South Elmham Hall 

In the beautiful valley folds of Suffolk's St Cross South Elmham
near the River Waveney & market town of Harleston,
the ancient remains of an episcopal estate date back to the 7th century.

South Elmham Hall, a medieval bishops' palace &
home to Suffolk’s earliest domestic wall-paintings,
sits within an idyllic four-acre moated site.

Across the meadows of the ancient deer park lie
the enigmatic ruins of an 11th century chapel, South Elmham Minster.

Weddings & Celebrations

Medieval Bateman’s Barn at South Elmham Hall
is somewhere to celebrate at the heart of this
curious & very special treasured island.

South Elmham Hall also offers a handful of
simple, elegant bedrooms for wedding guests.

House Tours 

South Elmham Hall opens its doors regularly
for house tours & guided walks to the Minster.

Exclusive Hall & Minster Tours with refreshments in Bateman's Barn
House tours for groups & individuals also available.
Everything here belongs together.


Do come & feel the connection.

“There are few places
in Suffolk
where you can feel history
in the landscape,
or the landowner’s love of it ,
more than at
South Elmham Hall.“
EADT Suffolk Magazine Jan 2017

“ South Elmham's island
is a beautiful & timeless place,
where the genuine,
caring & sharing attitude
of the present
means that the past
really does have a future.“  
Invitation to View visitor 2015

Three generations of the Sanderson family have lived & farmed sustainably here around Grade I listed South Elmham Hall.
We love the gentleness of these time-honoured landscapes.
We feel privileged to be able to nurture their precious wildlife & are endlessly discovering the history of this ancient episcopal estate.

 

This curious moated palace site hosted an entire community in the 14th & 15th centuries. It saw bishops, kings & courtiers come & go. 
We care for it dearly & understand the role that sharing it & educating gently have to play in giving it a sustainable future.

 

In restoring our medieval barn, converting it sensitively into a characterful Suffolk wedding barn venue, we are able not only to keep beautiful time-honoured buildings in use, but put income into our conservation projects. Our B&B rooms for wedding guests & our popular house tours also make a valuable contribution. All of these have helped to revive the long-standing tradition of hospitality here. South Elmham Hall with its ancient hunting grounds
has been an entertaining sort of place for centuries!

 

John & Nicole