Grandma's England Journal - Day Four

4/3/92:

Cloudy and threatening rain so we decided to try to see Cambridge and maybe Lavenham.

Started out about 9:30. En route we decided to try Lavenham. Drove around the by-pass for Cambridge, thru rural land with many sheep grazing. It is lambing time and almost as many little black faced creatures as full size. Lynne drove into the town and parked just around the corner of the Swan Hotel -- on Water Street! Unknowingly we were on the street of the famous weavers cottages. Built in 14th and 15th century they have remained unmodernized, intact, tho they now contain small shops. All are half-timbered.

We walked up High street to get better shot of the "Crooked House", to have tea/coffee and find some facilities. We found a quaint little tea room (also a B&B). Excellent sandwiches, soup and I had to try a scone. Unexpectedly it was like sweet short biscuit as for shortcake.

From the host, who served us, we got lots of bits of information - like so many buildings were pink because they used blood added to milk paint for color. The plaster walls were -originally, at least- made of a mix of straw and cow manure! He advised us up the street to an alley that led to the marketplace. The marketplace was a square with shops on three sides and the Weavers Guild Hall on the fourth, with Lady St. leading back to Water St. In the marketplace, a one-time tailor's shop had film, postcards and souvenirs. The little old lady explained the low counter as "just long enough for the measure of material to make a man's suit." It had been in her family for 200 years, she having recently inherited it from her brother. Also she told me, a greenhouse with tropical plants, mostly from Africa. She said her brother wouldn't let her touch or help in the green house, "just look and now I do it all!" She smiled with satisfaction, I'm sure. The Pink tearoom Reed & Sam wanted me to try wasn't reachable that day because part of the street was torn up and workers and equipment all over. Getting ready for the tourist season to come. Lavenham was to me the epitome of the England that was.

We drove on to Hadleigh with a two mile detour to see Kersey, only thing we saw there was the old church high on the hill with homes around the base. More modern homes than we had seen in Lavenham, so we drove on. Good thing Lynne was driving the Volvo, the road was barely wide enough for two vehicles to ease by each other. In Hadleigh went to the P.O. for directions to Town Clerk. We arrived at that building just as the assistant t.c. was locking up. When she heard I was interested in genealogy of the Hadley's that came from Reydon Parish, she unlocked the door and with the tree of us trailing her to the second floor, we reached her office. She told me of the Antiquarian for Suffolk County and looked up his address. Walked thru cemetery of very imposing church down to the post office for cards and I got a china bird. That was something that was very different, they have little souvenir and card shops in forepart of their post offices. I bought the blue and white china bird.

Phyl wanted to go into a hardware store, turned out she wanted to get warm. I bought small flower clippers. Lynne and her mother wanted to get fruit at the farmers market, then we headed home by way of Bury St. Edmunds. Got there about 4 p.m. Doug and girls arrived and we went for pizza at Antonio's on base. Very good.

Early bedtime. Expect to start 6:30 a.m. for Warwick Castle and maybe Cotswolds. And unforgettable day.