The Buildings of Kersey and Hadleigh

The village of Kersey, nestling deep in its own small vale, is one of those places that captures the essence of rural Suffolk. Medieval houses and cottages line the main street, climbing up steep slopes to either side of a ford. Children throw bread to the ducks. A thatcher works on a roof. Come here on a summer day and it is such a perfect scene that it is easy to forget that most of the locals have gone off to work in Ipswich and that the people you see are tourists.

This walk takes you across the fields from Kersey to Hadleigh, a historic market town full of interesting buildings. From the 14th to 16th centuries, Hadleigh was a centre of the wool trade, and many of the half-timbered merchants' houses along the High Street date from that time. Timber-framing was common in East Anglia, using oak from coppiced woods, with large uprights used to build the main frame and the spaces between the timbers filled with 'wattle' (smaller sticks bundled together with twine) and 'daub' (a mixture of mud and straw) before being coated with whitewash or lime. Even those houses that appear to have Georgian brick façades are often timber-framed underneath.

Another common feature of Suffolk architecture, both here and in the other wool towns, is pargeting. This involves decorating the façade of a house with ornamental plasterwork, often in the form of symbols. There are several fine examples along Hadleigh High Street. Although pargeting is generally associated with the 17th century, there has recently been a revival of interest in this East Anglian craft and it is starting to appear on houses once again.

In the churchyard at Hadleigh are three contrasting buildings, each constructed from a different material. St Mary's Church, like most Suffolk churches, is built of flint, though unusually it has a spire rather than a tower. The 14th-century Guildhall is timber-framed and has been used as a market hall, workhouse, grammar school and corset factory before finding its present use as the town hall and council chamber. On summer afternoons you can enjoy a cream tea in the walled garden.

The red-brick Deanery Tower of 1495, six storeys high and surmounted by turrets, was built for William Pykenham, Archdeacon of Suffolk and rector of Hadleigh, as the gateway for a planned manor house. In 1833 it was the setting for one of the first meetings of the Oxford Movement, that aimed to restore traditional Catholic values and ritual to the Church of England. The three buildings together form a surprisingly harmonious ensemble, and the same could be said of Kersey and Hadleigh as a whole.

What to look for

The pargeting above Randolph Antiques at 99 High Street, Hadleigh features the Tudor rose and the arms of Elizabeth I, as well as a golden lion.

Where to eat and drink

The Bell, beside the Splash in Kersey, is a medieval inn full of old-world character. Further up the street is another good pub, the White Horse. There are plenty of options on Hadleigh High Street, including cafés, pubs and the George Inn, a historic coaching inn.

While you're there

In summer, make sure to have tea in the gardens of Hadleigh Guildhall, open every day except Saturday. The Guildhall is run by the Hadleigh Market Feoffment Charity, who also offer guided tours of the historic building on Thursday and Sunday afternoons.