Saturday, August 17, 2013

Sufflolk Villages - Part Two

After enjoying the beauty of Long Melford, the coach drove us on to Lavenham.

Lavenham is a famous medieval wool town.  At one point in time this village was the 14th wealthiest town in England.

We took a walking tour of the village.

It has more than 300 buildings listed as being of architectural and historic interest.  I can't image that any other town can beat the array of half-timbered buildings.



The half-timbered houses lean and sag into one another.

Lavenham is surrounded by the pristine Suffolk countryside.

They are proud of their homes - most have name plates.

Suffolk is famous for its pink houses.  Back in the day, pig's blood was used to achieve this tint.  My hope is that there's a more 'modern' way to get the same effect.

Everywhere I looked the streets were lined with wonderful houses.

It would be hard to chose a favorite.

I liked the carved wood details in the half-timber houses.  The plastered homes had some interesting raised stencilled features too.


The extremely large church of St Peter and St Paul dates from the 15th century.  As a center of the wool trade, Lavenham was extremely prosperous and well able to afford a church of this size. 

The 141' tower is its most famous feature.

The church marks the end of the village and abuts green fields. 

It makes for a very pretty churchyard.

Inside the timbered roof makes a stunning statement.

It was a surprise to see a church of this size in a small village.

We then had time for a quick snack, then back on the coach to Colchester where we caught a train back to London.

5 comments:

Chris said...

Wow! What a gorgeous village with so many timbered buildings. I love seeing all the details. Lovely churchyard.

Margaret said...

Wow, so pretty! Pink from pig's blood, huh? Ew. I too hope they have a more modern way to get that color now. lol!

Vickie said...

Oh my goodness! What a lovely village. I would love, love, love to live in a pink village!! But, ack! Not the pig's blood way. yuck!
The ceiling and the floor of that church is awesome.

Melanie said...

Ooof. That's a little too 'leany' for me with the houses. Hanging frames must be a nightmare. Heck, putting pants on in the morning could be treacherous. lol

Barb said...

What a very picturesque village. I just loved seeing all those houses and their names.