Lavenham: Guide

Lavenham is a medieval village in Suffolk, England famous for its impressive 15th century|Fifteenth Century church, half-timbered medieval cottages and circular walk. The population of the town has never exceeded 2000. In the medieval period it was among the 20 wealthiest towns in England.

The village was built on the back of money from the wool trade in the 16th and 17th century. This can be seen in the lavishly constructed parish church of St Peter and St Paul which stands on a hill top at the end of the main high street. The church is excessively large for the size of the village and with a tower standing 141 ft (43 m) high it lays claim to being the highest village church tower in Britain. Other impressive 'Wool Churches' nearby include the church at Long Melford.

The Guildhall of the wool guild of Corpus Christi stands in the centre of the village overlooking the market square. Established in 1529, most of the timber framed building seen today was constructed in the 17th century and is now maintained by National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|The National Trust. One well-known example is the Crooked House, an orange building on High Street which now serves as an art gallery.

In the late eighteenth century, the village was home to poet Jane Taylor, and it was while living in Shilling Street, that she wrote the nursery rhyme Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Image:Lavenham Guildhall night.jpg|Lavenham Guildhall established by one of three wool guilds in Lavenham in 1529.
Image:Lavenham church of St Peter and St Paul.jpg|The church of St Peter and St Paul at night.

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