Welcome to Sugnall Hall and to our world of healthy horticulture. Running a rural country estate in the 21st century requires immense energy, a clear mind and the organisational skills of a Field Marshall.

Long gone are the days when an army of servants, butlers and housekeepers ran around after the owners of such houses. Today, our small but extremely efficient team work side-by-side with us to ensure that all the jobs get done.

Over the last decade or so we have been involved in setting up a small business centre, bringing derelict buildings back into productive use and restoring the historic walled kitchen garden, which dates back to the 1730s, with 250 fruit trees and a wide range of fruit and vegetable varieties.

The walled kitchen garden is a living, breathing, rural business that welcomes visitors, and there are other parts of the estate that we open too, notably for a snowdrop walk, a bluebell walk, and walks in the woods past a series of pools. From about Easter of each year we open the gates of the walled kitchen garden for visitors and a tearoom and shop where the produce from the garden (jams, chutneys, cakes) can be sampled or bought.

We are also working with a number of local schools with whom we provide a unique insight into food production and show how things used to be before farming became mechanised.

The garden and other spaces around are available for hire for private or corporate events, and for food and plant fairs – see ‘venues’. Our longer-term plan is to open a restaurant in the refurbished and rebuilt vinery. Hence our work continues unabated.

We hope you enjoy exploring our new website and look forward to welcoming you to Sugnall.

Karen & David Jacques.