Ferrar House is just a few yards from St John’s Church at Little Gidding. It provides facilities for pilgrims and visitors, whether they come as individuals or groups. There is a small amount of accommodation for those who want to stay, and a Library for study and for meetings. The House also has beautiful gardens in which to relax and to enjoy the flowers, birds and insect life, and it is surrounded by delightful and peaceful countryside with scope for longer walks. Inside, there is warm hospitality from the staff, and delicious home-cooked food and refreshments.
The House was previously known as Manor Farm and was built in the 19th century. Up to the 1970s it was a working farm, and it was then acquired by a small Trust and became the base of the Little Gidding Community, the Community of Christ the Sower. The community dispersed at the end of the 1990s, and the Trust operates and promotes the house as a small retreat centre, alongside its role in providing hospitality and information for visitors.
The Friends co-operate with the Trust and support the work of Ferrar House, making grants towards its upkeep and furnishing, and towards the Library. They also arrange some of the events, including the monthly poetry sessions, lunches following the monthly service, and support the Quiet Days, now arranged by the Little Gidding Chaplain. Each year the T S Eliot Festival takes place in the grounds of Ferrar House, overlooking the little church. See the News page for information about past and future events.
For further information, including details of how to arrange a visit or a stay at Ferrar House, see the House’s website at www.ferrarhouse.co.uk.
