Lavenham Guildhall
| Lavenham Guildhall | |
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National Trust | |
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| Grid reference: | TL916493 |
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Lavenham Guildhall is a Grade I listed, sixteenth-century timber-framed building in Lavenham in Suffolk. Just as the town is an utter delight to the eye, the Guildhall is one of its mediæval jewels.
History
By the late 15th century, Lavenham was at the centre of the East Anglian wool trade and had become one of the richest towns in England. In the midst of this prosperity, four guilds were established in the town by the local merchant families, of which the most important of these was the wool guild, known formally as the Guild of Corpus Christi.
The wool guild founded the Guildhall in 1529 on the town's thriving market place, and after the name of the guild, the hall was known as 'The Hall of the Guild of Corpus Christi'.[1] Given the dominance of the cloth and wool trade, this guildhall soon came to function as Lavenham's principal meeting place and centre of business.
With the decline of the wool trade and Lavenham's prosperity, the guildhall's role changed. By 1689, and until 1787, the guildhall was in use as the Bridewell (a rison and workhouse), and form 1787 continued as the town's workhouse.
The Guildhall was restored by Sir William Quilter around 1911 and in 1946 given to the people of Lavenham. In 1951 it became the property of the National Trust and is today open to the public.[2]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Lavenham Guildhall) |
- Lavenham Guildhall – National Trust
References
- ↑ The Buildings of England, Suffolk. Nikolaus Pevsner, Yale University Press ISBN 9780200096484
- ↑ http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lavenham-guildhall/