Introduction to Lavenham

106km (66 miles) NE of London; 56km (35 miles) SE of Cambridge

Once a great wool center, Lavenham is the classic Suffolk village, beautifully preserved today. It features a number of half-timbered Tudor houses washed in the characteristic Suffolk pink. The town's wool-trading profits are apparent in its guildhall, on the triangular main "square." Inside, exhibits on Lavenham's textile industry show how yarn was spun and then "dyed in the wool" with woad (the plant used by ancient Picts to dye themselves blue), following on to the weaving process. Another display shows how half-timbered houses were constructed.

The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, at the edge of Lavenham, has interesting carvings on the misericords and the chancel screen, as well as ornate tombs. This is one of the "wool churches" of the area, built by pious merchants in the Perpendicular style with a landmark tower.