The Crooked House

A long day out in a sand quarry in Suffolk, in beautiful weather for a change! On the way we stopped off at Lavenham to pick up some lunch. I couldn't resist a shot of these Tudor oak-beamed houses - so very typical of this beautifully preserved Suffolk village. Not a straight line to be seen - and I still don't know whether this is level!

A few notes about Lavenham...

Most people are drawn to this attractive Suffolk town by the profusion of half-timbered medieval cottages, beloved of calendar photographers. Lavenham has been called "the most complete medieval town in Britain", a tribute to its fine collection of medieval and Tudor architecture. Mansions of wealthy merchants mingle with simple cottages, some of which mix crooked timber beams with sprightly pink-painted infill!


The older buildings are centred around the market place, with its 16th century Guildhall and still earlier market cross. The market cross was the scene of bear-baiting contests during the late medieval and Tudor periods. The Guildhall is now owned by the National Trust, and houses a permanent local history exhibition.

The Wool Hall is another notable half-timbered building, a tribute to the source of Lavenham's wealth. During the Middle Ages Lavenham was a thriving centre of the English wool trade, and the prosperous wool merchants are responsible for most of Lavenham's memorable buildings, including the church of St. Peter and St. Paul, perhaps the finest "wool church" in the land.