Set in the picturesque Market Place is the Guildhall of Corpus Christi, built in 1529 by a wealthy religious guild, this building is one of the loveliest timber-framed buildings in the country. Inside you can learn all about the people, industries and events that have shaped this village throughout time.
The exhibitions have been cleverly created using the eyes and voices of those who worked, lived and were imprisoned here. Their stories will surprise and shock you.
Reading through the reports of these people was sobering. And you could almost feel the ghosts whispering around you.
The Bridewell Rules
It is ordered that every strong and sturdy rogue at his or her first entrance into the said house shall have twelve stripes upon his bare skin with the said whip
Life was hard if you were poor. And even harder if you were orphaned.
Among the real life stories featured in the exhibition is the tale of Ann Baker, who was imprisoned in the Guildhall when it was used as a prison in the 1780’s. Aged just 8-years-old, Ann was whipped and kept locked inside with others who had fallen foul of the sometimes harsh laws of the time. She was later sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia, then a penal colony, for being ‘an incorrigible rogue’. She died at just 29.
I could have spent a long time looking through the records, but I moved on to the rest of the museum. And outside to the courtyard Dye Garden where the beds are planted with dye plants including woad which was used to make Lavenham’s famous blue cloth.
And at the back of the building is the Cemetery Chapel Bell which was moved from the chapel turret in 1979 for fear of the structure collapsing. The Lavenham bell is only one of eleven Goslin chapel bells that is known to survive. Cast in copper and tin in 1896. Relatives would pay the sexton a shilling to have the bell tolled for 30 minutes in honour of the memory of the deceased.
And the Harry Potter connection? Lavenham Guildhall was transformed into Harry Potter’s parents’ derelict house for the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
TRAVEL WORDS 
Museums that are interactive and bring characters to life are so interesting. They really bring history to life. The guild hall is wonderful.
We enjoyed it. We don’t often go inside places like this, especially on a lovely sunny day as it was, but we were intrigued by the displays.
Harsh times indeed! A fascinating look at our history, Jude. And lovely to see this wonderful building so well preserved today.
Best wishes, Pete. x
Being poor has never been easy has it?
Now this looks like some good history telling, Jude, in and in one of the finest buildings too.
A lovely building and a very interesting museum. I could have spent much longer perusing the notes.
For whom the bell tolls? It’s a nice old thing. I’d sooner be out in the garden than with all those poor suffering souls. Sobering is right! Speaking of which, I’m off to drown my sorrows on a ‘Christmas’ luncheon with our walking group. A non Christmas menu 🙂 🙂
Take it steady with the wine then 🙂
Well, I suppose we don’t beat paupers these days but some social attitudes seem to have changed only in degree! Looks like a very well made exhibition and, on a cheerier note, a lovely garden.
I discovered an even better garden later on in the trip, this needed some TLC, but I was interested to see the natural dye connection.
How sad that children were imprisoned for trying to escape lives of misery and poverty. What a great museum that keeps these stories alive.
Those ‘good old days’ weren’t all good.
This is super fascinating. As a kid, history of any kind was a hardship; now I l.o.v.e. it. 🙂
Thanks for these interesting facts. 🙂 ❤
I have always loved history, but we spent ages on the Industrial Revolution when I would have preferred to hear about the Medieval period.
We spent forever on Vikings and Eric the Red in early days of school. I thought they were boring then. Not anymore. 😀
We did motte and bailey castles! I’d have loved to have known more about the Vikings as I was born in a part of the country which was invaded (Yorkshire) and, as a consequence, has villages and towns with Viking names.
Thanks for this – again – interesting post!
I was thinking much the same as Anabel. Lovely post; history at its best.
Thank you Su 🙂
What a horrendous story of Ann Baker, my granddaughter is 8.
The dye garden is lovely to see on this dark windy day.
It wasn’t a great time to be a child was it? I vividly remember being horrified reading the Water Babies when I was young. Mindst you I think we have gone a bit too far the other way now, when ‘children’ stay at home well into their twenties even going on family holidays still!