Gieves & Hawkes at The Red House

When searching for the perfect location to shoot their spring/summer campaign, Gieves & Hawkes wanted a backdrop that would reflect the classic British heritage of the brand. And what better location than The Red House in Aldeburgh, Suffolk: an exquisite 17th-century redbrick farmhouse that was once home to British composer Benjamin Britten.

"We chose Aldeburgh as the setting for our new campaign as it seemed very Gieves & Hawkes – we're a British company with maritime roots, and the seaside town with its cultural associations felt like a great backdrop for our elegant, British designs. Benjamin Britten's house, in particular, now a museum, was a wonderful place to shoot, full of history and atmosphere," says Gieves & Hawkes design director John Harrison.

Britten lived in The Red House with his partner Peter Pears between 1957 and his death in 1976, after swapping homes with painter Mary Potter, who moved into Britten's former home Crag House, on Aldeburgh's seafront. Britten found that, with his growing notoriety, and the success of The Aldeburgh Festival, which he founded in 1948, he longed for the relative seclusion that The Red House – set on a private road on the outskirts of the town – could offer.

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Now open to visitors and the base for the Britten-Pears Foundation, The Red House's handsome rooms and grounds lend themselves to a heritage British tailoring photo shoot. The house includes Britten's composition studio, library, and picturesque gardens, where Britten and Pears entertained guests, grew vegetables, and played croquet and tennis. The studio, built in a former hayloft next to the main house, is where Britten wrote such masterpieces as War Requiem and it was a place he could indulge his passion whenever he pleased. "I've made myself a nice remote studio where I can bang away to my heart's content," he wrote to a friend in 1959. His desk, piano and other personal effects can still be seen.

As well as being the home of one of Britain's most prominent composers, Aldeburgh houses a former Tudor port alongside a host of historic buildings including a 16th-century moot hall and a Napoleonic-era Martello Tower. Its Blue-Flag shingle beach is lined with fishermen's huts selling fresh fish daily, and the town's two family-run fish and chip shops are said to be among the best in the country.

In addition to the Aldeburgh Festival held every June, the town proves its cultural credentials with an annual Poetry Festival and several food festivals popping up throughout the year.

On Aldeburgh's beach, there is a striking sculpture, called Scallop, dedicated to Britten, who would spend many an afternoon strolling down the beach. The 15ft high, stainless steel work was created by Suffolk artist Maggi Hambling and bears the words "I hear those voices that will not be drowned" from Britten's opera Peter Grimes. A fitting tribute to a British icon, who continues to inspire to this day.

Both Britten himself and Aldeburgh give inspiration to Gieves & Hawkes' spring/summer collection. Sky blues and pinks are threaded through the collection’s casual and formalwear, reflecting the (occasionally) blue skies of the British seaside and the pastel pinks of Aldeburgh's seafront cottages. Tailoring is grounded in shades of navy, beige and tan, with touches of copper and khaki in knitwear and accessories. Cool, lightweight worsteds are used in office-appropriate tailoring, while designs cut in neutral linens offer a more relaxed alternative.

Both formal and casualwear take influence from British sporting heritage, with a cricket jumper realised in a cream chunky-knit with playful pink borders along the neckline and hem. Silk jacquard smoking jackets in blue and bronze perfectly complement linen dress trousers and simple fine knits for a breezy look, which would have been perfect for a lazy afternoon at one of Britten's garden parties.

The collection is designed to make the wearer feel at home either as a guest at Britten’s elegant country cottage, or strolling through Aldeburgh’s cobbled streets down towards the pebbled beach. It is a collection as eloquent, polished and quintessentially British as Britten’s compositions.