Lavenham
the village that looks like it's melting
England's best preserved medieval village. A wonky timber-framed high street that looks like it is melting, all free to wander.
Free to visit · Lavenham · Suffolk · Liverpool St → Sudbury + bus · CO10 9QZ
Lavenham got rich on wool six hundred years ago and then time forgot it, which is exactly why it is so lovely. The crooked timber-framed houses lean at impossible angles and the whole village is free to walk around and gawp at.
The Guildhall on the market square is the one ticketed building, but the streets, the church and the surrounding Suffolk lanes are all free. It is a little fiddly to reach by rail and bus, and that is half the reason it stays so unspoiled.
Getting there from London: Liverpool Street to Sudbury, 1h40 + bus (change at Marks Tey), advance singles from £20 each way. The village and its crooked streets are free. Only the train and the last bus cost anything.
Getting there: Train to Sudbury via Marks Tey, then a short local bus to Lavenham. Check the bus times before you set off as they are not frequent.
Best time to go: Midweek to have the timber-framed streets to yourself. Spring and autumn light flatters the old oak beams.
Official site: https://www.visitsuffolk.com/lavenham
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