800 years old and bubblegum pink, take a look inside this Suffolk longhouse

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Elms Farm dates from the 12th century and offers three floors, three bedrooms and an acre of glorious gardens.

I like Suffolk. I like it for many reasons, but probably one of the most important is that I grew up there. There are also other reasons. There aren’t too many hills, so walking around it is quite easy. I like the miles and miles of colourful farmland. It has a beautiful coast. It also has some of the nicest houses and churches in the country, due to the immense wealth it generated in the Middle Ages. One only needs to look at the houses of towns and villages such as Lavenham to see what I mean.

A view of the house from the acre of gardens.

A house that looks like it could be in Lavenham, but is not in Lavenham, is Elms Farm, near the market town of Halesworth. It is for sale via auction at a starting price of £565,000, with Abbotts, and it is glorious.

The dining room/entrance hall. Hold your own banquets!

Behold the pink exterior, the external beams, the fact that it’s a bit slanty. This is pure Suffolk heritage through and through. It also comes with an acre of gardens.

Another view of the dining room. Because why not.

Originally built in the 12th century and later extended in the 15th, the property is listed Grade II*. It’s set over three floors and offers three bedrooms. The entrance hall/dining room resembles a mediaeval banqueting hall.

Ducks unlikely to be included in the sale, but a nice picture nonetheless.

One thing Elms Farm is not short of is character and period charm. Just look at all those beams, the stone floors and the fireplaces. According to the agents, the property is believed to be one of two in the UK that still has Queen Beams.

The refurbished modern kitchen with island.

Thankfully, the current owners have made efforts to modernise the property where it’s needed. The kitchen, for example, has been freshly refurbished and the bathrooms have also been updated.