Lavenham: A Medieval time capsule

Lavenham

The village of Lavenham is a popular day-trip destination. The reason- it's a well preserved medieval time capsule! Just walking around the charming town, there are numerous half-timbered houses, each with their own individual, unique, and characteristic door. Some buildings are especially unique in that over the years, they have become rather crooked...

Lavenham was once one of the richest cities in Britain during the 15th and 16th centuries due to the wool trade. The wealth of the area can be seen by the size of the buildings and color, as well as church which was erected during this time. The church of St. Peter and St. Paul was completed in 1525 and lays claim to being the tallest village church tower (village tower, not city, still it is an impressive tower). However, by the 1600 much of its wealth was lost due to Dutch refugees that settled in Colchester who provided much cheaper labor and could produce work that was lighter and more fashionable. Many of the towns people fell into reduced circumstances and did not have the money needed to upgrade buildings making Lavenham what it is today.

Other places of interest are the Lavenham Wool Hall and the Guildhall of Corpus Christi. We had the pleasure of eating lunch in one of these beautiful, medieval buildings, a place called Number 10. The food was delicious! The chunky chili (medium spice flavor) and the venison pie was incredible and a very tasty meal on a chilly day!

Some people may recognize Lavenham from scenes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 1 and pt. 2. Lavenham is the inspiration for Godric's Hollow and Lily and James Potter's family home. Lavenham is also the place where the lyrics from the nursery rhyme 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' were born. It is also the place said to have inspired the poem 'There was a Crooked Man' 

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile.

He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a little crooked house.