There is also a farm shop, a handmade tile factory, a pottery, a builder, an irrigation contractor, seed and feed merchants and a cafe, a private nursing home and a plant nursery with a shop and restaurant.

In WW2, Darsham was the site of RAF High Street, situated just off the A144 road to Bramfield and Halesworth, an early radar station part of Chain Home which originated at Bawdsey Manor, in Suffolk.

The High Street radar station had "Type 1 radar", 4 (Receive towers) of 240 ft made from wood and five (Transmit towers) of 360 ft made of steel.

The reserve is 20 hectares (49 acres) in size and is owned and managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

[3] The reserve consists of areas of marshland, meadow and fen land along the Minsmere River and is designated as a County Wildlife Site.