Monday 20 August 2012

Lavenham Part 2.

 Have struggled to begin posting on Lavenham for 2 reasons. One, there have been many things to take up my time including birthdays with B.B.Q's, Grand children staying,various mission outreaches, catching up with the garden and life in general.
This last week has been too hot to sit at my computer with the temperature hitting 90f and extremely high humidity and of course no air conditioning unless one is sitting in the car.

The second reason is that I took over 300 photos of Lavenham alone and even though I won't be posting them all I could not decide how to organise them as staying in the village for a week and    taking shots on different occasions it felt like a muddle.

I have therefore decided just to post them mostly in the order they were taken with just a few under certain headings.




We stayed in a beautifully modernised luxury cottage on the High Street so  all our needs were within a few minutes walking distance.
Of course we visited gardens and country houses etc. in the area but initially I will be concentrating on the village itself. 


Just one and a half hours drive from home, Lavenham in Suffolk is one of England's finest mediaeval villages. It has over 340 listed buildings, mainly because it's rich industrial past gave rise to really wealthy merchants and trades people who invested in property.
Lavenham was the 14th wealthiest town in England in 1524 with13 cloth making businesses



The village is awash with Tearooms, this one combining with a knitting and wool shop
Even the butchers had a tea garden




This wool Emporium was interesting and sat just 2 doors from where we were staying
It sold the most beautiful garments hand knitted from Alpaca wool 
I did not feel it right to photo the garments inside
I learned that the colours were not dyed but were the natural colour of the wool. Needless to say very exclusive and expensive


A craft shop and tearoom 



Shops and houses all intermingled 



and this one obviously waiting for it's new owners





This crooked house is now a Tapestry gallery


The Greyhound Pub that sold the best 'takeaway' fish and chips I have ever tasted


A kind of 'allsorts' shop


The Swan Hotel (more on that in a later post)



















The Curiosity Corner Shop
That's 37 pictures so enough for one post I think
Do come back, there are many, many more to delight the eye and you certainly won't be disappointed with the Market Place


25 comments:

CherryPie said...

It looks like an amazing place to visit and it must have been wonderful to stay there.

Elizabethd said...

Sad to say, I have never been there. But what a beautiful place it is with those wonderful crooked houses leaning gently on one another.

Gracie Saylor said...

Very interesting, Barbara! I am off to look at a map. I am curious. How did the houses get to look so crooked?
Gracie x

Denise at Forest Manor said...

Hi Barbara,

This is such a picturesque village; you really captured the charm of the buildings in your photos. This is the England that I love -- the small villages. London was pretty and so impressive, but I just adore the little villages with their higgledy-piggledy shops and houses, and all the wonderful flowers. I would so love to travel there again one day.

Thanks for sharing -- will be looking forward to seeing the rest of your holiday photos.

Denise

Vee said...

Some of those buildings don't look structurally sound, though since they are allowed to stand, they must be. They really played tricks with my eyes.

The best fish and chips you've ever tasted? What made the difference I am curious to know.

Hope that the temps are moderating. The days are still very warm here, though the nights are cool and pleasant.

I'm mostly known as 'MA' said...

What a lovely place to visit and so much to see. Knowing how you love to stop for tea, it must have been hard to choose where. Any thing made with Alpaca wool here is very expensive and of course I always like what ever is the most costly the best. To date I don't own anything made of Alpaca wool. Will be looking forward to more of your pictures. As always!

Shane Pollard said...

Hello Barbara

I'm thrilled to read your post on Lavenham - such a beautiful old town brimming with history.

A nursing friend of mine was caring for an elderly lady there and we arranged to meet her for lunch at the historical Swan (where we ate outside and were attacked by wasps)!!!

We were on a trip from NZ and our timetable didn't allow us more than a day there, so it's wonderful for me to see your photos and learn more.
I remember buying a magazine on Suffolk which was lovely - it is one of my favourite parts of England.

Thank you Barbara
cheers
Shane in New Zealand

Cheri said...

I love everyone of these photos, the town looks so lovely!

Lorrie said...

What interesting architecture, Barbara. I love those crooked beams in the Tudor-style houses. (I think that's what it's called with the exposed beams). Lots of character.

It's hard to choose which photos to post sometimes, isn't it? We're currently on vacation in the Rockies and there are so many gorgeous views that I'm snapping photos constantly.

I hope your week is going well.

HOPE said...

Thank you.. I love it..love it all!

So quaint. I have always wanted to have a TEA HOUSE and QUILT shoppe together...perhaps..one day.

So glad your trigger finger is okay. I did get the cortizone shot..and it is much better. I think my Thyroid meds now working at night will also help heal.

I'd love for you to send me your home address. I will not publish. Would love to send you something from my home town. I'll include some postcards.

God bless you...take care..
HOPE

Annie Jeffries said...

Barbara! I'm wildly curious. WHAT is the deal with the crooked houses????? Too cool. So many of them. There has got to be a story.

Marigold Jam said...

It certainly looks a lovely place with all those pretty houses and tea shops especially when combined with wool!

Anonymous said...

There are a few crooked houses there! I was watching a programme about timber framed houses recently, how they 'settle' eventually. I wonder what the interiors look like, it must be a nightmare arranging furniture.
Suffolk has some very pretty houses though, and Lavenham is very picturesque.

Terri said...

I'm never disappointed with your posts, Barb. I do love our travels with you.
Hugs

Sara at Come Away With Me said...

Good to see you back here, Barbara. Your photos are all so interesting, and those crooked half-timbered buildings make me feel slightly dizzy! I notice that some of them have properly squared windows even though the facade looks like it might tumble away at any moment!

Willow said...

Wow, what a fascinating village. I know I'd love to stroll through all those knit shops. Yes, alpaca is a beautifl fiber and the various colors of the animals is extensive. I'm currently spinning a white alpace fleece.

La Petite Gallery said...

What a lovely village to stroll through. Why do they have all the outer timbers on some buildings? Is it for looks or is there a reason. I always wondered about Tutor homes. They go back to King Henry 14-16 century. I know they call it Wattle an Daub. It's the
outside timbers that give the look.
Fish and chips sound great.
yvonne

Anonymous said...

Fascinating! Thanks for the virtual tour!

Elizabeth said...

As ever, a most super visit to the old country.
I must say I love knitting in Alpaca --it feels so beautifully soft. But then I only knit hats!
Makes me want to rent a little cottage there for a week or so!
Best wishes to you both.

Anonymous said...

What a charming tour of a village in England. I love it and look forward to more. I continue to enjoy everything British. Mary

Lori Zehr said...

I was so intrigued by the wool shop! I spin alpaca and other wools and LOVE the natural, undyed colors! Wish I could shop there!

Gram said...

We visited England in April (I believe), 2000. We spent 2 days in Lavenham, staying at The Angel Hotel, before it was the Angel. The weather was fabulous while we were there - cool and crisp!
We had been in Nottingham prior to that, and had snow, sleet and extreme winds. We arrived in Nottingham, not knowing it was Mum's day. We had lunch at a pub, but the fish, chips and mushy peas were great! Also, a Pepsi with lemon and 2 ice cubes.
Your pictures bring back very warm memories! My cousin was a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, and spent a lot of time in England. She definitely recommended Lavenham, and I'm so glad she did!

Houseelf said...

What a wonderful place to stay! I got a jumper 2nd hand, made in Guatemala from Alpaca wool. It is lightweight but warmer than sheep wool.

I am looking forward to seeing more of this town. The list on that timber building is amazing. I wonder what happened to make it so severe.

Deanna said...

Really enjoyed this post with the charming cottages. You've captured a neat place to visit.
Felt like I was there.
God bless,
d

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