Built by the Master of the Horse to Mary Tudor and featuring Elizabethan wall-paintings, discovered during Victorian restorations.

The gatehouse and Hall may have been built by the last abbot of Bury St Edmunds about 1520 although more likely by John Croft a wealthy merchant. There was probably a moated house already on the site, the first documentary reference to it being from the middle 13th century. The colonnade linking the gatehouse and main house was built in 1580. The gatehouse has turrets surmounted by terracotta figures and contains a very rare 16th-century wall painting of the Four Ages of Man. The coat of arms of Queen Mary of France, Henry VIII’s younger sister, and later Duchess of Suffolk, is displayed above the entrance.

The Tudor gatehouse

The Hall consists of large timber frames joined by iron ties. The front downstairs rooms are very heavily timbered with some side uprights rising through the house to the roof. The lounge has one of the largest inglenooks in Suffolk. The rear frame includes a great reception hall with heavily carved beams and interesting detail. It is said to date from the early 16th century. Beyond it were the parlour and solar end of an earlier hall which were demolished before the 19th century.

The house was partially faced in brick in the 1840s by the Rev. Benyon, the wealthiest clergyman in England. His builder complained that the house was full of voids, which are indeed still there.

Tickets £20 including tea/coffee and home-made cakes

What our visitors say:
"The owners of West Stow Hall were delightful and made our visit an afternoon to remember. They went to great lengths to explain the history of the house and provided us with the most delicious refreshments. It was a great success."