This is a pleasant village situated about midway between Woodbridge and Orford with easy access to both the coast and the countryside.

As with most old villages there is a mix of architecture with old and modern blending happily together. The Church is a fair distance away from the main part of the village, it has been suggested that this was due to the devastation caused by the plague in the middle ages. There is no school, the middle school building was demolished and a bungalow now stands in its place and the primary school has been converted into a residential property.

There are businesses in the village. The Oyster Inn which is an old coaching inn, which also serves food and has recently laid a pitch to try to revive the game of Quoits in the parish. Further down Mill Lane can be found the old Mill, which is now defunct but has been converted to accommodation for holiday lets. Henry VIII ordered the dissolution of Butley Abbey, but the old gate house remains and is known as Butley Priory and here it is possible to book for Wedding Receptions, parties and other events.

The main place in the village for meetings and other community events is the Village Hall. The Committee arrange events once or twice a year to try to get all the villagers together – these events are usually well attended and enjoyed by all.            The 2011 FLOWER SHOW  held on Sunday 24th July and attracted over 400 local villagers, a 50% increase on last year. Some of the new activities, provided as a result of sponsorship from London 2012, proved to be very popular, visitors were able to try their hands at archery under guidance of  Gipping Valley Archers and Chrysalis Clowning provided great entertainment for the younger generation.  The inter-village competition was a new feature that had villagers competing against each other at Boule, Under the Arches and even their dogs played a part in the Fun Dog Show. The winners were Butley with Chillesford and Capel coming joint second. The traditional Flower and Produce Show attracted many entries and the judges were very complimentary about the standard of the cookery classes.  The main cups were won by Trevor Phillips and Audrey Boast, with Mary McGinity taking the novices' plate.