Business Details
24 Years
experience
Luxury Family Hotel in Suffolk Countryside
Ickworth Hotel is a historic hotel nestled in the heart of Suffolk's 1,800-acre National Trust estate. Established in 2002 following a transformative conversion of the East Wing, our property combines centuries of heritage with modern family-friendly amenities. Our team specialises in creating memorable stays through thoughtfully designed accommodations, seasonal dining experiences, and curated access to East Anglia's cultural and natural attractions. With a legacy rooted in the Hervey family's 500-year stewardship of this iconic estate, we continue to evolve while preserving the grandeur of our Grade II-listed architecture. Our commitment to excellence is demonstrated through our tailored childcare services, wellness facilities, and exclusive event hosting capabilities. We maintain rigorous standards across all operations, from our locally sourced culinary offerings to our partnerships with regional adventure providers. As custodians of this historic property, we balance tradition with innovation to deliver exceptional experiences for contemporary guests.
Services
Accommodation
Dining
Weddings
Events
Wellness
Childcare
Local Tours
Served areas
- Bury, St. Edmunds
Details
- Year established: 2002
Highlights and features
- We offer 24-hour childcare with every stay
- Our property features exclusive access to National Trust grounds
- We provide tailored family-friendly amenities across all accommodations
- Our historic buildings blend period features with modern comforts
- We partner with local adventure providers for unique guest experiences
What people say
Beautiful location
Excellent family service
Historic charm
Complimentary childcare
Scenic grounds
Services
Luxury Accommodation
Our 37 individually designed rooms and suites offer luxury accommodations across three distinct property sections. The Main House features classic elegance, while the Butlers Quarters and Ickworth Lodge provide modern privacy. All accommodations include family-friendly amenities with capacity for up to six adults and four children. Each room combines historic character with contemporary comforts including premium bedding and modern bathrooms.
Seasonal Dining
Our two dining venues offer seasonal menus featuring locally sourced ingredients. The Conservatory provides casual dining with garden views, while Frederick's offers formal dining in a historic setting. Specialised menus include children's options, afternoon tea, and Sunday roasts. We accommodate dietary requirements and offer private dining experiences within our historic estate.
Wedding Services
Ickworth Hotel provides a historic setting for weddings with exclusive use of 37 bedrooms and grounds. Our wedding packages include access to multiple ceremony spaces, reception venues, and accommodation. The estate offers photographic opportunities across 1,800 acres of National Trust parkland. Our dedicated events team coordinates all aspects from planning to execution.
Wellness Facilities
Our wellness facilities include a 15-metre indoor pool open daily from 9am-7pm. The ishga treatment menu features organic seaweed-based products with options for adults and children aged three+. Available treatments include massages, facials, and body therapies. We also offer family-friendly leisure memberships with access to pool, treatments, and dining discounts.
Family Activities
The Four Bears Den Kids Club provides complimentary childcare with every stay. Our family library, games rooms, and cinema room offer entertainment for all ages. We partner with local attractions like Go Ape for exclusive guest rates. The property features family-friendly amenities including cots, high chairs, and childproofed rooms.
Questions
What room types are available at The Ickworth?
We offer Classic Rooms, Cosy Rooms, Superior Rooms, Deluxe Rooms, Hervey Suites, Lodge Apartments, and Butler's Quarters accommodations.
Does the hotel provide childcare services?
Yes, we offer two hours of complimentary childcare with every night's stay through our Four Bears Den Kids Club.
Are pets allowed at The Ickworth?
Yes, we are a dog-friendly hotel with special amenities including bark menus, cosy beds, and treats for canine guests.
What dining options exist for guests?
We have two restaurants: the Conservatory for casual dining and Frederick's for formal meals, both serving seasonal menus with local ingredients.
Can I host events at The Ickworth?
Yes, we offer wedding venues, corporate event spaces, and private dining options across our historic estate with exclusive use available.
What wellness facilities are available?
Our facilities include a 15m indoor pool, organic spa treatments using ishga products, and family-friendly leisure amenities.
Reviews (24)
Kim Deadman
Jun 06, 2022
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We had the Matilda afternoon two at the Ickworth a couple of weeks ago. It's a nice environment (apart from one waitress who bizzarely lost her temper with some high chairs), but it was hugely over-priced. Quality was ok, but not as good as other, far cheaper places in the area. The children couldn't really make the connection with Matilda, it was all a bit tenuous. We did feedback privately, but unfortunately received no reply.
Agnes MissStarDust Treleaven
May 22, 2022
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We had a lovely few days. Lovely hotel for families. Our room at first night was noisy with loud banging when flagged that tonreception with no problem they changed our room. I love those hotels. They are so brilliant for little ones. Kids club was great too. Very nice ladies. Nice staff. Only thing menu could be bigger or different choices through the week as if you stay few days there is not much to choose from.
Dr. Marcell Greeff
May 07, 2022
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Fantastic hotel! The last time we visited was in 2004, and this visit (4 and 5 May 2022) did not disappoint. The hotel staff are friendly and competent. Reception is well organised and goes the extra mile to ensure our satisfaction. Breakfast is included and very good, served in the conservatory. We enjoyed our lunch outside on the lawn, wanted the afternoon tea, but was told that we had to book it the previous day (we were not informed).
The quality of food served at lunch was very good. Accommodation is superb, and well worth it. We are staying in the room De Walden, and very happy with it. The gardens are immaculate and we really enjoyed walking the huge grounds. We took a tour of the adjacent Ickworth House with its long history and many artifacts, it is highly recommended. We enjoyed eating in the fine dining Fredericks restaurant tonight, and comparing the level of service and quality of food with the 2004 times, when the Frederick restaurant was well known for its exceptional excellence, graded at 3 AA rosettes, it still is fantastic quality and awesome service. We woll be visiting this hotel again for sure!
The quality of food served at lunch was very good. Accommodation is superb, and well worth it. We are staying in the room De Walden, and very happy with it. The gardens are immaculate and we really enjoyed walking the huge grounds. We took a tour of the adjacent Ickworth House with its long history and many artifacts, it is highly recommended. We enjoyed eating in the fine dining Fredericks restaurant tonight, and comparing the level of service and quality of food with the 2004 times, when the Frederick restaurant was well known for its exceptional excellence, graded at 3 AA rosettes, it still is fantastic quality and awesome service. We woll be visiting this hotel again for sure!
Stephen
Apr 23, 2022
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Really enjoyed our stay last weekend. Stayed in a lovely room overlooking the gardens. Huge National Trust grounds are excellent for walks and bike rides on the bicycles provided for free. Breakfast and dinner were both excellent, and staff were really friendly and helpful. Kids enjoyed the basement games room and swimming pool.
Abbey King
Mar 25, 2022
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Good service by staff. However there is no Sweet Chili Sauce available with luncheon or any Cakes - Chocolate, Carrot or Banana cake pieces with my pot of tea. Terrible for a luxury hotel. Stock up please. Abbey King.
Chloe Bloom
Mar 03, 2022
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The service and other aspects were pretty poor considering the cost and that it is meant to be luxury hotel. This was a special weekend for us that did not feel special. They know there are issues and the apologised and said they are setting up a new management course for staff due to this. That is great for future customers but there was no compensation for us. At least they could give us our money back for the 12 it cost us for three half sweetcorns?!
Susan North
Mar 02, 2022
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After reading a lot of reviews I was a bit worried if we had made the right choice to spend our Wedding Anniversary here but our one night stay was a wonderful experience as soon as we walked through the door. Everything was more than we could have expected. Accommodation, food, swimming pool and the spa were exceptional. So much detail went in to make our stay so memorable.
Lindsey Aves
Feb 05, 2022
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We booked based on a advert for a special menu deal. When we arrived we were told none of the dishes were available today and were given a completely different menu. However the staff were very helpful and apologetic and went backwards and forwards to the kitchen to sort out suitable alternatives and honoured the deal advertised. The food we ended up with was very good albeit not what we were expecting. Ickworth House is amazing.
Karen Dennis
Dec 19, 2021
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I have been going to the hotel for several years but not to stay. It is in need of a refresh. The roast dinner was ok, the dessert was lovely but it wasn't worth the bill total and service wasn't worth almost 8 which they had already aided to the bill. Particularly as they forgot us for a long time between courses! Car parking area has needed improvements for a long time too
Jenny Perks
Dec 10, 2021
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Excellent spa treatments and service. Delicious burger, fig and goat's cheese tart good (albeit incredibly light on fig!) but rest of food ordered (afternoon tea, soup, breakfast) sadly could have been much better.
Martin Walker
Nov 30, 2021
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Excellent place to stay; service in conservatory sometimes slower than expected. Food is delightful and recommend afternoon tea or cream tea. Even better if the next door Ickworth House is open (not when we visited). Plus if you like walks, there are some excellently signposted trails - we did the green trail (4.6km - more like 5km!).
Cheryl Slater
Nov 11, 2021
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Had a sparkling wine afternoon tea booked. Poor quality of service on arrival. Tea pot was covered in tea leaves and tea stains as they must of missed the pot when filling. Sandwiches were dry, no butter or jam for scones, when we had finished we was asked if we wanted jam, and then when we gave voucher she then asked if we wanted our sparkling wine, we left feeling very disappointed I would not recommend this place
Matt
Oct 17, 2021
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We just got home after staying at the Ickworth for a couple of nights on a Toddler and you break. The reason I gave four stars was the staff were fantastic. Very friendly and professional, especially at the front desk. The food was lovely as were the drinks and decor. We enjoyed the surroundings and the pool and spa and our time. However the reason I didn't give 5 stars is my wife ordered a cheese omlette as she doesn't eat meat and there was a lump of ham inside. Whilst she wasn't that bothered, I imagine someone who doesn't eat pork due to religious reasons may be very upset to find that in their food. Lastly we had a power cut during the night and it took out everything.
Because you can't open the windows to cool down, we couldn't operate the air con, turn on the lights to see, charge our phones, make coffee when we awoke you get the idea, and had to wait until 9am to get it fixed. Of course that's not their fault, the 1 star reduction is more for the ham and for the fact they have also in the space of a few months raised the price of that promotion from 400 to 555. Which is around a 30% price increase.
Because you can't open the windows to cool down, we couldn't operate the air con, turn on the lights to see, charge our phones, make coffee when we awoke you get the idea, and had to wait until 9am to get it fixed. Of course that's not their fault, the 1 star reduction is more for the ham and for the fact they have also in the space of a few months raised the price of that promotion from 400 to 555. Which is around a 30% price increase.
Leon Beale
Oct 10, 2021
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Having taken a moment to moderate my feelings before writing this review I express this can score no higher than a 2. We stayed in the Lodge for a special family celebration. A party of 14 guests. Every single meal we ate from breakfasts to dinners had multiple errors with the orders when brought to the table, more often than not was barely warm. Food was mediocre at best. Roofs leaked and we were right beneath the drips. Tables were cramped. Dinners served before waiting ~4+ minutes for cutlery. No need to say much more. A very disappointed family left from a ruined special weekend
Rachel Bone
Sep 28, 2021
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We had our dream wedding here (25/09/21) it is such an amazing venue. Intimate, relaxed place set in some beautiful gardens. Carol is such a great organiser, she certainly kept everything running smoothly. The. staff are so helpful, Luke helping with the bar and cleaning up. No job was a problem. It was great to have all our family and close friends all under one roof celebrating our day. I would definitely recommend
Claire Hayes
Sep 25, 2021
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Lovely hotel and exceptional grounds. Nice to see some Suffolk wine and other local ingredients on the menu but the actual restaurant food for dinner fell somewhat short of our expectations for the prices charged, and service was a bit slow even though it didn't seem very busy. We do plan to return another time but probably for coffee and cake rather than dinner.
Robert Stephenson
Aug 26, 2021
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Fabulous building in a very scenic and tranquil setting. Visited for afternoon tea which was very pleasant although one of the sandwiches contained gristle. Wouldn't describe it as great value, but not extortionate either. Staff friendly and attentive.
Maxwell Ellum
Jul 20, 2021
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No reservation had been made for lunch in their Conservatory. Not a problem for this hotel as they recommended a quiet room (Fredericks) for adults just down the corridor. This room was much more comfortable out of direct sunlight on a day with 28 Centigrade registering outside and a view of Ickworth Parkland too! Their lunch menu was such a. delight with us ordering an Octopus dish and a Kohlabi dish as mains.
The dessert menu was appetising too, and we decided to share a posh rice pudding dish. One serving was quite adequate for us two. The food was accompanied by two fruit juice mocktails - they were so refreshing! We will be returning very soon, for another lunch to remember!
The dessert menu was appetising too, and we decided to share a posh rice pudding dish. One serving was quite adequate for us two. The food was accompanied by two fruit juice mocktails - they were so refreshing! We will be returning very soon, for another lunch to remember!
Tina De Souza
Jul 02, 2021
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Fabulous food and wine. relaxing place with beautiful gardens and walks. the staff was amazing. felt welcome and valued
Ali Niven
Jun 04, 2021
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This is like staying with your nan, they have every aspect covered. The rooms are old and quirky. If you want air conditioning this isn't the place for you. If you love historic, dramatic grandeur then you'll. love it. They pick the kindest staff with "let me sort that for you" attitude. The GM is super lovely, she brought poached chicken for our dog for dinner, due to us bagging a cancellation and getting an extra 2 nights.
The grounds are endless and you'd have to book in for 5 weeks to discover the place. We had glorious weather and it was bliss getting into the pool. They have a huge selection of bikes and the children were begging to go to the 4 Bears creche. Would I come back. YES.
The grounds are endless and you'd have to book in for 5 weeks to discover the place. We had glorious weather and it was bliss getting into the pool. They have a huge selection of bikes and the children were begging to go to the 4 Bears creche. Would I come back. YES.
Madeleine Lees
Mar 01, 2021
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Absolutely loved our family Supper Box; pheasant and coconut curry with coriander rice this week. High quality fresh ingredients with such delicate flavours. Loved the accompanying carrot salad, panko & coconut and, in particular, the chutney. All delicious and brought a touch of restaurant to home. A real treat to mark the weekend. All beautifully packaged too with clear instructions for reheating and serving. We'll definitely be ordering again.
June Mackie
I was given a GV for my birthday for a traditional afternoon tea for 2 in December last year. On 28th May Bank Holiday Monday, my husband and I visited Ickworth house and garden before heading to The Ickworth Hotel for our treat. We were seated at a nice table, offered chilled water and asked what hot drink we would like. The tea and coffee were brought followed by our afternoon tea. Normal for my husband and gluten free for me.
The food was lovely! My husband ate all his sandwiches, scones and cakes but by the time I got to my cakes, I was stuffed! I did eat 2 of the cakes. We were offered refills for the pots of tea and coffee. The staff were pleasant and helpful. We were well looked after. I would definitely go again! Thank you for a lovely afternoon.
NB. Only downside was that on hot days, air conditioners or fans would be welcome. It was very hot in the conservatory.
The food was lovely! My husband ate all his sandwiches, scones and cakes but by the time I got to my cakes, I was stuffed! I did eat 2 of the cakes. We were offered refills for the pots of tea and coffee. The staff were pleasant and helpful. We were well looked after. I would definitely go again! Thank you for a lovely afternoon.
NB. Only downside was that on hot days, air conditioners or fans would be welcome. It was very hot in the conservatory.
Danielle Panteli
Beautiful Hotel in a Beautiful setting. We stayed in Amelie which was perfect, comfy beds, large bathroom with Elemis products. The only big let down was the evening meal. The food really isnt anything special for the price, triple cooked chips were rock hard and had to be removed from my bill. Onglet was nice but nothing special for 20 odd. The choice is very limited. The childrens menu however I thought was great. Dessert, again limited. Went for the chocolate olive oil cake which was just ok, the cake was dry and didnt seem fresh. Not worth 9. Otherwise a lovely stay, breakfast was great, staff super friendly. Wouldnt stay again due to the evening meal being so bad.
Deanne Davies
This hotel is superb. the food is outstanding the grounds are beautiful and the staff are all friendly