Holidays & weekend breaks for bibliophiles in deepest Suffolk.

The Backhouse, White House Farm, Lowes Hill, Kelsale

 White House.

We recently completed the restoration of the backhouse at White House Farm in Kelsale, which is now available to friends and acquaintances for holiday letting. A detached, 17th century, two-storey building of timber-frame construction, linked to the main farmhouse by dairy, stores and additional bathroom, the backhouse originally provided upstairs accommodation for workers on the farm with a bake-house and laundry on the ground floor. When we arrived in 1969 it offered additional shelf space and packing room for the fledgling book business. With our move to the shop in Silent Street, Ipswich, in 1982, it reverted to storage and workshop use until Tony began a restoration project to escape the rigours of Ipswich nightlife at weekends. With Tony now ensconced in the main house, we are letting the backhouse for self-contained holiday accommodation.

The accommodation

With four large rooms: bedroom, sitting room, living room and kitchen, plus generous shower room, the house offers ample accommodation for two - with room for two more if the sofa-bed is used. Exclusive use of an additional bathroom is also available, if required. You are welcome to share the two acre garden and orchard.
Please note : The steep stairs make the property unsuitable for the infirm or young children.

Location    Map

Situated between Aldeburgh (10 mins) and Southwold (20 mins), the house is close to the coast at the RSPB reserve of Minsmere. The shops of Saxmundham are a ten-minute walk across the fields or five-minute drive away. Good bookshops may be found at Felixstowe and Ipswich (40 mins), while Bob Jackson's famous chapel-based emporium is barely ten minutes away at Westleton. You can also peruse our new acquisitions by appointment! Please get in touch if you or your friends are interested in a breath of Suffolk air in our splendid isolation, where only excitable owls are likely to disturb your slumbers.

More detail    (Click links for pictures)

Living Room: 17' x 14'3" with brick floor and large brick fireplace.
Kitchen: 13' x 9' with fitted units along two sides incorporating hob, oven with grill, fridge/freezer, microwave, toaster, sandwich maker, smoothie mixer etc., oil-fired boiler. NO dishwasher; washing machine available in adjacent 'dairy' room (shared).
Large shower room with WC and washbasin. (Additional adjacent upstairs bathroom available if required at £25pw).
Bedroom: 15' x 13' with double bed, chest of drawers and wardrobe.
Sitting room: 16'6" x 15' with fine views over garden and orchard on both sides. Double futon/sofa, radio/CD player, TV and DVD player; bookcase well-stocked with local books and fiction (all for sale!).
Garden area : A large grassed area (c.16 yards by 14 yards) just outside the backhouse, with small flowerbeds and a fine view over fields, is reserved for your private use. South-facing and sheltered on two sides by brick and pan-tile barns, this space is a real sun trap. Table and folding garden chairs are provided. The lawn on the other side of the main house provides our equivalent space, but you are welcome to enjoy the rest of the garden and orchard.

Prices include electricity and oil for hot water, but oil for central heating in winter will be charged at cost. We provide linen, but please supply your own towels.

Bookings taken Friday to Friday, arrival from 3pm, departure by 10am. Weekend and short week bookings (Friday to Monday and Monday to Friday) available at two-thirds of weekly rate, except June to August.

Booking and Prices

Jan. 2nd - Feb.27th£195 per week£130 for weekend or Monday - Friday
Feb.27th - May 29th£285 per week£190 for weekend or Monday - Friday
May 29th - Aug.28th£365 per week
Aug.28th - Oct.30th£285 per week£190 for weekend or Monday - Friday
Oct.30th - Dec.18th£195 per week£130 for weekend or Monday - Friday
Christmas and New Year£425 per week

To check availability please look at the booking calendar . Bookings shown as "provisional" are not confirmed so please check if you are interested in those dates. Bookings cannot be made on the calendar.

Please contact Tony Cox for further information or to make a booking. Tel. +44 (0)1728 602786 or 07710 245262, or email anthony.b.cox@btinternet.com .

Bookings are confirmed on receipt of a 20% deposit and signed booking form.

Please make cheques payable to Guy Cox and send to:
White House Farm, Lowes Hill, Kelsale, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 2PQ.