February News; Charity Bridge, History talks and our first wedding of 2023
Surprisingly, February has been a bit of a whirlwind month, busily preparing the venue and gardens for our first few weddings of 2023 and we’re making use of this relatively quieter time to make sure all the larger-scale jobs are completed.
The daffodils and crocus have been slowly making an appearance over the last couple of weeks, finally a little bit of colour to say that Spring is definitely on its way. We’ve had the most spectacular display of snowdrops over in the woods to the East of the Priory, it really is something to behold and so pretty in the sunshine.
There’s plenty of ongoing work in the gardens, both at the Priory and Farmhouse where Baz, Gordon and Nigel have been mulching, scarifying and tidying. The nearby woods have been given a blast of daylight, with some much-needed tree felling.
As a result of the felling, it has created an aesthetically-pleasing display of stacked logs, much to the various wedding photographers’ delight – perfect, rustic background material for our newly-weds!
Early February saw the exciting launch of our new website, which we’re very pleased with. Enquiring couples can now easily book a viewing with us at the click of a button. There’s lots more information available about the different services we offer, from formal dinners to marquee weddings, holiday stays and….Seasonal Suppers
…which leads me nicely into telling you that it’s only one week to go until our first Seasonal Supper takes place on Saturday 11th March. There are just a handful of tickets left, so if you like the idea of dining somewhere ‘a little different’ and enjoying a delicious supper of locally sourced produce, then this is the ideal Saturday night for you! Tickets are priced at £65 each and can be purchased online here.
Over to our first wedding of 2023, this was for the lovely Suzannah and Gary who gathered 23 of their closest family and friends for a small, intimate wedding here at Butley Priory. The day began with a civil ceremony in the Great Hall, followed by drinks and delicious canapes in the Drawing room – all while we discreetly transformed the hall for their wedding breakfast.
Suzannah and Gary chose a fabulous display of twigs, foliage and fairy lights for the main mantelpiece, with sage green runners for the tables, creating a very natural, countryside-inspired theme.
After the wedding breakfast, guests enjoyed drinks from the Pilgrims bar, while listening to sounds from My Big Fat Wedding Disco.
Later in the month, it was followed with a much gentler affair, this being our annual charity Bridge fundraiser for Home-Start in Suffolk raising an incredible £1,670. Around 55 guests joined us for an afternoon of bridge with delicious tea & cake. Our housekeeper Kimmy did a fine job of keeping everyone replenished and took on the task of selling out the raffle tickets. Some fabulous prizes to be had, kindly donated by Hilton Macarons, Snape Maltings, Pinney’s of Orford, Orford General Store and The Crown & Castle Hotel. We thank them for their kindness and generosity.
As we head into March, there will be a series of talks from local historians and archaeologists in support of Orford Museum. These take place from 16-19 March at Butley Priory starting with Jack Cooke, who talks about his latest book The End of the Road – a journey around Britain in a dilapidated hearse to unearth some of the quirkiest graves, tombs and burial sites that Britain has to offer.
Suffolk county Archaeologist, Edward Martin, leads a talk on the Bronze Age in Suffolk, Angela Care Evans explores the historical significance of the discovery of Sutton Hoo and Professor Mark Bailey discusses the impact of the Black Death in Suffolk in the 1330’s…plus many more interesting talks on offer. Tickets are from £12 and you can find out more info here.
Suffolk Sandlands welcomes its first cohort of guests in March for some metal detecting & treasure-hunting. There are five tours taking place across this year, which are all filling up rather nicely. As before, our guests will enjoy relaxing at Butley Abbey Farmhouse following a day spent in the field. Hosts Andy and John are raring to go again, and we await to see what will be unearthed!
Excitingly, there are a few photography shoots taking place. First up, we’re looking forward to welcoming back Lacuna Child for their children’s-wear photo shoot. The Priory will then be transformed as it becomes the chosen venue for a styled wedding shoot which we can’t wait to see…and finally, the team will be front of camera for some new portraits for the website. You’ll finally be able to put a face to a name. Lights, camera….action!
See you in March!
October News; Marquee Weddings, Metal Detecting and Gargoyles...
With the recent cold snap at the end of September, we were all ready to don our woolly jumpers and winter coats, yet we’ve twirled into October with a gloriously sunny weekend. Our wedding couple, Emma and Aaron, were ecstatic to be enjoying drinks in the garden for their reception – what an Autumnal treat!
Laura Williams Photography
Last month was a busy one for Butley Priory as we welcomed our first and second cohort of guests for the inaugural Suffolk Sandlands Tours. If you have never heard of it, Suffolk Sandlands is the name given to our Luxury Metal Detecting tours where guests enjoy three full days in the field, led by expert hosts Andy & John.
The Farmhouse is a welcome retreat after a long day in the elements and we thank Country Cuisine for providing a delicious feast each evening (and every morning) for our guests. Before dinner, guests are invited to enjoy talks by local historians and archaeologists in the Priory – it’s a real jam-packed few days with some interesting ‘finds’, no gold hoards yet… we’ve had some wonderful feedback, with guests already booking again for next year!
Leading on nicely from metal detecting, it’s just been announced by Suffolk County Council that evidence of a 1400-year-old royal Hall of the first Kings of East Anglia has been discovered in nearby Rendlesham. The foundations of the large and elaborate timber Hall built for the kings, were uncovered by a community archaeological excavation, part of SCC’s Rendlesham Revealed project.
Our locality is certainly rich in history and historical finds, that’s for sure. You can read more on this story here
Credit: Suffolk County Council
Again, keeping to a historical theme, we welcomed a jolly gathering of some 80 guests to the Priory in September. ‘Friends of Orford Museum’, for the relaunch of ‘The Orford Historian’- a bi-annual bulleting on local history edited by Jack Cooke. Valerie Fenwick gave a talk about the history of Butley Priory.
The Orford Museum have plans to use the Priory for regular history talks starting on 29th November, when Gary Battell (Suffolk County Council’s woodland advisor) will be talking about Staverton Thicks and ancient Suffolk forests. Tickets are available through Orford Museum.
We’ve been lucky to see so many wonderful tents and structures for our September weddings, from tipi’s to transparent to stretch tents, we’ve pretty much seen them all. Here’s a few photos of the varying tents, each with their own magical transformation from our couples.
Last week, we erected some scaffolding to survey the upper reaches of the Priory. Thankfully, only a few bits of repair work needed, but it gave us a great opportunity to get up close to this little guy.
As we head full throttle into Autumn and Winter beyond, plans are afoot for a Christmas wreath-making workshop on Wednesday 7th December.
With sustainability at the forefront of our mind, we’ve teamed up with local eco florist & grower, Lucy Spencer, from Hall Lane Flowers. Lucy grows and forages all her own flowers and foliage for you to create a beautiful wreath for your front door this Christmas. No chemicals or floral foam here thank you!
While busily creating your wreath, you’ll enjoy listening to some festive tunes, sipping some fizz and a delicious warm mince pie. Before you know it, you’ll be channelling all the festive feels. And if you’ve always wanted to visit Butley Priory, you’ll have a chance to explore too!
Keep an eye on our website and socials for more details and how to book tickets.
August News from Butley Priory
Our monthly news blog posts are always a gentle reminder of how quickly each month comes around and I’m always amazed and aghast in equal measure at how time flies so quickly.
August conjures up the long summer break for schools and with it brings a busy influx of holiday guests to Butley Priory Cottage. We’ve had some lovely reviews from guests, and you can check these out on our Airbnb listing. Here’s just one from Tim who stayed with us recently…
Earlier in July, we welcomed a charming group from Earl Stonham WI who visited the Priory for a history talk from Edward Greenwell. It was a beautiful summer evening and they thoroughly enjoyed their visit which was organised through Historic Houses Invitation To View scheme. After their talk, they were given the opportunity to explore the Priory and then return to the Great Hall for tea and biscuits.
If you are part of a club, group or society which organises its own social calendar and your members might enjoy a fascinating talk on the history of Butley Priory, then please do get in touch with our Events team on 01394 450046.
As usual, we’ve been very busy with some amazing weddings here at the Priory. We’ve welcomed an array of different structures on the front lawn, from tipis from Events Under Canvas to clear-span marquees from Miller Marquees. We particularly loved Jenna & Sonny’s wedding, which took place on a beautifully hot day with some cool, stylish wedding planning – it looked amazing.
Then we celebrated with the adorable Dagnija & John, who welcomed some international visitors from Dagnija’s home country, Latvia. They chose to host their ceremony in the Great Hall with drinks in the South Garden before returning inside for a sumptuous wedding breakfast and evening dancing.
Photography: Beth Beresford Photography
Exciting news! We’ve now scheduled all our dates for next year’s Suffolk Sandlands metal detecting tours. We welcomed Kim from Bury & West Suffolk Magazine who wanted to try her hand at the full metal detecting experience. Our host Andy Sampson, was her guide for the afternoon and she thoroughly enjoyed it. As such, no hoards of jewels or coins on this occasion…though we look forward to seeing what our guests will uncover in September.
We have now sold out for spaces on our later tour, but still have some available spots for the tour starting on 5th September. To read more about it, take a look here.
Nigel delighted the events team with a ride in his open top dune buggy. Lovingly restored, coloured bright red and on a really warm day, we took a short drive at lunchtime to view what remains of ‘The Clumps’. For those who are familiar with our street address, the quincuncial 'Clumps' are a group of four beech trees surrounding a single pine tree, planted as an avenue near Butley Priory. It was a lot of fun and not too dissimilar from feeling like you’re inside a tumble drier!
Finally, our long-awaited Team ‘Pizza & Pimms’ night took place on the hottest day of the year so far. It was great to spend an evening relaxing with the team, such a jolly bunch – and the Pimm’s slipped down a treat.
The younger ones enjoyed playing hide & seek inside the Priory and splashing around in the water sprinklers, a dual-purpose effort of watering the garden and keeping them cool at the same time.
Looking ahead to August, we’ll be welcoming the residents of Grove Court in Woodbridge for a visit to the Priory, plenty more romantic weddings, holiday stays and a photo shoot for a childrenswear brand. It’s going to be a busy one!
May News
May news from Butley Priory
It’s been a busy last month – starting with our first wedding; Becky and Paul were married in April. Everything went smoothly, the sun shone, only a minor hitch, where was our wedding license? With our refurbishment (including old office turned into a staff cloakroom, and Covid clamp down) it hadn’t been seen or required for some while. We kept our heads. All was well; of course it was filed in the right place all along.
We’ve restocked the Pilgrims Bar, our speciality gin bar, in the tiny vaulted room with an open fire where the monks once dispensed alms to the poor. The “piscina” - an arch with a stone basin for holy water, is from the original monastery. It’s been a entertaining, sampling some of the brands, some seriously curious flavours – Parma Violet for one. We like the Juniper with orange peel. My favourite has to be Chase Hedgerow Elderflower with soda and lemon. Fishers Gin might be pricey but their new “Smoked” brand is delicious especially with ginger ale and lime, savour every mouthful.
Coes of Ipswich did a fashion shoot in the Priory and gardens. Look out for the pictures on their website and on our instagram.
We have a wedding shoot next week. A team of local wedding suppliers have come together to showcase Suffolk’s best talent. Organised by make up artist Victoria Bradfield. Ayshea Goldberg is doing the photography, Videographer Aaron from Avisuals is filming, wedding gowns are from The Bridal Lounge, hair by Lynette Chasmer, flowers by Charlotte Staff (creams, white, lilacs and pinks), stationery (exquisite calligraphy) by Polly Pickel Design, a sumptuous wedding cake by Luca’s Cakes, Jewellery by Susannah Chenevix (pearls are the theme) and pulled together by wedding planner Louisa May Weddings.
A makeup artist turned up today for a wedding – but wrong venue – panic stations all round. But she made it to the right venue in the nick of time. First guests in the farmhouse went swimmingly, we liked it that they were keen to compost their veggie waste. NB compost area behind the garden shed (bottom of the garden). The tennis court is finally painted (the day that it finally rained after seven dry weeks), two shades of green. Plays like a dream.
The Tudor Room four-poster curtains are completed, Rose fabric lined with pink ticking from The Cloth Shop in the Portobello Road. The white lattice mango wood chest and raspberry coloured floral rug are from Snape Malting, lamps and candy striped pink shades are Pooky Lighting, pretty lime washed table from Marlesford Mill (where we have found many treasures), the recycled plastic carpet (looks like sisal and soft underfoot) is from the Unnatural Flooring Company.
After hours of searching the Internet in lockdown for a beautiful rug finally found one from Oka for the Mary Rose room; subtle soft pinks and beige, and looks perfect. The day beds sourced for the Mary Rose and de Glanville (for extra small, or indeed larger guests) work a treat. The rooms are painted Dulux Ochre White and look fresh and serene – thank you Georgia Mann Interiors.
Kim the stone mason is back repairing a Priory buttress. Wallflowers high up in the ancient flint walls have taken root, rather a shame to dislodge them. Baz is hard at work in the gardens at Butley Abbey farmhouse, repairing the steps down to the summerhouse lawn. Isla is planning the flowers for her wedding in June, our first bride to be using the thatched summer house, with a marquee on the lawn.
We discovered to our excitement David Gillingwater who is creating our smart new signage (green and gold) is a piper! So if you are of Scottish heritage or a bagpipe enthusiast - book him for your wedding. Scotland the Brave, Amazing Grace, Sky Boat Song and, Mairi’s Wedding are just a few favourites from his repertoire.
Should the heavens open or the bride wish to be driven from the Priory to Butley Church or Butley Abbey Farmhouse, vintage car enthusiasts might like our dark green 1954 Bentley, handsome in white ribbons, or for a more rustic vibe a 1955 Series 1 Land Rover. However, the latter is in the last stages of restoration (ten years and counting), the radiator is finally sourced, we are ever hopeful we will see it shortly, gleaming and engine ticking over.
