Homes & Gardens · East of England
Homes & Gardens: the East of England
Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex, Cambridge and the Fens, Lincolnshire and the East Midlands as far as the Peak District: Chatsworth, Beth Chatto and RHS Hyde Hall, the Broads and the Norfolk coast, and antiques towns such as Stamford, Holt and Newark.
Updated October 2026
Browse by type
Gardens to Visit 10
Historic estates, plantsmen’s gardens and RHS gardens.
-
Anglesey Abbey
A National Trust garden near Cambridge planned for interest through the year, including its famous winter walk.
-
Beth Chatto Gardens
Beth Chatto’s five-acre garden near Colchester, with woodland, water and her influential gravel garden.
-
Blickling Estate
A Jacobean Norfolk house with a much-admired parterre, cared for by the National Trust.
-
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Some 40 acres in the middle of Cambridge, home to around 8,000 plant species.
-
Chatsworth
The Duke of Devonshire’s Peak District garden: the 1696 Great Cascade, a Capability Brown park and Tom Stuart-Smith’s Arcadia; at its best April to October.
-
East Ruston Old Vicarage
A 32-acre Norfolk garden made by Alan Gray and Graham Robeson from 1973.
-
Easton Walled Gardens
A 12-acre Lincolnshire garden revived since 2001, known for its snowdrops in February and sweet peas in summer.
-
Helmingham Hall Gardens
The Tollemache family’s Grade I gardens inside a moat, with a walled garden of 1745, a potager and colour-themed borders; open May to September.
-
Ickworth
A National Trust estate near Bury St Edmunds with an Italianate garden around its great rotunda.
-
RHS Garden Hyde Hall
A 360-acre RHS garden on an Essex hilltop, with roses, broad borders and a Dry Garden that relies on rainfall alone.
Creephedge Lane, Rettendon CM3 8ETExplore View on map
Countryside 10
National parks, coast and the great walking country.
-
Chilterns National Landscape
Chalk hills and beechwoods north-west of London, where red kites are now a common sight.
-
Dedham Vale National Landscape
Constable Country on the Stour, the river valley the painter made famous.
-
Epping Forest
Close to 6,000 acres of ancient woodland on London’s north-east edge, looked after by the City of London since 1878.
-
Lincolnshire Wolds National Landscape
Rolling chalk hills and dry valleys across Lincolnshire, protected since 1973.
-
Norfolk Coast National Landscape
Salt marsh, dunes, chalk and cliffs from The Wash to Winterton, crossed by two National Trails.
-
Peak District National Park
The first of Britain’s national parks, designated in April 1951: moors, dales and gritstone edges.
-
Peddars Way and Norfolk Coast Path
A National Trail that follows a Roman road north from Knettishall Heath, then the length of the Norfolk coast.
-
Sherwood Forest
Robin Hood’s forest: a nature reserve of ancient oaks, the Major Oak among them.
-
Suffolk & Essex Coast & Heaths National Landscape
Estuaries, heaths and shingle shores between the Stour and Kessingland.
-
The Broads
Norfolk and Suffolk’s network of rivers, lakes and fens, protected since 1988 and made for boating.
Wildlife & Nature 10
Reserves, wetlands, zoos and wildlife parks.
-
Africa Alive
An African-themed wildlife park of around 100 acres near Lowestoft.
-
Banham Zoo
A 50-acre Norfolk zoo, known for its Amur tigers.
Kenninghall Road, BanhamExplore View on map
-
Colchester Zoo
Around 180 species in 60 acres of Essex parkland, with its own conservation charity.
-
RSPB Minsmere
The RSPB’s Suffolk reserve, with wildfowl on the Scrape, winter swans and big autumn starling roosts at dusk.
-
RSPB Titchwell Marsh
A north Norfolk reserve for wintering waders, with sea ducks offshore.
-
Whipsnade Butterfly House
The tropical butterfly house inside ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.
-
Woburn Safari Park
A safari park on the Woburn estate, driven round in your own car.
-
WWT Welney Wetland Centre
A fenland reserve where thousands of Bewick’s and whooper swans gather in winter, with floodlit evening feeds.
-
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
ZSL’s big country zoo on the Chiltern edge, spread over some 600 acres.
Garden Centres 10
Destination garden centres and specialist nurseries.
-
Blue Diamond East Bridgford
A Blue Diamond garden centre in the Trent valley east of Nottingham.
-
Fairways Garden Centre Ashbourne
A family garden centre near Ashbourne, strong on roses and climbing plants.
Collycroft Hill, Clifton, Ashbourne DE6 2GNExplore View on map
-
Gates Woodlands
A Gates garden centre near Hinckley with big plant areas, David Austin roses and a restaurant.
-
Notcutts Woodbridge
A Suffolk branch of Notcutts, the family-owned garden centre group with a long record at RHS Chelsea.
-
Pennells Garden Centre
Pennells’ Sleaford centre, the GCA’s East local garden centre of the year for 2026.
-
Pennells Garden Centre Lincoln
The Lincoln home of Pennells, a family business dating back to 1780, with a restaurant on site.
Newark Road, South Hykeham LN6 9NTExplore View on map
-
Perrywood Sudbury
Perrywood’s Suffolk garden centre, shortlisted in the GCA’s East awards for 2026.
-
Perrywood Tiptree
An Essex garden centre named the GCA’s East destination centre of the year for 2026.
-
Poplars Garden Centre
A Bedfordshire garden centre, the GCA’s East Garden Centre of the Year for 2026.
-
Scotsdale Garden Centre
A much-liked garden centre just south of Cambridge, host of the GCA East awards in 2026.
120 Cambridge Road, Great ShelfordExplore View on map
Interior Shops 9
Independent interiors and homeware shops.
-
Atwin
A shop in the Norwich Lanes for Norfolk makers and ethical British brands, with a jewellery workshop upstairs.
-
Clara Bowe
Fine china and vintage furniture near Ipswich, some of it restored with an upcycled finish.
-
Elm Hill Craft Shop
A long-standing independent on cobbled Elm Hill in Norwich, with homeware, books and toys.
-
House & Garden at Snape Maltings
The largest shop at Snape Maltings, with British-made upholstery, lighting and plenty of plants.
-
Stag Interiors
A Southwold shop of kitchenware, decorative pieces and playful modern design.
-
Swan House & Garden
A Debenham shop of carefully chosen pieces from around the world, with interior design help.
Paint Suppliers 9
Paint showrooms and stockists.
-
Brewers Norwich North
A Norwich decorator centre stocking Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library.
-
Farrow & Ball Cambridge
Farrow & Ball’s Cambridge showroom for colour cards, sample pots and advice.
14 Regent Street, Cambridge CB2 1DBExplore View on map
-
Farrow & Ball St Albans
Farrow & Ball’s showroom in the centre of St Albans.
36 Market Place, St Albans AL3 5DGExplore View on map
-
Neptune Bury St Edmunds
Neptune’s Bury St Edmunds store for its paint, kitchens and furniture, open every day.
43-45 St Andrews Street South, Bury St Edmunds IP33 3PHExplore View on map
-
Neptune Cambridge
Neptune’s store outside Cambridge, with its own paint colours beside its furniture and kitchens.
21 High Street, CB22 7PXExplore View on map
-
Neptune Colchester
Neptune’s Colchester store, where the team helps plan a colour scheme for the whole house.
342 London Road, Stanway, Colchester CO3 8LTExplore View on map
-
Neptune Market Harborough
Neptune’s Market Harborough showroom, with help choosing paint colours; closed on Mondays.
42 High Street, Market Harborough LE16 7AFExplore View on map
-
Paint & Paper
A Norwich specialist in designer paint and wallpaper since 1995, now part of Kent Blaxill.
Curtains & Blinds 10
Curtain makers, blind specialists and fabric shops.
-
Angelina's Curtains and Blinds
A family business with a curtain and blind showroom at Heacham on the north Norfolk coast.
-
Broadland Home Interiors
A family firm on the Suffolk coast for made-to-measure blinds, curtains, shutters and poles.
-
Choice Linen & Curtains
A Nottingham curtain specialist with its own workshop for made-to-order curtains.
-
Country Blinds & Shutters
A family firm in Norwich making blinds and shutters to measure.
-
Homecraft Interiors
A Beeston firm for made-to-measure curtains, soft furnishings and furniture.
-
Norwich Sunblinds
A Norwich showroom of fabric samples, with home visits to measure for curtains and blinds.
-
Norwich Sunblinds Attleborough
Norwich Sunblinds’ Attleborough showroom for curtains, cushions and pelmets made to measure locally.
-
Sarah Harding Interiors
Uppingham showrooms for hand-finished curtains, soft furnishings and design advice.
-
The Cambridge Fabric Company
A Cambridge fabric shop whose seamstresses turn your choice into curtains, blinds and cushions.
7 Peas Hill, CambridgeExplore View on map
-
Woods Interiors
A Norwich firm whose own team makes curtains, blinds and soft furnishings by hand, with a showroom and homeware shop.
White House Farm, SprowstonExplore View on map
Kitchen Design 9
Kitchen makers and design studios.
-
deVOL Cotes Mill
deVOL’s kitchen showrooms in an old mill house at Cotes, just outside Loughborough.
-
Harvey Jones Cambridge
Harvey Jones’s Cambridge showroom, refurbished in 2025, with full kitchens, a laundry and a home office on display.
44 Regent Street, CambridgeExplore View on map
-
Harvey Jones Nottingham
Harvey Jones’s kitchen showroom in Nottingham’s Exchange Arcade; Sunday visits by appointment.
20/22 Exchange Arcade, Nottingham NG1 2DDExplore View on map
-
Harvey Jones St Albans
Harvey Jones’s kitchen showroom in St Albans.
1 Verulam Road, St Albans AL3 4DAExplore View on map
-
Neptune Bury St Edmunds (kitchen design)
Neptune’s Bury St Edmunds store for kitchens, stone and timber worktops and flooring.
43-45 St Andrews Street South, Bury St Edmunds IP33 3PHExplore View on map
-
Neptune Cambridge (kitchen design)
Neptune’s kitchens and solid-wood cabinetry shown in room settings near Cambridge.
21 High Street, CB22 7PXExplore View on map
-
Tom Howley Cambridge
Tom Howley’s Cambridge showroom of hand-made kitchens.
75 Regent Street, Cambridge CB2 1AWExplore View on map
-
Tom Howley Nottingham
Tom Howley’s showroom in West Bridgford, south of Nottingham.
-
Tom Howley St Albans
Tom Howley’s St Albans showroom, with three full kitchens, a walk-in pantry and a boot room on show.
Home Comforts 9
Bedding, linen, tableware and the things that make a home.
-
Baker Rhodes Home
A Norfolk homeware showroom with its own range of scented candles and room sprays.
-
Ffarr
A pared-back Burnham Market shop of furnishings, fashion and accessories, from the team behind Nomad and the Bowerbird.
-
HomeSense Cambridge
HomeSense at the Beehive Centre, Cambridge, for branded homeware at reduced prices.
-
HomeSense Northampton
HomeSense at St James Retail Park, Northampton, for bedding, lighting and tableware.
-
HomeSense Nottingham
HomeSense at Castle Marina, Nottingham, for branded homeware at reduced prices.
Castle Bridge Road, Nottingham NG7 1GXExplore View on map
-
Nomad and the Bowerbird
A Wells-next-the-Sea lifestyle shop with ceramics, candles and clothing.
-
Podarok
A Cambridge gift shop with jewellery, lampshades and handmade homeware; the name means ‘gift’ in Russian.
12 Bene't Street, Cambridge CB2 3PTExplore View on map
-
Stiffkey Stores
The village shop on the north Norfolk coast road, with gifts and things for the home.
Antique Shops 10
Antiques centres, dealers and fairs.
-
Anthony Fell Antiques
A Holt dealer in period furniture and works of art, a member of LAPADA and BADA.
-
Ashbourne Antiques Centre
An antiques centre in Ashbourne, a Derbyshire town with around ten antique shops and galleries.
28a Church Street, Ashbourne DE6 1AEExplore View on map
-
Cromford Mill Antique Centre
Antiques in Richard Arkwright’s historic Cromford Mill, near Matlock.
-
Hemswell Antique Centres
Several antiques centres on one Lincolnshire site, which also hosts the Astra Antiques Fair.
-
Holt Antiques & Interiors Centre
Around 30 dealers of country, painted, industrial and antique furniture in Holt.
-
Long Melford Antiques Fair
A long-running midweek fair in Long Melford’s memorial hall, with no modern or reproduction pieces.
Chemists Lane, opposite The Bull HotelExplore View on map
-
Newark International Antiques & Collectors Fair
A vast antiques fair at Newark Showground with up to 2,000 stalls; the next is on 10 and 11 December 2026.
-
Rutland Arms Antiques Centre
A large antiques centre in the listed stables of Bakewell’s Rutland Arms Hotel.
-
St Martins Antiques Centre
More than seventy dealers under one roof in Stamford, open every day.
23A High Street, St Martins, StamfordExplore View on map
-
The Warehouse Antiques & Collectables
More than 100 dealers on a single floor near King’s Lynn.
Every place was checked against an official or published source in October 2026. Opening days and hours change with the seasons, so check before you travel; many gardens close or open fewer days in winter.
Explore more of London
58 of the best Restaurants
31 of the best Cafés & Tea
52 of the best Bars & Pubs
53 of the best Hotels71 of the best Sights50 of the best Museums & Arts
16 of the best Parks13 of the best Walks
35 of the best Shopping
29 of the best Health30 of the best Property28 of the best New Developments
10 of the best Luxury Cars22 of the best Getting AroundHomes & Gardens North of EnglandHomes & Gardens South of EnglandHomes & Gardens West of England