Ickworth Estate
Horringer, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Ickworth is a National Trust estate near Bury St Edmunds, where an extraordinary domed rotunda house stands in an Italianate garden within more than 1,800 acres of park and ancient woodland.
Visit information checked 22 October 2026
Garden UK guide
Why visit Ickworth Estate?
Ickworth is worth visiting for its sheer oddity and scale. The house is a huge oval rotunda with curving wings, built for an eccentric Earl-Bishop, and the gardens around it are laid out in an Italian style to match. Beyond the formal areas lies a vast park, so a visit can be anything from a short garden stroll to a long walk among very old trees.
Close to the house, the Italianate garden uses evergreens, clipped shapes and formal lines to frame the rotunda, and it is a good place to see how evergreen structure can carry a garden through the year. Further out you will find the walled garden, with the stumpery and vineyard walks that make this part of the estate distinctive. Then the park takes over. It covers more than 1,800 acres and holds some of the finest ancient trees in the area, including the Tea Party Oak, thought to be at least 800 years old, and a roughly 600-year-old tree in Albana Wood.
Gardeners will find the formal garden useful for ideas on evergreen framework and the stumpery a good example of turning old wood into a garden feature. Tree lovers should make time for the veteran oaks. Ickworth Church, Norman with later additions, stands in the park a short walk from the house and holds generations of the Hervey family.
What to see
- The Italianate garden, framing the great rotunda with evergreens and formal lines.
- The 32-metre-high domed rotunda at the heart of the house.
- The stumpery and vineyard walks around the walled garden.
- The Tea Party Oak, one of Suffolk's oldest oaks at around 800 years old.
- Albana Wood and the wider park, with some of the finest ancient trees in the area.
- Ickworth Church, a Norman church in the park with Hervey family memorials.
Ickworth Estate through the year
- spring
- Woodland walks come into fresh leaf and the park is at its greenest.
- summer
- The formal garden is at its neatest and the park is good for long walks and picnics.
- autumn
- The ancient oaks and woodland turn colour, making this a fine time for a tree walk.
- winter
- The evergreen structure of the Italianate garden holds its shape, and the bare veteran trees show their full outline.
The story behind the garden
Ickworth belonged to the Hervey family, later Marquesses of Bristol, from 1467. The present house was the idea of Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry, known as the Earl-Bishop, who commissioned a classical villa based on designs by the Italian architect Asprucci. Building ran from 1795 to 1829, overseen by the Irish architects Francis and Joseph Sandys, and the Earl-Bishop died in 1803 before it was finished.
In 1956 the house, park and an endowment were given to the National Trust in lieu of death duties, with the family leasing the East Wing until 1998. The East Wing is now a hotel and the long-unfinished West Wing was renovated in 2006. The park and gardens are cared for by the Trust and open to visitors.
Plan your visit
- Best for
- Visitors who enjoy unusual architecture, formal evergreen gardens and long walks among ancient trees.
- Getting there
- Ickworth is at Horringer, about three miles south-west of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, off the A143.
- Before you go
- The estate is very large, so decide whether you want a garden visit or a long park walk and wear suitable shoes. Check the National Trust website for current opening times, tickets and access information.
Source: Wikipedia: Ickworth House
Questions about visiting Ickworth Estate
Is Ickworth National Trust?
Yes. Ickworth House, its gardens and park were given to the National Trust in 1956. The Trust now looks after the estate, while the East Wing operates separately as The Ickworth Hotel.
How big is Ickworth Park?
Ickworth Park covers more than 1,800 acres. It holds some of the finest ancient trees in the area, including the Tea Party Oak, which is at least 800 years old, so allow time for a walk beyond the gardens.
Who built Ickworth House?
Ickworth was built for Frederick Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry, known as the Earl-Bishop. Building ran from 1795 to 1829, based on designs by the Italian architect Asprucci, and was finished after his death.
What is there to see in the gardens at Ickworth?
Near the house is a formal Italianate garden that frames the rotunda. The walled garden area has a stumpery and vineyard walks, and the wider park has ancient oaks, woodland and a Norman church.
When is the best time to visit Ickworth?
Autumn is a fine time for the park, when the ancient oaks and woodland turn colour. The evergreen formal garden looks good all year, so any season works for a garden visit.
Garden features
Location
Horringer, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
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