NEWS of the WEEK

LAVENHAM, SUFFOLK, ENGLAND:

Elder Gary and Sister LaLeene Ricks, another senior couple from Rexburg, Idaho who have been assigned as reactivation missionary to the Ipswich area of England London Mission, invited us up to take a tour with them of the area.  We hopped bus, tube and train and it took us 2 hours from our flat to the Ipswich Train Station where they picked us up.  They have a car so this was  a real treat for us.  Also a treat -- getting out of London and into the countryside of England that is so beautiful and peaceful, with its rolling hills, even in the wintertime.

The first place we went was to Lavenham, and this is where we spent most of our time.  Lavenham is north and east of London.  It is a small hamlet-town dating back to about 700 AD, and was a wool-growing/ship-building town up to the 19th century, when it was unable to compete with the larger cities such as Liverpool and Birmingham.  The above photograph is of THE SWAN HOTEL and RESTAURANT.  It was wonderful go inside and tour some of the rooms, to see the huge fireplaces and the "mind your head" low/small doorways, and to see all the wood beams and curving staircase to the guest rooms upstairs.  It's a renovated 5*hotel and restaurant.  Posh, as they say here.  Although the buildings and central rooms retain their "old world" charm [thank goodness!], the guest rooms are very "posh" and modern, with up-to-date bathrooms and beautiful linens and king-sized beds.

Most people are drawn to this attractive Suffolk town by the half-timbered medieval cottages.  In England, a cottage can be large or small and most likely has at least 2 floors.  There are some Tudor buildings as well.  The old, original houses and shops in Lavenham have been well preserved.  Many have been given a brick support floor, but none of the buildings were built with solid foundations, only with wood, and that wood was green oak.  If the wood had been left to dry it would not have been workable with the tools they had at the time.  Mansions are mixed with simple cottages, many with crooked beams and pink or yellow painted exteriors.

The older buildings are centered around the market place.  There is a 16th century Guildhall building that now houses a tea room and shop, and in the town center is an earlier-dated market "cross."  The market cross [below] was the scene of bear-baiting contests during the late medieval and Tudor periods.

The Guildhall [16th century] is now owned by the National Trust, and houses a permanent local history exhibition, a tea room [and there are a LOT of tea rooms in Lavenham!], and a gift shop & bookstore.

One of the most appealing and interesting aspects of this medieval town and its buildings is the shape of the buildings [or lack of straight walks and chimneys and roofs!]. One wonders while strolling through the cobblestoned streets how some buildings can remain standing! There are also an assortment of thatched-roof cottages.  We can admire what people of other times and cultures can make using the materials and tools and information they had at the time.  Here are some samples of the charming cottages in Lavenham.

During the Middle Ages Lavenham was a thriving centre of English wool trade, and the prosperous wood merchants are responsible for most of Lavenham's memorable buildings, including the Parish Church, or the church dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, quoted as "perhaps the finest 'wool church' in the land.  The glory of the church is the rich carving, both interior and exterior.  Inside are two 'Parclose' screens, completed in 1525 to enclose tombs" of generous benefactors.  The tower is of knapped flint and rises 141 feet, making it the tallest in Suffolk.  

From Lavenham we drove through golden rolling agriculture fields to a small town or villege named Kersey, where we spotted a building of red stone constructed in 1490 and named on a sign above the front door, Ye Olde Brick House.  Kersey is a small picturesque village about 2.5 miles northwest of Hadleigh.  Without the cars parked or driving through town we could almost imagine ourselves slipping back 500 years:

We had lunch in a nice pub/restaurant called "The Cock."  Don had his first sampling of Yorkshire Pudding, which is more like a roll or muffin and nothing like pudding at all.

At the end of our day we drove through the small town of Mistley, where there is a sea inlet, lots of boats, and home to wild swans that we fed . . . and even got close enough to pet a few:

It was a wonderful day and, although we enjoy and are grateful for all of our modern conveniences and transportation options, it was a lot of fun to travel back in England's time to medieval times and to learn enough to appreciate more than just what we see in today's big cities.  We hope to travel more during our stay in England:  next up?  A possible trip to Dover, Kent; Deal; and Canterbury -- still in our mission, southeast of London.

P.S.  We strolled between some buildings and found ???  Do you know what it is?  Your guess is as good as ours!!!