Crow’s Hall joins St Elizabeth Hospice’s Great Garden Trail
Crow’s Hall is featured in the May 2026 issue of Suffolk Magazine, as a new addition to the Great Gardens Trail.
This May, Crow’s Hall will be opening its garden gates as part of St Elizabeth Hospice’s Great Garden Trail.
The trail is one of those lovely Suffolk events that brings together gardens of all shapes and sizes – private gardens, village open days, historic settings and smaller hidden places – all opening in support of the hospice.
Crow’s Hall is also featured in the May 2026 issue of Suffolk Magazine, as part of its Great Gardens feature. It is a lovely moment to be included, and a timely one too, as the magazine looks ahead to summer plans, open gardens and places to enjoy across Suffolk.
Crow’s Hall will be open on Sunday 24 May 2026, from 11.30am to 4.30pm. Entry is £5, with under-16s free, and admission is also included for those with a Great Garden Trail Season Pass.
May 2026 issue of Suffolk Magazine, as part of its Great Gardens feature.
May 2026 issue of Suffolk Magazine, Great Gardens feature.
Crow’s Hall will be open as part of St Elizabeth Hospice’s Great Garden Trail on Sunday 24 May 2026.
A SUFFOLK GARDEN TRAIL
St Elizabeth Hospice’s Great Garden Trail runs from February to September, with more than 50 gardens taking part across the region in 2026. The hospice describes the trail as including individual gardens, village openings and hidden gems, all helping to raise funds for its work across the local community.
It is a very simple idea, and perhaps that is why it works so well. People open their gardens, visitors enjoy a day out, and the money raised helps support a much-loved local charity.
This year’s trail includes a wide mix of places, from community garden openings in Nacton, Felixstowe and Woodbridge, to individual gardens such as Woodwards, Church Farm House and Columbine Hall.
For anyone who enjoys gardens, it offers a gentle way to explore Suffolk across the spring and summer – one open gate at a time.
The Amphitheatre, located by the moat at the far end of the island gardens.
Sculpture: “Two Against One” by Cemmick and Wilder.
The fountain provides the Centerpiece for the formal garden.
OPENING THE GATES AT CROW’S HALL
Crow’s Hall is, first and foremost, a private home. It is also a Grade II* listed, brick-built moated manor house, with a history reaching back several centuries.
The landscape and gardens have their own heritage recognition too. In 2024, Crow’s Hall was added to the National Heritage List for England as a Grade II Registered Park and Garden, recognising the significance of its moated landscape, fishponds and historic setting.
The gardens sit within the moat and around the house, barn and courtyard. They are not vast or formal in the sense of a public garden, but they have their own character: quiet, enclosed, and shaped by the buildings and water around them.
The hospice describes the garden as being situated on the island of a 16th-century moated manor house, with a lavender courtyard, formal pool garden with box hedging, a knot garden, box topiary amphitheatre and grass borders. Refreshments and craft stalls will be available in the barn on the day.
The gardens were originally designed by Lady Xa Tollemache, whose work is closely tied to the history and atmosphere of the house. Much of their charm comes from how naturally they sit within the setting – not grand for the sake of being grand, but considered, settled, and very much part of Crow’s Hall.
WHY WE ARE TAKING PART
Crow’s Hall has opened its gardens before for charity events, concerts, picnics and private occasions, but joining the Great Garden Trail feels particularly fitting.
St Elizabeth Hospice is woven into the life of this part of the world. Many people know someone who has been helped by its care, directly or indirectly, and the Great Garden Trail gives local people a simple, enjoyable way to support that work.
For us, opening the gates is a small contribution to that wider effort. It is also a chance to share the gardens in a calm and informal way – for people to walk, look, pause, and enjoy the setting for a few hours.
Other gardens to visit
Crow’s Hall is just one stop on the wider trail.
In May, visitors can also explore gardens including Woodwards, near Coddenham, which opens on 10 May, and Nacton Open Gardens, where a group of gardens will open on 16 May. Church Farm House in Gosbeck opens on 31 May, with herbaceous borders, a walled garden, orchard, ponds and woodland walk.
Later in the season, Felixstowe Open Gardens brings together a group of varied gardens across the town, while Woodbridge Open Gardens offers the chance to visit large and small hidden gardens around the historic market town.
The full list of participating gardens is available through St Elizabeth Hospice, and the Season Pass is a useful option for anyone planning to visit several gardens during the year.
VISITING CROW’S HALL
Crow’s Hall will be open as part of St Elizabeth Hospice’s Great Garden Trail on Sunday 24 May 2026.
Time: 11.30am – 4.30pm
Address: Crow’s Hall, Debenham, Stowmarket, IP14 6NG
Entry: £5, under-16s free
Season Pass: Free entry with a Great Garden Trail Season Pass
On the day: Refreshments and craft stalls will be available in the barn
Access and parking: Partial wheelchair access and limited parking are listed by St Elizabeth Hospice for this event.
We look forward to welcoming visitors, supporting the hospice, and sharing a little of Crow’s Hall in spring.
