Suffolk villages Part 2 Lavenham

When towns fall on hard times they are can be well preserved.   Lavenham is one such town that saw great prosperity from wool in Medieval times but had nothing else to fall back on and so is preserved in aspic.   However one can, if one has space on one's phone, download the Love Lavenham App from the wifi phone kiosk in the high street.  So it's really quite up to date.  Obviously there are some 18th century and more modern houses but the medieval street pattern remains.  So inspiring was the sunshine and the black and white houses, although some were painted in traditional pigments such as Suffolk Pink (made with waste blood) that I decided to black and white the pictures too.   Not all the buildings were black and white, some, no doubt inspired by Mexico were a bright orange.   Some others were a deep shade of crimson.   All were very photogenic.  There was a vintage car rally taking place on the day with lots of pre-war Morris cars thundering along the Suffolk lanes.   Combined with medieval buildings these went very well in pin sharp black and white.

vintage car

Lavenham guildhall is the property of the National Trust and is splendid. The New Hall Museum is also splendid There is a fine market cross too. All these buildings bring the past to life Lavenham Church of St Peter and St Paul is well worth seeing. It has all you would expect in a wool church with parclose screens and miseriecords all of the very finest quality.
I could have spent a lot more time in Lavenham.