Spring Grove

Nearby amenities

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  A14 - 1.5 miles
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  Elmswell Train Station - 0.4 miles
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  Convenience Store - 0.5 miles
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  Post Office - 0.5 miles
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  Nursery - 0.3 miles
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  Primary School - 0.7 miles
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  Secondary School - 8 miles
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  Doctors - 2.3 miles
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  Dentist - 2.3 miles
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  Pub - 0.6 miles

Location

Elmswell is a welcoming, long-established community; the history of the village can be traced as far back as the Roman times, based on a site containing a pottery kiln dated around the third century, and the local Church of St John the Divine is mentioned in the Domesday book. Elmswell is one of the largest and most active villages in Suffolk, and so has plenty to offer residents. It has all the local conveniences for your day-to-day needs, including a Post Office, primary school, supermarkets, barbers, a Chinese takeaway restaurant and no less than two pubs.

Conveniently, Elmswell has its own main line railway station, so you can hop on a train and be in Bury St Edmunds and all it has to offer in as little as 12 minutes, or right in the town centre of bustling, coastal Ipswich in around 25 minutes.

Education

Elmswell has its own primary school, just a stone’s throw from Spring Grove. Elmswell Primary School was Ofsted rated GOOD as recently as 2020 and described in the report as a ‘very friendly, welcoming and caring school’. In addition, the County Upper School is just over 11 miles away – an academy school that is part of Bury St Edmunds All-Through Trust which includes six local schools.

There are also a number of well-respected independent schools nearby, including Culford, which offers independent education from nursery through to sixth form. For further education, West Suffolk College is home to over 11,000 students from sixth form and apprenticeships through to degree courses; the College provides its programmes in association with the recently opened University of Suffolk in Ipswich.

Local Area

The traditional market town of Bury St Edmunds is just a short drive or train ride away. Suffolk is rightly famed as a culinary paradise, and Bury is recognised as the jewel in its crown. It boasts a mouth-watering variety of award-winning food and drink venues, and is home to the outstanding Pea Porridge – the only Michelin-starred restaurant in Suffolk - well worth a visit. There’s also a popular outdoor market twice a week, featuring more than 80 stalls offering fresh, high-quality, locally sourced seasonal produce.

For lovers of culture, there’s a diverse arts and events programme to enjoy. Every May, there are ten entertaining days of music, theatre, film and exhibitions across the town during the Bury St Edmunds Festival. There’s also a wealth of stunning parks and local attractions; the magnificent St Edmundsbury Cathedral is a must-see – where you can stand among the ruins of the Abbey of St Edmund in the Abbey Gardens. Alternatively, just a short drive away, you can discover the pretty medieval wool towns of Lavenham and Long Melford.

Further Afield

A little over half an hour’s drive or train journey away is the thriving county town of Ipswich, with its buzzing, bustling waterfront lined with restaurants, bars and cafes, and also the location of one of the UK’s newest universities, the University of Suffolk, opened in 2016.

Ipswich has plenty to offer all visitors, and is now regarded as a UK tourist hotspot, with some 3.5 million people reported to have visited in 2016 alone, and being ranked in 2020 as an emerging global tourist destination by TripAdvisor. It’s no surprise, with its galleries, theatres, and performance and arts festivals, including the annual Ipswich Jazz Festival, which also features art and photography exhibitions, film screenings and workshops held in venues across the town. In addition, there’s the grandiose Ipswich Corn Exchange, showcasing an eclectic programme of comedy, music, sporting events, festivals and conferences.

Neither will visitors be disappointed with the Ipswich shopping experience, with all the major high street names available along the main street, plus the Buttermarket and Sailmakers Shopping Centres home to the big retail brands, Ipswich really does have something for everyone.

For nature lovers, the magnificent Thetford Forest Park is just over half an hour away – the ideal setting for families to enjoy leafy walks, bike trails, or simply immerse themselves in the local flora and fauna. At nearly 20,000 hectares it offers a unique patchwork of pines, heathland and broadleaves, and provides a welcome refuge for a rich variety of animal and plant life (and for those of us looking to escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life!) The world-famous Norfolk Broads National Park is also about an hour’s drive away, offering a wealth of attractions and aquatic activities for all ages.

At around an hour’s drive away, you’ll find the beautiful city of Cambridge, home to one of the world’s oldest and most successful Universities. As you’d expect, this prestigious city offers a huge variety of cultural and leisure attractions, whether you’re interested in theatre, contemporary art, literature and film, sport, festivals and events, or simply a great day spent shopping. In 2019 Cambridge was voted the UK’s top retail destination.

Transport Links

Spring Grove offers commuters and travellers alike a range of transport connections to the rest of the UK, and much further afield.

By car from Spring Grove

A14 - 1.5 miles
Bury St Edmunds - 11 miles
Thetford - 17 miles
Ipswich - 19 miles
Cambridge - 38 miles
London Stansted Airport - 48 miles
Peterborough - 66 miles

By train from Elmswell

Bury St Edmunds - from 12 mins
Ipswich - from 23 mins
Cambridge - from 56 mins
London Stansted Airport - from 98 mins
Peterborough - from 113 mins
London Liverpool Street - from 132 mins