Every Picture Tells a Story     2019 Months

The Crooked Wood Framed House in Lavenham, Suffolk

 

The Crooked Houses Of England’s Lavenham

Everyone knows the nursery rhyme about the crooked man, his crooked cat and crooked mouse. They all are said to be living in a crooked house. This rhyme of the 1840’s about the crooked house is inspired from Lavenham, the finest medieval little town in England is located in south Suffolk, East Anglia, UK. The crooked houses are standing in Lavenham. While walking through the streets of Lavenham one can see half timbered brightly painted ancient houses which are crooked and leaning on each other. The houses are not only crooked from the outside, but also from the inside. The walls, windows and the floors of the houses are also crooked.  It is difficult for a person to walk in the house from one room to another.

The houses were not constructed this way on purpose, nor is there any architectural fault. There is no tradition in Lavenham of building crooked houses. The houses originally when built were straight. Lavenham was a rich and prosperous town in the 15th and the 16th century. It was famous for its high quality wool. This wool town started growing fast. By the end of the 15th century, Lavenham was one of the richest towns in the British Isles. With the fast growing town, many houses were built in haste with green timber. As the wood began to dry it started to twist and the house started to bend at different angles.

By then in Colchester, the Dutch refugees began producing cloth which was cheaper, lighter and trendier than Lavenham’s. The town’s business collapsed and the people at Lavenham lost their wealth. Lavenham’s families had no money to reconstruct their homes. The houses were left as they are crooked and leaning on one another.

High Street

High Street

High Street

Shilling Street

Little Hall

Water Street

Not sure where

Timber detail

Lavenham Guild Hall

The Rectory Inn

The back of the Swan

Lavenham Guild Hall under repair

Old Coach Inn on Water Street

High Street

Water Street

The Swan

High Street

High Street Gullfoss Waterfall

The side of the Swan

Corner of Water & Lady Streets

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All Photography by Philip Illingworth