Lavenham Priory

'If only it could talk, this wonderful old building would surely have many fascinating tales to tell.' The 'stunningly beautiful' Grade I listed former Benedictine priory, later an Elizabethan merchant's mansion, has been sympathetically restored and 'furnished with imagination' by owners Tim and Gilli Pitt. It stands in 'lovely' gardens, with lawns, shrubs, flagged paths and benches. Inside, 'comfort is timeless, the plumbing modern'. There are comfortable sofas and chairs in the 13th-century Great Hall with its beamed ceiling, huge inglenook fireplace and antique furniture. The 'snug' has TV, books and an honesty bar. The spacious 'bed chambers', reached up an oak Jacobean staircase, have sloping beamed ceiling, mullioned windows, 'authentically creaking' old oak floorboards. There are unusual beds (four-poster, sleigh or polonaise). The 'good-sized' Gallery Chamber has a 'comfortable sleigh bed'. 'Our large room had a high bed, tea/coffee-making facilities, and TV.' The 'excellent' breakfast is communally served around a large table in the Merchants Room or sometimes, in summer, in the herb garden. 'You squeeze your own orange juice, and make your own toast', and there are kippers, smoked haddock, scrambled eggs, 'superb sausages', three types of bread. The Pitts have a licence to sell alcohol, and they help with bookings in local restaurants. (Ken and Priscilla Winslow, Mary Hewson, Anthony Meakin)