejuvenate for as long as they need.

Butley Abbey Farmhouse is just one of four charming properties on the Butley Priory estate; a Georgian farmhouse which overlooks a large garden, tennis court and croquet lawn, with fields and woodlands beyond. Notable for its peaceful surroundings and spacious, country house interiors, Butley Abbey Farmhouse provides super-fast broadband, private desk space and all the comforts of home, so you can keep business ticking over whilst your batteries recharge.

Stays can be from a few days midweek to a fortnight or more. Suitable for groups of 12 to 24 people, how does co-working with your business besties from Monday to Friday sound? Brings a whole new meaning to ‘out-of-office’ doesn’t it?

Whether it’s you and a few WFH friends, colleagues from your network or a more structured corporate teambuilding event, we can design a workcation to suit.

And did we mention Suffolk’s excellent reputation for food? Fast becoming known as the foodie county, Butley Abbey Farmhouse sits in the heart of a Suffolk foodie paradise, with artisan bakeries, cheesemakers, fresh seafood, hand-crafted gin and award- winning ales. Head over to this blog post and check out the artisan producers on your doorstep.

If you feel the need to cook, there’s a fully equipped farmhouse kitchen and dining table to seat all 24 of you. We can recommend private chefs and caterers for the ultimate in-house dining experience, but with some of Suffolk’s best pubs and restaurants close by, it’s a great reason to go exploring.

With a range of activities, spa treatments or endless hours of blissful nothing on offer, the advantages of a workcation are undeniable. After all, nobody ever said working from home had to be YOUR home, did they?

To enquire about Workcations or Corporate Away-Days at Butley Abbey Farmhouse, contact the Events Team on 01394 450046 or send an enquiry

March News

It’s been a crazy year for so many of us but the owners of the Priory, the Greenwell family, custodians for four generations of the 14th century Priory, are delighted to have taken over and now trade as Butley Priory.

We have kept on the brilliant team, our manager Emma, supported by Nigel, maintenance/gardener/Jack of all trades and Kimmy our housekeeper, and Baz (also a dab hand with the camera in the garden) fine tuning the lawns at the farmhouse, are all working flat out for our open day April 17/18th April, and then to welcome back our brides, grooms and guests.

We’ve spent a year refurbishing Butley Abbey Farmhouse (helped by Georgia Mann Interiors), a 12 bedroom Georgian farmhouse, from top to toe (including the tennis court) which can be used for wedding accommodation, or just a spoiling holiday. We are really pleased with the result; quite challenging in lock down, scouring country sales (hours on line, some disaster purchases) car boot sales (Sunday mornings at Friday Street, our favourite haunt) when we were allowed, good old John Lewis for bathroom and kitchen stuff, and a mad day trip to fabric emporium A.Shufflebothams in Derbyshire made it all happen. The farmhouse has an idyllic rustic, thatched summerhouse in the grounds, also licensed for weddings.  We are very excited, as our first wedding in the gardens using the summerhouse will be Isla and Matt’s 19th June. 

At the Priory, we’ve been super busy these last three months: ancient buttresses have been repaired by master stone mason Kim, it’s a privilege to watch his flint-knapping skills. We’ve replanted the garden with English blooms, lavender, roses, geraniums, alliums and delphiniums, soft pinks, blues and creams. We’ve added some freestanding baths to the already majestic white and cream bedrooms with their enormous arched mullion windows and stone window seats. Not an easy task furnishing a grade one listed Gothic house in a second lock down – hours and hours spent on the Internet searching for the right fabrics and pieces. 

But we are almost ready and open for business. We’ve spruced up the vaulted Priory kitchen (kept the trusty old green aga which keeps it toasty), the four-poster is ready to be assembled, curtains hung, and our interesting collection of rugs rolled out. The tiny, secret vaulted Gin Bar (the former Pilgrims room) with a log fire, hidden behind a door in the panelling is being restocked with speciality gins. Still deliberating what to plant in the terracotta pots for the summer ahead. The snowdrop and wild daffodil woods around the Monks former ponds have been cleared and the bluebells are nearly here.

BRAND NEW!  A WEDDING LIST with SNAPE MALTINGS 
We’ve just set up an exclusive wedding list with Snape Maltings  (stunning Homeware and Furniture) for our bridal couples. To make an enquiry or book a personal appointment for their service, contact retail reception 01728 688303 or email info@snapemaltings.co.uk and visit  https://snapemaltings.co.uk/shops/