Guildhall (Lavenham)
The picturesque timber framed Guildhall is in the outstanding Suffolk town of Lavenham.
It stands in the Market Place, which, like that at Saffron Walden not far away in Essex, is close to, but hidden from, the main street.
The hall was the Guildhall of the Guild of Corpus Christi, a part religious and part commercial guild. It dates from the Tudor period, in the 16th century.
It is an outstanding building, with timbers left in their natural colour, as opposed to the black and white tradition of the Wet Midlands.
Over the centuries, the Guildhall has been used as Town Hall, prison, County Bridewell and House of Correction, workhouse and wool store.
The Guildhall is now owned by the National Trust, and is open to visitors. There is a gift shop and a very pleasant tea room.