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A visitors guide to the Suffolk village of Stoke by Nayland in
Constable Country. The soaring church tower of St. Mary's in its old
reddish brick appears on the skyline of many a painting by the landscape
artist John Constable (1776-1837) who was born at nearby East
Bergholt.
Inside the church at Stoke by Nayland are memorials to the Tendring
family. Alice Tendring who was born in 1365 in Stoke by Nayland
married John Howard and from this union well over a century later
came Catherine Howard who was the fifth wife of King Henry VIII of
England. Unfortunately as history tells Catherine Howard did not live to
ripe old age as she was beheaded by her husband whilst still very young.
What many people forget is that Catherine Howard was also cousin to Ann
Boleyn, Henry's second wife also beheaded.
The village of Stoke by Nayland is situated on a hill in the Stour
Valley close to the borders of Essex. A mix of traditional Suffolk pink
cottages rub shoulders with lovely medieval Tudor timbered buildings,
all little changed from Constables day. Near the lych-gate in School
Street is where the village lock up once stood. This is a lovely area
for walking and cycling or just drinking in the scenery that inspired
our great British painters.
Stoke by Nayland is regarded by many as the heart of
the area for Constable's Suffolk landscapes. Here he found
inspiration for many of his masterpieces as he once wrote "I
associate my careless boyhood with all that lies on the banks of the
Stour; those scenes made me a painter".
For Holiday Accommodation in Stoke by Nayland Suffolk - Self Catering -
Holiday Cottages - Hotels and Bed and Breakfast check out our Stoke by
Nayland Holiday Accommodation Pages.
The village has a pub The Angel Inn a traditional
16th century oak beamed coaching house.
Nearby is the Stoke by Nayland 18 hole championship
Golf Club and fitness centre is situated in 300 acres of
undulating Suffolk countryside, on the edge of the Dedham Vale. If you
continue north west you will come to the larger town of Sudbury
with its connections to Thomas Gainsborough another famous painter who
said that portraiture was his profession, landscape painting was his
pleasure. |
