We hope you will be able to join us on Thursday 20th June for a visit to the Elveden Estate near Thetford. Elveden is a 22,500 acre country estate, of which over 10,000 acres is farmland.  It is the largest ring-fenced arable farm in lowland Britain. The Elveden Estate was purchased in 1863 by Maharajah Duleep Singh who was the last Maharajah of the Sikh Empire. After his death in 1893, his executors sold the estate to Edward Cecil Guinness, the first Earl of Iveagh. The current owner is the 4th Earl of Iveagh. The estate is passionate about environmentally-responsible farming and ensures biodiversity thrives alongside the latest farming practices. The farm specialises in the production of vegetables – around 6% of the UK’s onions are grown at Elveden! The plan for the visit is to have an introductory talk by Ian Robertson about the estate followed by a coach tour on private roads around the estate. After a buffet lunch in the Village Hall there will be a visit to the magnificent Elveden Church which is a national treasure. It was described by the local historian, Clive Payne, as “of cathedral quality”.

The programme for the visit is;
10.00am: Meet in Elveden Village Hall for tea/coffee.  For satnav users, the postcode is IP24 3TJ. Parking will be available on the estate land behind the Village Hall.
10.15am: Introductory talk by Ian Robertson, retired farm manager, on the history of the estate.

10.45am: Guided coach tour with Ian Robertson along 12 miles of private roads through the estate. 

12.45pm: Buffet lunch in the Village Hall – selection of sandwiches, sausage rolls, chicken goujons etc, selection of cakes, tea and coffee.

2.00pm: Visit to the Church of St Andrew and St Patrick, which is a short walk from the Village Hall, where the Church Warden, Janice Flack, will give a brief history of the building and show us around.