Foxhall Lodge Farm Foxhall, Suffolk

This imposing late Georgian former hunting lodge is set amid almost 26 acres of meticulously landscaped gardens, parkland, water meadows, swimming ponds and woodland in east Suffolk, close to both Ipswich and the Suffolk coastline. Unlisted, the home combines the original Georgian lodge with Victorian and early 21st-century additions, all created to reflect the original Georgian architectural design. Internal accommodation spans almost 7,500 sq ft, with eight bedrooms and a series of characterful living spaces, where box sash windows frame incredible views from every aspect. The grounds also encompass a series of large outbuildings, including a party barn, a tennis court, a paddock and a kitchen garden with an orchard. Transport links are excellent: Ipswich train station is just 15 minutes’ drive away, where trains to London Liverpool Street take 65 minutes.

Setting the Scene

A long driveway, shared with adjacent farm buildings, leads directly from Purdis Road to the south, extending immediately onto Foxhall Lodge Farm’s private driveway, which culminates in a wide gravelled parking area surrounded by mature trees, in front of the main house. The entire grounds are surrounded by mature trees and woodland, making this an immensely private sanctuary, with no surrounding noise.

The house is built on an east-west axis, with the main elevation facing west. The house’s three phases of construction are all roughly equal in size, with the original Georgian range comprising what is now the north of the house, the Victorian range, the south, and the early 21st-century addition to the rear, facing east towards the main swimming pond and woodland beyond. The main east-facing elevation, comprising both Georgian and Victorian structures, is built from red brick with a hipped tile roof, and festooned with climbing roses and wisteria. The rear later addition is lime rendered, creating an architecturally compelling yet sensitively designed home.

The Grand Tour

Entry to the main entrance hall, where walls are papered and in many spaces throughout the house, with floral-patterned wallpapers. Ceiling heights are generous, typical for Georgian-era architecture. There is a dogleg staircase hall and drawing room in the north range and a less formal sitting room in the south-facing range, with a cosy wood burner set in the hearth. Both reception spaces have French windows that open to the gardens, and there are also two study rooms on this floor, and two WCs.

Service areas are brilliantly spacious, with the kitchen and dining room over 25 ft square, with additional French windows opening to incredible views down to the water meadows beyond. Bespoke panelled cabinetry incorporates a fitted dresser for china and glassware along one wall, and a freestanding island with stone worktops. A butler sink is set beside a window, and a five-door blue enamel Aga is positioned in the tiled hearth, with a further electric oven for day-to-day convenience. Adjacent is a brilliantly designed boot room and a laundry room, both with matching bespoke cabinetry, and a second study.

The lower-ground floor is a vast space, almost 30 feet deep, and currently used as an informal den and cinema room, though it could have various uses, including a home gym. Again, thoughtfully placed French doors open from here to a flagstone terrace and views of the swimming pond.

The first floor is home to the primary sleeping quarters, with three westerly bedrooms sharing a spacious bathroom, while the principal bedroom suite is set in the modern addition of the house, to the east. A spacious room with wonderful views and room for a seating area, the suite incorporates two separate dressing rooms and an en suite bathroom from West One Bathrooms, using the finest materials including Carrara marble and brushed brass fittings.

The uppermost storey is in two sections, each with its own staircase. The south-facing Victorian range is arranged as a charming timber-clad bipartite space, with a pitched roof and a dividing screen separating the two areas, currently used as a charming TV room with an additional small sleeping area. The north range is reached via the main staircase and has four further double bedrooms and two additional spacious shared bathrooms.

The Great Outdoors

Foxhall Lodge Farm is brilliantly positioned at the centre of its almost 26 acres of grounds, forming something of a small private estate with smallholding capabilities. The estate unfolds into rolling parkland from the driveway, with open fields on either side, leading down to a picturesque Mill River and a spring-fed lake to the north of the grounds.

The surrounding landscape includes nine acres of mature woodland, filled with bluebells in springtime, with the trees predominantly oak, chestnut, and sycamore, with a wonderful private pathway that meanders along the curtilage.

A hard tennis court and a productive kitchen garden with a Rhino greenhouse further enhance the grounds; the latter also provides flowers for cutting, along with many vegetables and fruits for the house and includes a small orchard with lots of fruit trees. A fenced paddock is also positioned to the west of the land.

The formal gardens closest to the house feature a sunken garden, with well-stocked shrub and herbaceous borders. The south-facing terrace, accessible from both the drawing room and the kitchen, provides an ideal setting for outdoor dining and summer entertaining. There is also a vast natural swimming pond between the house and the woodland, fed by the natural spring, and a further spacious seating terrace opens from the lower ground floor’s informal sitting room.

Foxhall Lodge Farm also has a range of useful outbuildings to the south of the grounds, including a storage barn, an open cart lodge, and a large modern timber-framed barn with weatherboarded elevations and double sliding doors, ideal for a variety of uses, including large parties. The outbuildings also include a barn, complete with a lean-to and ample space for additional storage or garaging.

As the house has its own water source, care of a natural spring within the grounds, private sewage and the 21st-century rear addition is powered by a ground source heat pump, it has the potential to be partially or fully off-grid, if desired.

Out and About

Foxhall Lodge Farm is positioned in Foxhall, a small civil parish close to Suffolk’s county town of Ipswich, with its theatre, galleries and museums. Ipswich has plenty of amenities and restaurants, including The Forge Kitchen and The Eaterie, within the fashionable Ipswich Waterfront, while Butterworth and Son and Applaud Coffee are great spots for coffee and pastries in the town centre. A large branch of Waitrose is just five minutes’ drive away from the house, on Crane Boulevard, as is the David Lloyd health club and gym.

Woodbridge is 15 minutes’ drive away, a popular small town on the edge of the river Debden that has a wide selection of independent purveyors and amenities. New Street Market is a treasure trove for homespun clothing and homewares, and has a café, Canteen, which serves delicious homemade cakes and coffee. Vanil has wonderful Scandinavian-inspired goods, and The Merchants’ Table sells beautiful hand-crafted objects. The town has an independent cinema, The Riverside. Michelin-starred The Unruly Pig, in nearby Bromeswell, is a lovely spot for a delicious lunch of modern and seasonal produce, and a stroll along the river ends at The Anchor pub.

Aldeburgh and its famous beach are a 30-minute drive from the house. It has a broad selection of independent shops, cafés and restaurants lining the high street. In the centre sits the Old Stage Coach Hotel, home to a superb seafood restaurant, The Suffolk Sur-Mer and Ballroom Arts - a contemporary gallery converted from the old hotel ballroom. Artisan bakery The Two Magpies has a lovely coffee shop, and Slaughden Wines has a substantial selection of vintage Bordeaux and Burgundy. Lawson’s and Aldeburgh Market Deli & Kitchen also have an extensive range of seasonal fare and delicatessen.

The beach at Aldeburgh is backed by a promenade with pretty pastel-coloured villas and is just a short walk from the High Street; predominantly shingle, the beach is filled with old fishing boats and many a pitstop for a pint of prawns or an ice cream. Dogs are welcome at The Cross Keys, a welcoming pub with a selection of locally brewed Adnams craft beers, and The Lighthouse, a renowned town restaurant focusing on regional produce.

Snape Maltings is also around a thirty-minute drive; a mix of malthouses and granaries dating from the mid-19th century, several exhibitions occur here throughout the year. It also hosts Aldeburgh Festival, a 24-day event celebrating music & the arts, opera, comedy and film, run by the local late composer Benjamin Britten and partner Peter Pears’ estate, now a charity called Britten Pears Arts.

Further along the A12 to the north and around an hour’s drive away are the fashionable coastal towns of Southwold and Walberswick; the perfect local day trip.

For adventure in the natural world, Foxhall is less than ten miles from the sea, and the Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Landscape, covering 403 square kilometres, including wildlife-rich wetlands, ancient heaths, windswept shingle beaches and aforementioned historic towns and villages. At its centre is Orford, a pretty medieval village on the River Alde; it attracts visitors for its twice daily drops of fresh lobster and crabs, its renowned oysterage and smokehouse and the excellent Pump Street Bakery.

Schools in the surrounding area also cater to all ages, and all are conveniently close by. Orwell Park School, Ipswich School, Woodbridge School and Framlingham College are excellent independent schools, while outstanding state schools include Thomas Mills High School and Farlingaye High School.

Ipswich train station is around 15 minutes’ drive away from Foxhall Lodge Farm, with half-hourly trains to London Liverpool Street taking 65 minutes. The house is also close by to the A12 and A14 roads, allowing easy access to further Suffolk destinations, with the A12 also connecting to the M25 to the southwest. Norwich and Stanstead Airports are each about 70 minutes away by car. Norwich Airport has scheduled KLM flights to Amsterdam’s Schiphol International Hub.

Council Tax Band: H