By the late 14th century, Lavenham was at the centre of the East Anglian woollen cloth trade.[2] Its specialised production of woad-dyed broadcloth, known as Lavenham Blue,[3] had made it one of the richest towns in England.[a] This wealth was the catalyst for four guilds being established in the town by the local merchant families: the most important of these was the Guild of Corpus Christi formed in 1529.[9] The guild established their guildhall at around that time; the design made extensive use of jettiedtimber framing and featured a gabled porch projecting from the centre of the building on the north-west elevation.[1]
With the decline of the woollen cloth trade and Lavenham's prosperity, the guildhall's role changed. By 1689, the guildhall was in use as a bridewell, and from 1787 it was used as a workhouse.[1] Prison cells and mortuary buildings were established in the area behind the guildhall in 1833.[7] In 1887, the guildhall was acquired by Sir Cuthbert Quilter, a local member of parliament. He soon started restoring the building, but this was only completed in around 1911.[1]
The building was used as a social club for American troops stationed nearby[10] and also as a British Restaurant during the Second World War and, in 1946, Sir William Quilter gave it to the people of Lavenham.[2] It became the property of the National Trust in 1951 and it was subsequently opened to the public as a local history museum.[11][12]
Inside the guildhall, in addition to exhibits presenting the evolution of the guildhall from cloth trade to workhouse, there is a display of memorabilia associated with Lavenham railway station, which was a stop on the Long Melford–Bury St Edmunds branch line before it closed in 1961.[7]
Notesedit
^One study ranked Lavenham as the fourteenth richest in the country based on the Lay Subsidy (i.e. tax revenue) of 1524,[4][5][6] while another ranked one of its residents, Thomas Spring of Lavenham, as the wealthiest commoner in England by the time of his death in 1523.[7][8]
^"A very crooked tea: the Crooked House, Lavenham". American Hour. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
^"Lavenham Guildhall". The National Trust. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
^"Have you visited these top 25 historic places in Norfolk and Suffolk?". Ipswich Star. 8 July 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
External linksedit
Lavenham Guildhall - National Trust
January 01, 1970
lavenham, guildhall, timber, framed, municipal, building, lavenham, suffolk, england, grade, listed, locationlavenham, suffolkcoordinates52, 1088, 7966, 1088, 7966built1529architectural, style, jettied, timber, framinglisted, building, grade, idesignated23, ja. Lavenham Guildhall is a timber framed municipal building in Lavenham Suffolk England It is Grade I listed 1 Lavenham GuildhallLocationLavenham SuffolkCoordinates52 06 32 N 0 47 48 E 52 1088 N 0 7966 E 52 1088 0 7966Built1529Architectural style s Jettied timber framingListed Building Grade IDesignated23 January 1958Reference no 1037186Location of Lavenham Guildhall in Suffolk Contents 1 History 2 Notes 3 References 4 External linksHistory editBy the late 14th century Lavenham was at the centre of the East Anglian woollen cloth trade 2 Its specialised production of woad dyed broadcloth known as Lavenham Blue 3 had made it one of the richest towns in England a This wealth was the catalyst for four guilds being established in the town by the local merchant families the most important of these was the Guild of Corpus Christi formed in 1529 9 The guild established their guildhall at around that time the design made extensive use of jettied timber framing and featured a gabled porch projecting from the centre of the building on the north west elevation 1 With the decline of the woollen cloth trade and Lavenham s prosperity the guildhall s role changed By 1689 the guildhall was in use as a bridewell and from 1787 it was used as a workhouse 1 Prison cells and mortuary buildings were established in the area behind the guildhall in 1833 7 In 1887 the guildhall was acquired by Sir Cuthbert Quilter a local member of parliament He soon started restoring the building but this was only completed in around 1911 1 The building was used as a social club for American troops stationed nearby 10 and also as a British Restaurant during the Second World War and in 1946 Sir William Quilter gave it to the people of Lavenham 2 It became the property of the National Trust in 1951 and it was subsequently opened to the public as a local history museum 11 12 Inside the guildhall in addition to exhibits presenting the evolution of the guildhall from cloth trade to workhouse there is a display of memorabilia associated with Lavenham railway station which was a stop on the Long Melford Bury St Edmunds branch line before it closed in 1961 7 Notes edit One study ranked Lavenham as the fourteenth richest in the country based on the Lay Subsidy i e tax revenue of 1524 4 5 6 while another ranked one of its residents Thomas Spring of Lavenham as the wealthiest commoner in England by the time of his death in 1523 7 8 References edit a b c d Historic England The Guildhall Grade I 1037186 National Heritage List for England Retrieved 12 July 2014 a b History of Lavenham Guildhall The National Trust Retrieved 26 January 2020 Hundreds of visitors expected at Colours to Dye For weekend in west Suffolk Sudbury Mercury 14 July 2018 Retrieved 21 August 2020 Betterton Alex 1 January 1995 The Guildhall Lavenham History Today Retrieved 21 August 2020 Hoskins William George 2015 Local History in England Routledge ISBN 978 1138835924 The tiny Suffolk village that was once among the richest places in England The Telegraph 26 June 2020 Retrieved 21 August 2020 a b c Lavenham Guildhall An exceptional medieval building in Suffolk Archaeology Travel Retrieved 21 August 2020 Walker Greg 1988 John Skelton and the Politics of the 1520s Cambridge Cambridge University Press p 112 ISBN 9780521521390 Pevsner Nikolaus March 1974 The Buildings of England Suffolk Yale University Press ISBN 978 0300096484 A very crooked tea the Crooked House Lavenham American Hour 5 October 2016 Retrieved 21 August 2020 Lavenham Guildhall The National Trust Retrieved 21 August 2020 Have you visited these top 25 historic places in Norfolk and Suffolk Ipswich Star 8 July 2017 Retrieved 21 August 2020 External links editLavenham Guildhall National Trust Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lavenham Guildhall amp oldid 1137254558, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
