Visit Us
The Suffolk Punch Trust
Woodbridge Walk
Hollesley, Woodbridge
IP12 3LA
--- FREE PARKING ---
Free entry to Cafe, Gift Shop, Heritage Museum and Heritage Garden.
SEE BELOW PRICES FOR ENTRY TO THE STUD FARM
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Opening Times and Prices
The Visitor Centre includes the Gift Shop, Heritage Garden, Heritage Museum, Café and Children’s Play Areas. The Visitor Centre is free to access by visitors (donations are gratefully received).
Day tickets and Annual passes grant access to the Stud Farm (meet the horses, guided tour, tractor trailer rides and horse demonstrations), as well as the Pets Paddock, Stables, Implement Barn and Harness Room.
VISITOR CENTRE OPEN (FREE)
CURRENTLY CLOSED
Opens Friday 4th April 2025
STUD FARM OPEN (TICKET)
CURRENTLY CLOSED
Opens Friday 4th April 2025
Prices
Infant (0-2 years)
Day Ticket: Free
Annual Pass: Free
Child (3-16 years)
Day Ticket: £7.50
Annual Pass: £18
Adult (16+ years)
Day Ticket: £13
Annual Pass: £32
Senior (65+ years)
Day Ticket: £10.50
Annual Pass: £25
Family (2 adults 2 children)
Day Ticket: £34
Annual Pass: £85
Special Prices
- Every Saturday is Half Price Entry
- 4th-6th April 2025: Free admission for postcode IP12 area. Proof of address is needed.
- 21st June: Free admission for military card holders.
- 12th - 13th July: Free entry for blue card holders.
TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED ON THE DAY OF YOUR VISIT FROM THE VISITOR CENTRE SHOP.
Pre-booking is required for groups of 15 or more.
Opening Dates
KEY:
2025 CALENDAR
(click on each month to make it bigger)
KEY:
Plan Your Visit
The Suffolk Punch Trust has a variety of daily activities. We also have special events throughout the year.
Lots to see and do
Every Day
All daily activities are included in your admission price. No pre-booking required, except for Group Bookings.
11am
Guided Tour
Starts at the Information Hut
12:30pm, 12:50pm & 1:10pm
Tractor Trailer Rides
Starts opposite the Indoor School
2pm
Goat Feeding
Starts at the Pets Paddock
2:30pm
Suffolk Punch Horse Demonstrations
Starts at the Indoor School
Get your camera ready!
Suffolk Punch Horse Demonstrations
Horse Demonstrations take place daily at 2.30pm in the Indoor School on the Stud Farm.
See us work our horses, braid their manes and tails, harness them up and more. All demonstrations are subject to change due to demand and staff availability.
Standard admission includes a Guided Tour, Tractor Trailer Rides and a Horse Demonstration, as well as full access to the whole site.
No need to book, just turn up!
Unfortunately not. To keep the Suffolk Punch's at their best, they are on a strict diet.
You will have the opportunity to get up close to our Suffolk Punch horses at the end of the demonstration. This is the perfect time to have a stroke.
All ages welcome
Tractor Trailer Rides
Enjoy a scenic ride with our experienced guide around our 120 acre Stud Farm. Departure times are 12.30pm, 12.50pm and 1.10pm (depending on demand and weather conditions).
Tractor Trailer rides are around 20 minutes long.
Opposite the Indoor School.
There isn’t an age limit for the Tractor Trailer rides, and dogs are also welcome to join in with all the fun.
Wellies at the ready...
Guided Tour
Take a Guided Tour around the Stud Farm and paddocks. Our experienced tour guides will explain more about our Stud Farm and the Suffolk Punch horses. Tours take place daily at 11am.
Get you camera ready, as you’ll have lots of photo opportunities.
Meet at the Information Hut by the white gates outside the Visitor Centre.
Standard admission includes a Guided Tour, Tractor Trailer Rides and a Horse Demonstration, as well as full access to the whole site.
No need to book, just turn up!
The Guided Tour takes around 45 minutes.
The Stables and Harness Room along with the main Stud Farm area containing the paddocks along with our Suffolk Punch horses.
Explore our history
Museums
We have a rich history here at the Suffolk Punch Trust, dating back to 1759! The Trust has two large buildings housing a magnificent collection of artefacts. They show various aspects of rural Suffolk life, mostly in relation to Suffolk horses.
We have the Heritage Museum, the Implement Barn, and the Harness Room.
Understand more of Suffolk's agricultural history by exploring the exhibits and displays in the Heritage Museum.
• The history of the Suffolk Punch breed, the 250 year old Colony Stud and The Suffolk Horse Society.
• An area on Suffolk's three big engineering firms: Ransomes of Ipswich, Garretts of Leiston and Smyth of Peasenhall – all leaders in making horse-drawn machinery.
• Artefacts showing the manual and child labour that was common in farming.
• Farriery displays showing the craft of the wheelwright and the blacksmith.
• An insight into rural life and what people did when not working on the farm.
• Info on the Suffolk breeds we have on the farm, plus equipment for keeping livestock.
• A look at the local industry linked with arable framing - brewing, malting and milling – and modes of transport in Suffolk, all dependent on horses.
• A collection of vintage grocery items from East of England Co-operative Society.
• A Ferguson tractor - a machine that spelt the end of the agricultural horse.
Where to find it:
The Heritage Museum is in the main Visitor Centre.
This barn contains numerous horse drawn vehicles and implements - all of which are in working condition.
The essential vehicles of a Suffolk Farm were the tumbrel, the harvest wagon and the road wagon. Millers wagons are also present, as is the parade vehicle of the Worshipful Company of Farriers, and a wonderful furniture pantechnicon.
There are also numerous ploughs, harrows, hoes and rollers, as well as seed fiddles and horse drawn seed drills. There is a complete set of haymaking machinery and implements for planting and lifting sugar beet.
Where to find it:
The Implement Barn is located adjacent to the Indoor School.
The Harness Room contains everything that is needed both to work and to show a Suffolk Punch horse.
Here you will see leather bridles with bits, bridles with blinkers, reins, work lines, chains, wide leather bands (rollers), side reins, collars with hames, saddles, breechings and cruppers.
There is also raffia (bass) here, which is used for braiding into the mane and tail. Numerous horse brasses and other brass trimmings are also located here; these adorned the horses when in harness at shows.
Where to find it:
The Harness Room is in the main stable block.
No need to book, just turn up!
When you arrive there will be signage directing you to the different museums.
The Heritage Museum:
In the Visitor Centre.
The Implement Barn:
On the Stud Farm (adjacent to the Indoor School).
The Harness Room:
In a room within the Stable block.
Beautiful and tranquil
Heritage Garden
Recognised as a 'County Collection' by Plant Heritage in 2016, our stunning garden showcases a range of native Suffolk plants, trees, and shrubs.
Thoughtfully cultivated by the local community, the garden was designed to reflect the period between the two wars when horses were still working the land.
We have been developing our Heritage Garden since around 2013. We spend time researching and looking for garden plants which come under our definition of a 'Suffolk Garden Plant':
• Plants named after a Suffolk place or object.
• Plants named after a Suffolk person e.g. Benjamin Britten.
• Plants with a direct link to a Suffolk person.
Our garden celebrates many Suffolk gardeners, plant breeders and celebrities, such as Sir Cedric Morris and Joan Schofield.
We now have a wonderful range of trees, shrubs, climbers and herbaceous plants, all 'born and bred' in Suffolk.
The National Conservation Charity, Plant Heritage, awarded the National Collection status to The Suffolk Punch Trust in 2018.
It is a National Collection of 20th Century hardy plants.
There are many rare Suffolk garden plants we are still looking for, such as:
• Iris 'Golden Hind', bred by George Haworthe Chadburn, a breeder in the 1920s from Middleton, Suffolk
• Hemerocallis (Day Lily) 'Orford'
We would also like information about and pictures of some of the people celebrated in our garden, for example Marjorie Free and Gladys Picard.
If you have any information which you think we should know, or for a full list of plants we are still looking for please contact: info@suffolkpunchtrust.org
We would be delighted for you to volunteer!
All the work from research, to double digging, weeding and mowing is done by volunteers. If you have time to help please contact:
info@suffolkpunchtrust.org
Say hello to our farm animals
Pets Paddock
We love all animals here! The Suffolk Punch Trust works to protect other endangered and rare breeds of native Suffolk Farm animals such as; Suffolk Sheep, Red Poll Cattle, Ixworth Chickens, Chequered Bantams and Silver Appleyard Ducks.
Our Pets Paddock is home to our Shetland Ponies, Pygmy goats, Guinea pigs, Appleyard Ducks, Ixworth Chickens and Chequered Bantums. You will find our other farmyard animals located in the Stables and in paddocks around the Stud Farm.
Click on ‘What other Suffolk animals can I see?’ to read more about them.
You can stroke the horses, donkeys, goats and pigs. They are really friendly, but please be aware they may bite.
We have hand sanitisers provided around the site, so please make sure you wash your hands, especially if you're going to visit the cafe.
You can go into the goat enclosure in the Pets Paddock area.
There is goat feeding every day in the Pets Paddock at 2pm. This is included in your admission price.
For a small donation you can feed the goats yourself.
The Suffolk Punch Trust also work to protect other endangered and rare breeds of native Suffolk Farm Animals:
Suffolk Sheep
We have the oldest registered flock of Suffolk Sheep in the world (flock number 19)!
Red Poll Cattle
Red in colour and hornless, a native to East Anglia.
Ixworth Chickens
This all-white chicken was first bred in 1939 in the Suffolk village of Ixworth.
Chequer Bantams
Developed by Trevor Martin in the 1990s, this recognised breed was bred from a Barred Rock bantam cock and a small hen of unknown parentage.
Silver Appleyard Ducks
Bred by Reginald Appleyard, famous not only for its egg-laying ability, but also its beauty.
Read more about our other rare breeds here.
For adventurous children
Play Areas
We have inside and outside play areas. These are located at the rear of the Visitor Centre.
Adult supervision is required at all times, thank you.
Outside
A climbing frame, tractor slide, and swing.
Inside
An Inside poly tunnel with ride on tractors.
Yes, we have picnic tables, and tables and chairs so you can relax with a cup of tea and look out over the Suffolk countryside.
We do not have a staff member overlooking the children's play areas, so please make sure there is a parent or carer supervising the children at all times.
Although rare, The Suffolk Punch Trust are not liable if there is an injury. If any injuries do occur, there will be staff in the Visitor Centre with a first aid kit.
Fun for children
Fun Trails
The Green Trail around the Stud Farm contains 8 boxes with flights (the ribbons worn in horses’ manes) – can you find them all?
The Rubbing Plaque Trail leads form the Visitor Centre into the Heritage Garden - what animals can you spot?
It's £1 for a pencil and 'Sid the Suffolk' educational booklet for you to keep. You can purchase this from Visitor Centre shop.
Buy a 'Sid The Suffolk' fun and educational booklet and pencil from the shop for £1. This has the trails in it, as well as numerous other activities to complete as you explore The Suffolk Punch Trust.
Sometimes throughout the year we do additioinal trails. Please ask in the Visitor Centre for more information.
Home-cooked food with a view
Cafe
Relax and enjoy our home-cooked food with a lovely view looking out towards the stables. We have indoor seating, an outdoor covered terrace and picnic tables to use on sunnier days.
Serving hot and cold drinks and a lovely selection of sandwiches, jacket potatoes, sausage rolls and our famous 'all day breakfast'.
Children's boxed lunches and children's hot meals are available. We have a great selection of freshly baked cakes, scones and more!
We cater for all dietry requirements, including vegans, vegetarians and gluten free. Please make our staff aware before you order.
If you are unsure of what we can provide for you on the day then please ring us on 01394 411327.
Yes, high chairs are available for use in the cafe.
All day breakfasts, cream teas, trey bakes, sandwhiches, burgers and chips... the list goes on! Download the Menu here
You’re welcome to bring a picnic but please be aware that the tables under the terrace are reserved for café customers.
There are wooden picnic benches and picnic rugs available.
Well behaved dogs on fixed leads are welcome into the cafe.
All of the food is prepared on the day and cooked fresh to order.
Treat yourself
Gift Shop
Gift Shop: Our Gift Shop is the perfect place to pick up fantastic local souvenirs to remember your day visiting the world's oldest breeding stud farm of Suffolk Horses.
Tack Shop: We also have a 'New To You' Tack Shop in the Visitor Centre with everything at affordable prices. All proceeds go directly to helping to save the critically endangered Suffolk Punch horses.
We welcome all donations of usable horsey items.
Here is a little taster of what we have in our shop:
• Suffolk Punch Trust branded souvenirs such as clothing, tea towels, mugs and stationary
• Prints of Suffolk Punch horses by local artists
• Postcards, greeting cards and prints
• Books for adults and children
• Pocket money toys and gifts
• Household gifts and accessories
Profits from the shop goes towards the survival of the endangered Suffolk Punch horses, thank you.
The online shop will be coming soon.
Open to public and professionals
The Stud Farm
We invite the public to visit our Colony Stud and experience the beauty of the Suffolk Punch horses in their natural habitat, as well as witness our methods of working with them. Additionally, we provide Stud Services to horse owners.
We take pride in owning and breeding our own line of Suffolk Punch horses. We offer a versatile selection of competitively-priced stud services for owners interested in boarding their Suffolk Punch horses with us for breeding, foaling, training, weaning, and livery.
The Suffolk Punch Trust is a working stud farm where we breed horses using modern techniques and experienced handlers. We also break-in horses for work, to pull vehicles for events, as well as educational demos and filming.
If you would like to know more about our Stud Services, please visit the Colony Stud section of our website here.
Unfortunately we do not offer horse riding to the public.
Please go to the Colony Stud section of our website here.
Don't forget to clean up after your dog
Walks and Dog Walks
Hollesley Bay and the southeastern coast of Suffolk, which has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is favoured by walkers.
We also have the convenience of facilities for use before and after your walk, as well as free parking, toilets and café. The café sells doggy sausages, whilst the shop sells doggy ice creams!
There are three circular routes of varied lengths within the 120 acre farm that enable walkers to see all our horses and livestock, as well as enjoying the peace and beauty of our rural setting.
There is a map below for the three suggested walks.
We have three circular routes of varied lengths:
Short walk (green on the map) - approx 20 mins. Great for more leisurely walkers and those short on time.
Medium walk (blue on the map) - approx 25 minutes. Good to do either before or after lunch at the café.
Popular with dog walkers too.
Long walk (red on the map) - approx 35 minutes. A more challenging route that explores the furthest reaches of the farm.
A poo bin in available by the white gates close to the Visitor Centre. We do have spare poo bags in the shop (free of charge) if needed.
There is signage around the Trust site, and you can also click on the map below where the walks are highlighted in red, blue and green.
Dogs need to remain on fixed (not extentable) leads at all times.
Map
Testimonials
Absolutely superb place... All animals well looked after and staff and volunteers so friendly and happy to help. Cafe is fantastic too! Great gift shop and great prices too! All for a GREAT cause!
From Google Reviews
Great day out. All areas are dog friendly. Food at the cafe is well priced and tastes lovely (milkshakes are fantastic). Tractor rides, horse demos, lots of animals to look at and pet, playground and activity book for children. All facilities clean and tidy. Free parking, no height restrictions. Lovely gift shop and all staff are friendly and helpful.
From Google Reviews
Lovely relaxing place, beautiful horses and super friendly staff. (The cafe was good too). It was a pleasure to support such a good cause helping this lovely rare breed of horse 🐎, and good to hear that their numbers are now increasing.
From Google Reviews
Beautiful horses, fun tractor ride, good information session, good walks and nice play equipment for little ones. The cafe did the best all day breakfast we’d had in ages and the gift shop was good too. Made a lovely day trip for us all.
From Trip Advisor
We were totally impressed. The visitors centre is excellent with a wonderful museum, refreshments and a good gift shop. We had a free tour around part of the site and the horses and information about them were totally absorbing.
From Trip Avisor
Lovely morning, took the long walk around the estate and saw horses, goats, deer, lambs and a pig. There was also a guided tour which was very interesting. Finished off with ice cream for the family and the dog. Staff very friendly and informative.
From Trip Advisor
Events
Events
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Free Postcode AdmissionItem Link
When: 4th - 6th April
Info: Free admission to people who live in the IP12 postcode area (proof of address required)
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Half Price SaturdayItem Link
Half price entry every Saturday; deals in the cafe
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Easter ActivitiesItem Link List Item 1
When: 18th - 21st April
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Suffolk DayItem Link List Item 2
When: 21st June
Info: Free entry for military card holders
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Free Blue Card HoldersItem Link List Item 3
When: 12th - 13th July
Info: Free entry for Blue Card holders
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Horse and Dog ShowItem Link List Item 4
When: 10th August
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Halloween ActivitiesItem Link
When: 27th October - 2nd November
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Christmas Craft FairItem Link
When: 15th - 16th November
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Christmas GrottoItem Link
When: 13th - 14th December
WE BREED SUFFOLK HORSES
Visitor Centre
The Suffolk Punch Trust, Woodbridge Walk, Hollesley, IP12 3LA
Colony Stud and Postal Address: The Suffolk Punch Trust, Sink Farm, St. David's Lane, Hollesley, Suffolk IP12 3JR
Dogs Welcome
Special thanks to these photographers: Jeff Welch, Elizabeth Ebsworth, Richard Allenby Pratt, Claire Le Roy, Jemma Martin, Sonja Moon.