Lavenham Guildhall is located in the beautiful little village of timber-framed medieval buildings, Lavenham in Suffolk. Lavenham was one of the wealthiest towns in Tudor England, and the building is a museum of information about some of the people who are associated with the building with some rooms open for display. Unfortunately, there was only one guide giving information about the building and answering questions from people, so I did not get a good introduction of the building.
Lavenham was the centre of the wool trade of East Anglia, and its special was a broadcloth known as Lavenham Blue. Due to its wealth, there were four guilds in the town, and the Guild of Corpus Christi (known as Lavenham Guildhall today), founded in 1529, was the most important.
Burn marks and symbols burnt into the wooden beams (above the fire place) promise to ward off evil and fires. There is also a deceased cat in a case, which was found in the walls. Placing cats in the walls is thought to have also warded off evil and witches.
After the decline of the wool trade, the guildhall was used as a workhouse. Prison and mortuary buildings were set up in the grounds behind the guildhall. It was purchased in 1911 for social use. During the World War, the building was used as a social club for American troops, and it was a restaurant in the second World War. The owner gifted it to the community in 1946, and it became managed by National Trust in 1951.
One of the upstairs rooms contains information about the Lavenham railway station, which closed in 1961.
There are several timber-framed Tudor houses in Lavenham.
Lavenham has a cafe, shop, and bookshop and is worth a visit.
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