Stowmarket: A Heritage Town with a Modern Feel

Are you thinking of making the move to Suffolk? We have an excellent recommendation: Stowmarket. The largest town in Mid Suffolk, Stowmarket is big enough to have everything you need, but small enough to have a real community feel.

If you love your history and architecture, the medieval market town has over 130 listed buildings – we recommend doing the Town Trail as an introduction to Stowmarket’s fascinating past. However, Stowmarket is more than a well-preserved historic gem – it’s a thriving town that embraces modern life, with a wide selection of arts and sports clubs.

Stowmarket also loves a celebration. There’s a vibrant calendar of festivals and fairs, as well as a regular arts and music programme at venues like the John Peel Centre. And yet, just walk for a few minutes from the town centre, and you’ll soon find yourself in some of Suffolk’s prettiest countryside.

Stowmarket, Suffolk

Places to shop, eat and drink in Stowmarket

We love browsing the old market town’s shops. There’s a good blend of independent and family-run shops and high street favourites. If you enjoy rummaging around antique shops, you’ll enjoy exploring Stowmarket’s town centre.

Surrounded by farmland, you’d expect Stowmarket to be a hub for superb local produce, and you’re right. As well as farm shops, specialist food stores and a twice-weekly market, there’s a wonderful selection of places to dine. There are a lot of welcoming old inns in this friendly old town, as well as restaurants serving food from all over the world.

Stowmarket also has supermarkets (Tesco, Asda and Lidl), making life that bit easier for busy working families.

Family days out in Stowmarket

Stowmarket is home to the excellent Food Museum (formerly The Museum of East Anglian Life). Not only is it dedicated to one of our favourite subjects (food), but it gives a great insight into the area’s mainly agricultural history. There’s a great range of exhibitions, tours and activities for all ages and as you’d expect, a fabulous onsite cafe.

Stowmarket’s a sporty town, with cricket, rugby and football clubs, along with tennis courts, a golf course and the family-friendly Mid Suffolk Leisure Centre. You’re also not far from Chantry Park with its large green spaces and play areas.

Other amenities such as the Regal Stowmarket (a live venue and cinema) and town library are perfect for rainy day entertainment. Keep an eye out for events and workshops at the John Peel Centre.

On your doorstep

Stowmarket has a lovely rural setting in the heart of Suffolk. The historic town is halfway between Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich, so you’re close to plenty of amenities. However, surrounded by farmland, woods and pretty little villages, Stowmarket is the perfect place to enjoy a more bucolic lifestyle.

There are lovely riverside walks along the River Orwell and in the Gipping Valley, as well as pretty woodland paths at Wherstead. Explore the nature reserves at Combs Wood and Church Meadow, or the RSPB wetlands reserve at Lakenheath Fen. If you and your family (including four-pawed companions) love a good walk at the weekend, Stowmarket makes an excellent base.

Easy Connections

Transport links

Stowmarket is close to the A14, which means you can get to Ipswich or Bury St Edmunds within half an hour. The town has a railway station with direct links to Ipswich, and you can also be in Norwich in about 35 minutes.

As a real bonus, you can get a direct train from Stowmarket into London, with most services taking around 90 minutes to arrive at Liverpool Street Station. Cambridge is even closer, at just over an hour. Norwich airport is around 40 miles from Stowmarket and it’s around 60 miles to Stansted.

Education in Stowmarket

There’s a choice of primary schools in Stowmarket, and as one of the larger market towns in Suffolk, it has its own state secondary, Stowmarket High School. For further education, there’s West Suffolk College in Bury St Edmunds and a New Suffolk College campus at Ipswich. If you’re moving to Stowmarket with a young family, there are several nurseries in and around the town.

Moving to Stowmarket

If Stowmarket sounds like the perfect place to put down roots, take a look at our new build development at Mill Grove. There are 22 different styles of home here, creating an architecturally mixed development that complements the historic surroundings.