East of England

Not far from Cambridge you'll find Anglesey Abbey, where the gardens boast colour throughout the year. A little further afield you'll discover Wimpole with acres of space to explore, the distinctive fenland landscape of Wicken Fen and views of one of the last working mills on the River Ouse.

From the Norfolk coastline with its abundance of wildlife to the gardens at Blickling, Felbrigg and Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk's popularity is well deserved. The landscaped parkland at Sheringham Park and the wide expanse of the Norfolk Broads is well worth a visit too.

With a landscape made famous by the artist John Constable to the royal burial ground at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk has a fascinating history. There's lots of variety to, from the coastline in the east to the picturesque wool towns in the west. And you won't want to miss Ickworth with its Italianate Garden and parkland.

Tucked away in Essex you'll find hidden gems like Blake's Wood and Danbury Common, as well as some of our more well known places like Hatfield Forest. Over the border in Bedfordshire, enjoy the view from Dunstable Downs and in Hertfordshire, Ashridge Estate is ideal for walks with the family.

Award-winning Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw received the Nobel prize for Literature and an Oscar for Best Screenplay. He wrote nearly 60 plays, over 250,000 letters and was one of the most photographed and most quoted men in the world.

Beatrix Potter was the cousin of Ethel, Lady Hyde Parker, grandmother of Sir Richard Hyde Parker, the present Baronet of Melford Hall. The duck pond in The Tale of Jemima Puddleduck was based on an illustration Beatrix Potter drew for the Jeremy Fisher stories when visiting her relatives in Suffolk.

Elsie Bambridge, daughter of Rudyard Kipling, bought Wimpole with her inheritance and royalties from his books, bequeathing it to the National Trust in 1976. With over 6000 books Wimpole’s library is one of the National Trust’s largest and most varied, including books that belonged to her father.

Arthur Ransome is best known for his Swallows and Amazons series of children’s books, two of which he wrote whilst he lived in Suffolk. ‘We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea’ and ‘Secret Water’ feature Pin Mill on the Shotley Peninsular. Download our walking trail and enjoy the views across the River Orwell, perhaps you’ll be inspired to write your own story?

With 123 feet of books on each side, the library at Blickling in Norfolk has over 12,500 books and is one of the largest and most significant in our care. Now that the house has re-opened you can explore this magnificent room once more.

Uncover the stunning early-modern books held in Blickling’s collection, all from your own home. Whether you fancy exploring a book from the first years of printing or a seventeenth century journey from Russia to China. Unlocking the Archive is new interactive resource, which includes creative activities for families.

We know our scones are rather popular. So we asked our teams to share some of their recipe ideas that you can try at home. From the traditional to the quirky, which will be your favourite scone?

Each week we're sharing one of our popular recipes with you. This week why not enjoy our classic sponge recipe - the Victoria sandwich, filled with sweet jam and dusted with fine sugar?

2020 is the 125th anniversary of the National Trust and as we celebrate this special birthday year, we’re also taking the opportunity to look back at where it all began. Here are some of the key moments in our history of caring for special places, in East Anglia.

Go behind the scenes with our podcasts. Tread the boards at Shaw's Corner as part of our literary series, explore Humphry Repton's vision for Sheringham Park in our garden series and find out more about the ancient wetlands of East Anglia in our walking series.

We care for one of the world's largest and most significant collections of art and heritage objects, but did you know that you can explore many of them online from the comfort of your home?