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A visitors guide to the Suffolk town of Lavenham, said to be one of
the best preserved medieval wool towns in England. Visitors will
understand why Lavenham lays claim to this title when they visit this
perfectly preserved place. From the fourteenth to the sixteenth century
Lavenham was at the forefront of cloth making in England with its
Flemish weavers. The wool from Lavenham was described as the 'golden
fleece' and the towns people prospered.
Half a million square foot of cloth was produced by the town each year
and beautiful timber framed buildings sprang up as the merchants were
earning so much money they were able to use oak as the main fabric for
their homes.
However, in the late 16th century the demand for wool fabric began to
decline when Dutch refugees in Colchester began weaving a lighter and
cheaper cloth. So it was that the town of Lavenham went into decline and
never really found a replacement industry during the successive
centuries.
So whilst other towns were under going rebuilding Lavenham did not have
enough money to make the same changes. Lucky for us as this means that
we can all wander the streets and alleyways of this Suffolk town and
believe that we have stepped back into a much earlier century.
For Holiday Accommodation in Lavenham Suffolk - Self Catering - Holiday
Cottages - Hotels and Bed and Breakfast check out our Lavenham Holiday
Accommodation Pages.
The buildings you see today are very much as they
would have looked during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII. A few
Georgian facades made it through hiding older timber framed building
underneath. Weavers homes snuggle in between rich wool merchants houses
interspersed with manor houses. You can obtain a guided walk from the
Tourist Information Office in Lady Street which gives further details
about the houses you will see around the town.
In Shilling Street stands Shilling Grange in which lived Isaac Taylor
the engraver with his two daughters Ann and Jane. Jane Taylor wrote the
famous poem 'Twinkle, twinkle little star' whilst sitting looking out of
the small window in the garret of her house.
Another celebrity was the landscape painter John Constable who was
educated at the towns school and is said to have known Jane Taylor.
In Market Place is the fantastic timber framed Guildhall built around
1529. It now houses a museum with exhibits of local history and
industries, managed by the National Trust. The rampant lions on the
doorpost of the hall are the emblem of the Guild of Corpus Christi who
built the Guildhall all those years ago. It stands on high ground
dominating the market place enclosed by venerable shops. In the past the
Guildhall was used as the town hall, a jail, and also a workhouse for
poor children. When the Guildhall was built, the town of Lavenham ranked
fourteenth richest in the land. There are many good pubs and restaurants
as well as shops and the lovely places to stay are endless.
 Dr.
Rowland Taylor
the Rector of Haleigh was held in the Guildhall of Lavenham for 2 days
before being returned home to be burnt at the stake.
 As
you wander around the streets note the
craft symbols displayed in the plasterwork of the weavers cottages.
The
landscape
painter John Constable was educated at Lavenham for a short while.
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