This is one of the country’s best-preserved medieval towns.
This town has been frozen in time(Image: Cambridge News)
The UK has no shortage of amazing historical towns and villages. One in particular is famous for looking frozen in time after its primary industry collapsed, leaving the homes preserved as they looked in the 16th century.
Lavenham in Suffolk is one of the most important wool towns, and back in the 15th century, it was one of the wealthiest settlements in England thanks to the booming wool trade. Wealthy merchants built large, opulent homes in the town and used their cash to fund the late-Gothic Church of St Peter and St Paul.
However, in the late 16th century, the wool industry was decimated by cheap foreign imports and heavy taxation.
The formerly wealthy people of Lavenham saw their money disappear overnight, and people could no longer afford to rebuild or modernise their homes.
These same timber-framed Tudor homes have stood in place for centuries, untouched and now are an iconic sight on the town’s high street.
More than 300 of them are listed as historic structures, and hundreds lean at odd angles due to the warping of the timber over the years.
On Instagram, a visitor said: “This 1,000 year old village feels frozen in time!”
One of the must-sees of the village, aside from its history-lined streets, is the spectacular Lavenham Guildhall.
This 16th-century building is now managed and maintained by the National Trust.
Throughout the building there are displays you can read and admire which tell the story of the village through the centuries as well as the people who called it home.
As you wander through the town, keep an eye out for the famous Crooked House, thought to be the inspiration behind the nursery rhyme “There was a crooked man, who lived in a crooked house”.
Keen-eyed tourists might recognise the De Vere House on Water Street, which was used as a shooting location for the Harry Potter franchise.
Now, the house is a luxury accommodation where tourists can spend the night in four-poster beds, admiring the wooden beams that are an emblem of the style of architecture.