Visitors to Lavenham will find it easy to travel back to medieval times in their imaginations. The ancient village has been preserved in building after building in this most lovely of Suffolk spots, where timber-framed construction is the norm. If the imagination needs a little more help, they can stay in places like the 14th century Swan Inn, all beams and cosy fires, or Lavenham Priory, built by the Benedictines a century earlier, with its oak floors and courtyard herb garden. The village halted in its architectural evolution because the wealth which allowed it to bloom in medieval times disappeared with the rapid decline of the cloth trade, so what was there was little “improved” of added to in later years. In 1912 Henry Taylor, with the help of patron Princess Louise, managed to prevent the export of the Wool Hall to America, setting the future mark for conservation of historic buildings in Lavenham and elsewhere in the country. In 1965, when the ancient Swan Inn was extended, techniques from the reign of the first Elizabeth were used to incorporate beams hewn in the time of the second. In 1967 the Post Office supported the cause by removing its telephone wires and posts. This then is a town determined to retain its unique character, much to the pleasure of the tourists on whom its economy now relies. Sadly Puritan iconoclast William Dowsing did not rally to the preservation cause, smashing all the stained glass in St Peter and St Paul’s church. This monumental building with its tower rising 141 feet above the ground was built by old money and new – The Earl of Oxford John de Vere cooperated on the work with Lavenham wool and cloth merchants, most notably Thomas Spring. Spring’s coat of arms features more than thirty times in the interior, and a rather convoluted pun recalls de Vere – there are boars used frequently in the memorials, verres being Latin for boar. The medieval mirth merchants didn’t leave it there: look out for the droll carvings on the misericords, particularly the one of a pig being squeezed by a man, possibly another de Vere allusion. The National Trust looks after The Guildhall of Corpus Christi in the Market Place, and this is a good place to learn about the village buildings, but the pubs and shops too are just as likely to repay architectural interest. There are too many timber framed and jettied buildings to list, but not to be missed are those which stand out for their deviation from the perpendicular or horizontal, making the architecture seem organic: The Crooked House in the High Street is the most obvious example
Attraction
Lavenham Guildhall
Little Hall
Church
Cottage
Doctor
Farmers Market
Pub and Bar
Angel Hotel
Cock Inn
Greyhound
Restaurant
Great House Hotel
Restaurant at The Swan Hotel
Shops
Places to Stay near Lavenham
Great House Hotel (0.06 miles)
Angel Hotel (0.06 miles)
The Angel at Lavenham is a Tudor inn set in the market place at the centre of one of England's finest medieval villages.
Between Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury, the inn with ... More
Swan Hotel (The) (0.07 miles)
Twenty Seven (0.15 miles)
27 Church Street is a 16th Century Grade II listed detached house a few minutes' walk from the village centre. It has a landscaped private rear garden which guests are ... More
The Black Lion Hotel & Restaurant (3.53 miles)
A glance at our comments book will soon reassure you that you have arrived in a small haven. As far away from the ‘corporate’ style of hotel as possible but still having all the ... More | visit website
Bull Hotel (3.82 miles)
The Bull is situated on Long Melford's High Street, near the Village Green. The fine timbered house has a history dating back over 500 years and has been an Inn since ... More
Crown Hotel (3.89 miles)
The Crown Hotel is a family run historic inn which was originally built in 1610 and retains many interesting features.Situated in the very centre of Long Melford’s famous high street, ... More
George & Dragon (4.03 miles)
The Red House (4.97 miles)
The Bay Horse (5.38 miles)
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