Back to Blogs
Discover
10 Things You May Not know About Lavenham
Discover some lesser known facts about Lavenham, one of the best-preserved medieval villages in England, that you may find surprising...
1. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was written by a Lavenham author
![Shilling Grange Postcard 965x540](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Full-Width-Images/Shilling-Grange-Postcard-965x540.jpg?w=965&h=543&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1656506170&s=c500618e41c388f13b3abf6e01594228)
One of England's most famous lullabies was written by Jane Taylor who lived in Lavenham.
It’s formal title is The Star, and it’s thought to have been inspired by the Taylor family’s time at Shilling Old Grange in Lavenham. Jane and her siblings were educated at home by their parents, and Jane, having been taught astronomy, would stare at the night sky from the window of the room she shared with her sister Ann.
Jane went on to write numerous books and poems, mostly featuring ordinary children in rural settings but sadly died when she was only 40.
2. Hundreds of buildings in Lavenham are listed including a phone box!
Photograph by Tom Soper
Lavenham is one of the best-preserved medieval villages in England and has a whopping 321 listed buildings, including the village phone box. The phone box is now a WiFi hub for visitors.
3. John Lennon and Yoko Ono shot a film in Lavenham in the 60s
![John Lennon in Lavenham EADT cutting 965x540](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Full-Width-Images/John-Lennon-in-Lavenham-EADT-cutting-965x540.jpg?w=965&h=543&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1656507783&s=2c22ca344ac154680c8f9dae732b6a31)
Featuring a giant hot air balloon, John Lennon and Yoko Ono visited Lavenham in 1969 to make the short film Apotheosis with filming on the village’s snow-covered Market Place.
Accompanying them was a BBC film crew shooting what would become the documentary The World of John and Yoko.
4. Artist John Constable went to school in Lavenham
![John Constable The Hay Wain 1821 965x540](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Full-Width-Images/John_Constable_-_The_Hay_Wain_1821-965x540.jpg?w=965&h=543&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1656505658&s=6596a31b983d2372df321acf8e33a6a2)
The Hay Wain by John Constable
Artist John Constable, known for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home — now known as ‘Constable Country’, went to school in Lavenham.
He was a student at the Old Grammar School in Barn Street along with his friend Jane Taylor, whose poem The Star became the nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
5. Members of the second richest family in England lived in Lavenham
Photograph by Rebecca Bacon
Members of the De Vere family lived in Lavenham and were the second richest family in the county, after the king, in medieval times. King Henry VII visited the family in Lavenham in 1498, to take part in a day’s hunting.
It is said that he fined a Lavenham wool merchant, because he was displaying more wealth than the King. The family’s home in Lavenham, De Vere House can be found in Water Street.
The house was featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Forming part of Godric's Hollow it can be seen opposite a fictional graveyard with a Christmas tree in the window.
6. Lavenham's parish church is one of the largest in England
Photograph by Tom Soper
Bankrolled by the wealthy cloth merchant families, particularly the Springs and the De Veres, St Peter and St Paul Church in Lavenham with its 141ft flint tower dominates the village skyline.
It is one of the largest churches in England with its coffered roof, graceful arches, columns and aisles, and Perpendicular style architecture.
7. The painter Alfred Munnings judged Lavenham Horse Show in the 50s
![A Suffolk Horse Fair Lavenham 1901 965x540](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Full-Width-Images/A-Suffolk-Horse-Fair-Lavenham.-1901-965x540.jpg?w=965&h=543&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1656506419&s=6723de39158ba39f65e4430b561643b3)
Sir Alfred James Munnings, who is known as one of England's finest painters of horses, used to judge the local Lavenham Horse Show in the 1950s. His famous painting entitled ‘Horse Fair, Lavenham’ hangs at Munnings Museum in Dedham.
8. The first station commander of the US Army Air Force at RAF Lavenham became a Hollywood screenwriter
![Beirne Lay 965x540](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Full-Width-Images/Beirne_Lay-965x540.jpg?w=965&h=543&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1656506603&s=f159a1e26903d77cba6efc7065256869)
Co-author and screenwriter of the 1949 Hollywood blockbuster film ‘Twelve O’Clock High’, Beirne Lay Jr., was the first station commander of the US Army Air Force at RAF Lavenham (US Station 137) during WWII. ‘Twelve O’Clock High’ starred Gregory Peck.
9. Roman remains were unearthed in the Lavenham area by Channel 4’s ‘Time Team’
Time Team's visit to Lavenham
Time Team visited Lavenham in 1995 to try and uncover why a Lavenham farmer has been finding hundreds of Roman artefacts in one of his fields.
The Channel 4 programme presented by Tony Robinson discovered a Roman field system established in the early part of the Roman occupation and only abandoned a little before they left.
10. Queen Boadicea Once Travelled Through Lavenham
Queen Boadicea, a queen of the British Celtic Iceni tribe who led an uprising against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61, travelled through Lavenham with her army on their way to fight the Roman settlers in Camulodunum (Colchester).
Related Blogs
![New Sightseeing PedalCab Rides Launched to Delight Visitors to Bury St Edmunds this Summer](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Burys-Best-By-Bike-hero-1500x390.jpg?w=1500&h=390&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.3452&fp-y=0.4554&dm=1720602549&s=814b3f5f48806e5afcf2bd8f57c054c0)
News
New Sightseeing PedalCab…
Join Ecocarriers Bury St Edmunds for a Bury's Best, By…
![Suffolk Regiment Museum Re-Opens After Refurbishment](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Suffolk-Regiment-Museum-1500x390.jpg?w=1500&h=390&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&dm=1716203507&s=aec4996d833c7315db7ed48dbad7bdf7)
News
Suffolk Regiment Museum…
The Suffolk Regiment Museum has reopened its doors to…
![Cathedral Launches Three Gins](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Cathedral-Gin-hero-1500x390.jpg?w=1500&h=390&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&dm=1717754453&s=4d2797b7141938e175158fdc52964150)
News
Cathedral Launches Three Gins
St Edmundsbury Cathedral has partnered with Heart of…
![New Film on Suffolk Regiment's Battles in Normandy](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Suffolk-Regiment-Badges-1500x390.jpg?w=1500&h=390&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&dm=1717578362&s=c187288ff44c72e87a9f1e53cb84660d)
News
New Film on Suffolk…
The Bloodiest Square Mile film - a tribute to all the…
![Suffolk Regiment Museum in 10 Objects](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Suffolk-Regiment-Museum-Hero-1500x390.jpg?w=1500&h=390&auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&dm=1716206171&s=163633d468f598315fd297e293b9d105)
News
Suffolk Regiment Museum in 10…
From a teddy bear to a chocolate box and a fan to a…
Latest news
News
Bury St Edmunds Parks awarded Green Flag Status!
Bury St Edmunds Parks awarded Green Flag status!
![Burys Best By Bike hero 1500x390](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Burys-Best-By-Bike-hero-1500x390.jpg?w=728&h=376&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.3452&fp-y=0.4554&dm=1720602549&s=9a9a607225afcb57e27b70aed3143ca2)
News
New Sightseeing PedalCab Rides Launched to Delight Visitors to Bury St Edmunds this Summer
Join Ecocarriers Bury St Edmunds for a Bury's Best, By Bike PedalCab rides around the town's iconic historic sights!
![Abbey gardens hero 1500x390 2024](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Abbey-gardens-hero-1500x390-2024.jpg?w=728&h=376&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1720702975&s=6175c66b51bf48449190bb1b2d89b1c9)
News
Abbey Gardens in Top 20 Most Visited Free Attractions in England and Top in the East of England
The historic Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds with the ruins of the Abbey of St Edmund is in the Top 20 most visited free attractions in England and the top free attraction in the East of…
News
Unmissable Events for Families this Summer
Whether you're heading here for a summer holiday or simply looking for a fun day out, these unmissable family events and activities are sure to keep everyone entertained!
![Theatre in The Park hero image 1500x390](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Theatre-in-The-Park-hero-image-1500x390.jpg?w=728&h=376&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1720428255&s=a499c13c9b8a61672deeb0e8b804fcbc)
News
Get Ready for Theatre in The Parks This Summer
The popular outdoor theatre season returns for 2024 with a new programme of performances in the beautiful Abbey Gardens and West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village.
![Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides 1500x390](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Bury-St-Edmunds-Tour-Guides-1500x390.jpg?w=728&h=376&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1705586876&s=862b6e66ef83e0437ac2329bae7af599)
News
Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides in the top 10% of attractions worldwide
Reviews of Bury St Edmunds Tour Guides via Tripadvisor have resulted in them being rated in the top 10% attractions worldwide, classing them as a winner in the Travellers’ Choice Awards for 2024.
![Suffolk Regiment Museum 1500x390](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Suffolk-Regiment-Museum-1500x390.jpg?w=728&h=376&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1716203507&s=bddc78c644c3d3ae7bcf76dd9a646667)
News
Suffolk Regiment Museum Re-Opens After Refurbishment
The Suffolk Regiment Museum has reopened its doors to visitors after an eight-month long refurbishment.
![Pickwick Afternoon Tea 1500x390](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Pickwick-Afternoon-Tea-1500x390.jpg?w=728&h=376&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&crop=focalpoint&fp-x=0.485&fp-y=0.5262&dm=1718272069&s=a600ffc1b248685e08a90eb5030ab358)
News
The Angel Hotel Launches a new Dickens-themed themed afternoon tea experience
The Angel Hotel launches new themed afternoon tea experience based on the life & works of Charles Dickens.
![Cathedral Gin hero 1500x390](https://bury-stedmunds.transforms.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Main-Images/Cathedral-Gin-hero-1500x390.jpg?w=728&h=376&q=95&auto=format&fit=crop&dm=1717754453&s=49cc6a4596077ef8a04159bf9e6f6d67)
News
Cathedral Launches Three Gins
St Edmundsbury Cathedral has partnered with Heart of Suffolk Distillery to produce three Cathedral-inspired gins.