Timber framed houses in the High Street at Lavenham, Suffolk, England, UK, include (left) no. 6, built in the 1400s or 1500s with twin gables, and (right) 7-9, The Crooked House, built circa 1395 as part of a medieval hall house, probably for a wealthy wool merchant. Its front gable leans dramatically to the left and is said to have inspired the old nursery rhyme starting: "There was a crooked man, he walked a crooked mile ....".
Lavenham, Suffolk, England, UK: two of the oldest and most picturesque timber framed properties in this showpiece former medieval wool and cloth town stand together in the High Street. No. 6 (left) was built in the 15th or 16th century with a jettied upper storey resting on exposed joists, and twin pointed gables now enhanced by bargeboards. Nos. 7-9 (right), The Crooked House, is older, dating from about 1395. It was built as part of a medieval hall house, probably for a wealthy wool merchant. The jettied upper storey of the Crooked House leans dramatically to the left and it is said to have inspired the 'Crooked Man' English nursery rhyme: "There was a crooked man, he walked a crooked mile, he found a crooked six-pence upon a crooked stile; He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse and they all lived together in a little Crooked House." Lavenham was once an important manufacturing and trading centre, with demand for its Lavenham Blue broadcloth making it one of England's richest towns, paying more tax than either Lincoln or York. In the 15th century, merchant clothiers were drawn to Lavenham and the town's prosperity then is shown by the size and grandeur of buildings such as its Gothic church, the Wool Hall of 1464, and the Guildhall of Corpus Christi, one of England's finest timber framed buildings. Lavenham is one of Britain's best preserved medieval settlements, with well over 300 buildings of architectural and historic importance. Ironically, this is partly due to the fact that it fell on hard times after its weavers moved to nearby Colchester. Its residents could no longer keep up with the latest architectural styles, and in the Georgian and Victorian eras, few could afford new house fronts. Many 'outmoded' medieval facades therefore survived.
Size: 2832px × 4256px
Location: Lavenham, Suffolk, England, UK.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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