Lavenham

A medieval wool town of crooked timber-framed houses, one of the best preserved in England.

From King's Cross St Pancras: 2 h 29 min by train · 2 h 21 min by car

Travel times by TravelTime

Time there: 1.5–3 h to see all 3 places

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VillageArchitectureMuseums

Must-see places

Lavenham, St Peter and St. Paul's Church

Church of St Peter and St Paul

Church · A towering late Gothic church built from the wool merchants' wealth, standing alone on the hill above the village.

Guildhall of Corpus Christi

Museum · A National Trust museum in the timber-framed hall that once oversaw Lavenham's wool trade.

Little Hall

Museum · A late 14th-century hall house on the Market Place, now a small museum with a garden.

Quick facts

Lavenham grew rich on blue broadcloth, and when the money ran out the timber-framed houses were simply left standing, so streets of crooked medieval and Tudor buildings survive almost unchanged.

The Guildhall of Corpus Christi on the Market Place, built in 1529, is a National Trust museum with a woad garden, the old jail and a mummified cat.

The tower of the church of St Peter and St Paul, finished in 1525, is said to be the highest of any village church in Britain, and it can be seen across the fields for miles.

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