4 Star GOLD VisitEngland Rose Cottage is a very welcoming place to come home to after exploring the surrounding countryside and tiny Medieval villages, with its high arched ceilings and its lovely log fire it is as cosy as can be. There is an acre of dog exercise orchard, plus footpaths to an excellent dog friendly Micro Brewery pub just a 15-minute walk across the fields. Bicycles are provided. Mark & Zuzi welcome you to this cottage with a bottle of Fizz to help you unwind. Rose Cottage is single storey with a high arched ceiling exposing all the ancient beams up to the apex of the roof, underlining the historic and cosy atmosphere of this much loved cottage. The cottage overlooks a small sunny herb garden and breakfast patio, as well as leading directly out to the orchard gardens. It is an ideal little getaway that sleeps a couple and has large gardens to roam in, ample off road parking and countryside walks straight from the door. You enter the cottage from the orchard front garden or from the sunny herb garden. The main room has a beautiful old wood floor, an impressively high vaulted ceiling with pretty old soft redbrick walls, distressed pink lime washed lime plaster and a lovely raised log fire. There is a hand crafted kitchen with gas hob, electric oven and a Belfast sink set into an oak work top. Beyond this is a cosy bedroom and a luxury marble bathroom with a massive walk in shower.  The cleverly placed external and internal windows make this a sunny cottage, bringing light into every room. Rose Cottage is also suitable for guests with moderate limited mobility, who require single storey accommodation, as it's on one level. The shower is easy to get into with no steps or shower doors. If anyone books with limited mobility then they are welcome to park in our inner courtyard directly in front of the short pathway to Rose Cottage. Please do call us to discuss this further Rose Cottage was once part of the early 1700's dairy and the front of the building is built in the unique ‘soldier’ style of bricking, forming part of the large double-quadrangle that is the old Grove Farm (ex). The Gardens You enter the cottage through a small herb garden, where you are welcome to take any herbs you wish. There is a lovely mature orchard garden at the front of the building, where guests can laze around under the apple and pear trees and have a BBQ in Summer. We have a large central courtyard where you can unload the car when you arrive. There is a large open sided historic cart lodge barn in the courtyard, where you can pull out a BBQ or sit in the barn which is lit with fairy lights and candles and watch the night skies. A second barn houses the bikes for guests use, and supplies of wood and coal. Behind the ‘Cart Lodge’ Barn there is an acre of orchard and lawn, where I have established some peaceful, private areas with tables and chairs or benches and where I have planted some very rare apple trees. This is an ideal dog exercise area - next to it is our large off road car park. I have built a dog washing station and provide fluffy white towels for your pampered pooch You can walk directly from the gardens on footpaths leading to the church, pub or circular countryside walks. The South Suffolk Cycle route runs past the cottage and I provide bikes to my guests for free. Location The Old Grove Farm, is set in open countryside and made up of brick buildings in a E shape which were a farm workers cottage, winnowing barns, dairy’s and bakeries. It has a large central courtyard with a long barn creating a double quadrangle. The buildings are now converted into six lovely holiday cottages with individual entrances from different areas, and surrounded by gardens and orchards, affording guests a high degree of privacy. It is where our business started and where we are based. Whilst being in the middle of countryside we are not cut off from civilisation and a 5 – 10 minute car drive will get you to shops and supermarkets, café’s, swimming pools, museums, the Quay Theatre and the river Stour. Good pubs are all around us and our local which is ¾ mile walk across the fields, has its own Micro Brewery and a selection of the best beers and ciders you can come across: The White Horse Edwardstone. Rose Cottage is a very special place that is much loved by guests and perfect for a romantic escape to the lovely Suffolk countryside. Green Credentials This building dates back to 1700 and is renovated and repaired with traditional and reclaimed original material’s like the ancient reclaimed wood panelling, doors and beams, lime plaster and paints, original Suffolk White floor bricks, locally sourced timber and locally fired or reclaimed bricks. We operate our own Clear Water Treatment plant which biologically cleans all our waste water to such a pure degree that it can be discharged back into the environment. We use many ecover products when possible. We encourage guests to explore the local area by bicycle or foot. We offer guests eggs from our own chickens when possible, fresh herbs from our herb garden and fruit from our own apple, pear, plum and quince trees – some of these trees were thought to be extinct but we have them! We share our grounds with bats, badgers, fox, hare, rabbits, deer and an amazing array of birds – from buzzards and owls to blue-tits, goldfinches and woodpeckers: all these animals and more find food here and shelter in our many hedges and gardens. Local Area The tiny Village of Kersey, which is widely regarded as Suffolk’s prettiest Medieval Village, is just a leisurely 10 minute bike ride down the lane from us, and luckily has an excellent pub right by the ford for thirsty cyclists. Supermarkets and shops are within a 10 minute drive. The famous village of Lavenham ‘England’s best preserved Medieval Village’ is just 4 miles away and the area immortalised by England’s renowned Landscape Painter ; John Constable and known as ‘Constable Country’ is close by. There are many great country pubs, some special like The Crown Inn in Stoke-by-Nayland and some high quality restaurants like The Great House or The Swan in Lavenham. Our favourite at the moment is Number 10 in Lavenham, excellent food, great prices and no problems with doggies - so popluar you Have to Book. This area is amazingly rural and untouched by city life, with tiny single track lanes leading nowhere or to a pub, footpaths galore and tiny Medieval Villages where time seems to have stood still. Standard Inclusive Features The cottage is a complete little home and facilities include modern central heating, refrigerator, hobs, oven and microwave, toaster, crockery & serving dishes, cutlery, many utensils, fire-extinguisher, lots of pots & pans, glasses & mugs, kettle, coffee maker, teapot, kitchen towels, oven gloves, olive oil & vinegar, salt & pepper, sugar, herbs, tea, fresh and instant coffee, washing up liquid, cloths, general cleaning materials, etc. Bathroom: Soap, fluffy cotton towels, bath mats, shaver point, toilet brush, toilet roll. Bedroom: Cotton bed linen, wardrobe with coat hangers / chest of drawers, iron, ironing board, hairdryer. Living room: Rose cottage has an open fire and we buy coal and wood in bulk for you to purchase from us at cost - there is an honesty tin in the bicycle / wood shed – firelighters will be provided. There is a TV, books, games, magazines, local brochures, OS and other maps, and a folder with our special ‘What To Do’ insiders-guide to the local area. Bikes: I provide bikes for guest to explore the country lanes surrounding us. Washing: There is a washing machine and dryer in the walk-thru which is for the use of the 6 cottages on the old Grove Farm. There are also deck chairs and carpets for the garden. Baby: A Cot and high chair is provided in the cottage (please bring babies bedding). Dog:Well behaved Dogs are always welcome.