As mentioned in our last blog post, a follower on Instagram had recommended somewhere for us to visit. They said we would love it and they were not wrong!! That place was Lavenham, once the 14th richest town in Tudor England.
Fresh from our visit to Framlingham Castle, our historical juices were all fired up. We couldn’t wait to get to Lavenham and continue indulging in our passion for the past.
Driving in to the village, I went in to excitement overdrive. It was just rows and rows of quirky, timber framed buildings. Not a straight line in sight *swoon*
From the window…to the wall
As we drove through the village to find the car park, I was mesmerised by the casement windows and projecting upper stories. I can’t explain it but there is something about seeing the crooked houses and knowing that they have been standing for 100’s of years that fascinates me.
The things that have happened in them, the people throughout the years that have lived there. The fact that I am lucky enough to have real, surviving artefacts from one of my favourite periods of history that I get to go and see!
Plenty of room at the Inn
We did an evening ‘reccy’ to go and check out the parking for the next day. The recommendation to come here also came with a What 3 Words location for the car park which was really helpful (https://w3w.co/shuttled.purest.dabbled).
The car park was perfect, we fit nicely in two spaces and it wasn’t busy that evening so we were able to go and have a little walk around. We were loving what we saw and couldn’t wait to come back the next day and properly explore.
Rise and shine
We went off to find a park up for that night and went back first thing the next day. We chilled out in the car park in all honesty to start with, having our breakfast and morning coffee. Because the car park was still not very busy, and free, it was the perfect opportunity to get a little work done.
Jon took the girls out for a walk around the car park and on the green whilst I did that. It will never get boring seeing peoples faces when they spot Jon walking a Cat!
Work and chores done, it was time to hit the town! We were getting hungry and we didn’t realise we had chilled out a tad too long. It was approaching lunch time so the logical thing to do was to hit the tea room first!
Vintage Blue for Two
We had spotted a tea room called the Lavenham Blue Vintage Tea Room (WTW: https://w3w.co/relations.hotdog.standard) the previous night and did what any normal person does. Looked up the menu and opening hours online that evening and decided what we were having.
The tea room is owned by a lady called Amanda. She converted the downstairs half of her 15th Century timber framed Cottage in to the tea room. I was gutted we were not allowed inside due to Covid restrictions, although that just means a return journey is in order.
The garden is also a useable space for the tea room so we were able to dine at the tea room still. We were hoping that there would be a table free and as fate would have it, there was one left when we turned up. Perfect!
Its all about the presentation
I had a salmon and cream cheese bagel and Jon had doorstop tuna sandwiches and they were amazing!! The most perfectly executed sandwiches we’ve ever seen.
For me, the accompanying cream cheese was delicately served on what looked like a Chinese style rice spoon, as were the capers. It was actually the first time I have ever tried capers and I have to say, they were delicious! My bagel was toasted to perfection and the coleslaw was served in a tiny Kilner type jar.
I almost felt bad for ruining the display but I was starving and it all looked so good, I didn’t hesitate for too long.
Jon’s Doorstop sandwich was served in a similar fashion with the tiny jar of ‘slaw and accompanying crisps and side salad. They weren’t kidding when they said it was a doorstop sandwich, we could have used it to block the wheels to stop the van rolling I’m sure!
Our server told us that the bread comes from the artisan bakery 3 doors down. A traditional, family run business that has been in Lavenham since 1952. You could definitely tell it had all been baked fresh and by people who know what they are doing!
The proof is in the pudding
Stuffed from our lunch but of course wanting a pudding, we opted for Chocolate cake and Lemon Drizzle cake. The presentation was nothing short of beautiful, same as the mains.
My two tier chocolate fudge cake came with a tiny jar of chocolate ice cream. There was also a matching miniature spoon to serve it with so yet again I was swooning. For anyone that doesn’t know, I (Tash) absolutely love miniatures.
I digress. Jon’s lemon drizzle cake came with a sorbet, again served in a lovely little glass with matching spoon to serve. The cakes were also really tasty.
It’s a hard life supporting local. We just make it look easy.
Freshly baked, heavenly caked
We wanted to walk off our lunch and have a stroll around the village but made it all of 3 doors down to the afore mentioned bakery. Jon wanted to continue his support of local, independent businesses so went in to ‘see what they had’.
With his second cake of the afternoon, we continued our walk. We didn’t have to get far to see the incredible buildings we were here for. In fact, we only had to turn around.
The spectacular Lavenham Guildhall is across the square from Sparling and Faiers bakers. I should mention the bakery itself is also a beautiful timber frame building with salmon pink masonry. We really were being spoilt here!
Lavenham in the Limelight
The Guildhall is certainly a sight to behold. This Grade I listed building has been at the heart of the village for nearly 500 years. It is in the care of the National Trust now and sadly, was closed when we visited. Just another reason to come back. *shame*
Fun Fact; The Guildhall and other parts of Lavenham were the setting for Godric’s Hollow in the Harry Potter film franchise. (See it in our last vlog). It was also the location of the graveyard that Harry and Hermione visit in Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows film to see the resting places of Harry’s parents.
De Vere house, which we came across later on our walk, was also used in the film. Different parts of the house were also cut and pasted to make up the whole of Godric’s Hollow!
Friendly locals
As we continued mooching around, we noticed that some of the locals were coming out of their houses as we were taking pictures. They were all perfectly pleasant though and it was so lovely that they clearly like sharing their beautiful homes with others.
One gentleman even stopped to chat and asked us if we were enjoying Lavenham. He was telling us about some of the good places to eat (we informed him that Lavenham Blue Vintage Tea room was our first stop!) and made us feel really welcome in the village.
One for the Road
As we wound down our visit, we stopped in at one of the little shops opposite the magnificent Swan Hotel. It was a sweet shop (I can’t remember the name!) that also sold ice creams and drinks in glass bottles!
Jon ended up with an ice cream because he was peckish as it had been about an hour since he last ate. What I didn’t realise was that he also bought some sweets that he snuck back to the van.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Lavenham and will definitely be back again. The Salmon and cream cheese bagel was enough on its own to tempt us back let alone the attractions that were yet to open. We can’t wait to see what secrets from the past those amazing buildings have to share with us when we return!
What a lovely place ! , I feel that I am there with you 😀 , I love reading your blog 😊 x
Aww thank you!! I wish I could take you to these places with me as there are some I know you would love. For now though, I’m glad I can share it with you x