West Lodge Pottery is located at Thornham Walks in Suffolk and there are many reasons to pay us a visit.
Thornham Estate is located in the valley of the River Dove in rural north Suffolk and stretches over 2000 acres. Thornham has a long and rich history and has belonged to the Henniker-Major family for over 250 years. The family continue to live at Thornham Hall and take a keen interest in the running of the Estate.
Thornham Walks has 12 miles of beautiful walkways and are open to the public almost every day of the year. It is a perfect countryside escape and is popular with all walks of life.
Covering beautiful parkland and ancient woodlands, some of the highlights of Thornham Walks are detailed below.
The folly
The 8th Lord Henniker restored the folly in 2000. The building is a remnant of the formal Victorian gardens and originally took the form of a gothic summerhouse. The Victorian gentry would have taken strolls through the gardens and used the folly as a place to sit and talk.The pets’ cemeteryThe Henniker-Major family’s pets and horses from years gone by are buried here. The cemetery was renovated at the same time as the folly.
The walled garden
Originally the walled garden was part of 25 acres of formal gardens, maintained by 9 gardeners. After the death of the fifth Lord Henniker in 1902 the garden was neglected and during the 20th century it became derelict and overgrown. In more recent years the walled garden has undergone restoration and redesign and it is now the base for Beyond the Wall, a charitable project working with disadvantaged young people with mixed disabilities and behavioural problems. The project aims to be a stepping stone for its learners to move on into future education or employment and therefore improve their prospects. The garden is open daily to all visitors to Thornham Walks and has a small seasonal plant and produce stall, the profits from which go directly to Beyond the Wall.
Memory Wood
Visitors often feel a special connection to Thornham and on occasion they wish to remember loved ones by planting a tree. As a result there are many young trees that have been planted to remember and celebrate lives past and new.
The nuttery
A nuttery was often planted as an attractive feature in a country house garden. It also supplied sticks, hurdles and barrel hoops from the prunings and, of course, nuts.
The pinetum
This was planted by the 8th Lord Henniker. It contains a variety of conifer species and the grass under the trees is managed for wildflowers.
The bird hide
Why not sit in the bird hide and see what you can spot? Birds visit the area regularly and there is always plenty of food for brooding adults and fledged young. A wide variety of birds visit the feeders including blue, great, long-tailed, marsh and coal tits, great spotted woodpecker, chaffinch, robin, nuthatch, pheasant and sparrowhawk.
The butterfly ride
This part of the estate is only open to the public during the summer months. The area is managed to benefit the butterflies’ life cycle, and hopefully to increase their numbers. Some of the species you may spot are the meadow brown, peacock, small tortoiseshell, gatekeeper, speckled wood, comma, skipper and purple hairstreak.
The water meadows
These meadows spend part of the winter partially underwater providing an ideal habitat for wintering wildfowl and waders. The high sandy banks of the River Dove provide ideal nesting sites for kingfishers and otters are also resident along the river.
On-site facilities include:-
Thornham Gift & Eco Shop
Photography Studio
Coffee shop/cafe
Picnic area
Childrens Playground
Electric all-terrain wheelchairs (hire by arrangement only)
Compost toilets