Fabulous Folklore: The Crooked House

This is The Crooked House in Lavenham, Suffolk. It dates back to 1395, and it is believed that it is the inspiration behind the old folk poem:

“There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all liv’d together in a little crooked house.”

The Crooked House has been used as a gallery and by an arts, history and antiques outfit. It is also used for filming and events.

I don’t live in Suffolk any more, but I really miss visiting Lavenham. It is considered to be Britain’s best preserved medieval village, and was East Anglia’s most famous wool town. As such, tiny Lavenham was once Britain’s 14th richest town, and among the twenty most wealthy settlements in the medieval period. Lavenham has a rich cultural heritage, and is known worldwide as a film location for Harry Potter.

There are other beautiful buildings to see here - the Guildhall, Molet House (which has a five pointed star in the doorway), and the Old Grammar School. De Vere House, another incredible building, was the home of Elizabeth Scrope, Countess of Oxford. She was the second wife of John de Vere, 13th earl of Oxford, and was tried and then held under house arrest for Witchcraft in 1473.

Would you live in this house? What’s your favourite place to visit?

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