page_title: Lavenham
section_title: Lavenham in popular culture
hierarchical_section_title: Lavenham / Lavenham in popular culture
context_page_description: Lavenham is a village, civil parish and electoral ward in the Babergh district, in the county of Suffolk, England. It is noted for its Guildhall, Little Hall, 15th-century church, half-timbered medieval cottages and circular walks. In the medieval period it was among the twenty wealthiest settlements in England. Today, it is a popular day-trip destination for people from across the country along with another historic wool town in the area, Long Melford.
context_section_description: Parts of Market Square were included in the 1968 Vincent Price film Witchfinder General. The witch burning scenes were staged in front of the Guildhall.
  In 1969 some filming was done in Lavenham The Thirteen Chairs, also known as Twelve Plus One. This was actress Sharon Tate's last movie before her murder. In 1971, part of The Canterbury Tales were recorded here, with the village representing medieval London.
  The 1975 Stanley Kubrick film Barry Lyndon included the Guildhall.
  In 1986, the film Playing Away, about a visiting cricket team from Brixton, was also filmed in the village. The Market Square is the setting of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's 1970 film Apotheosis. In 2010, under conditions of strict secrecy, scenes from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 were filmed there. The village's De Vere House represented sections of Godric's Hollow, as backgrounds, since the cast members did not actually visit Lavenham.
  Lavenham is also the setting for many scenes in the mid-1990s BBC TV drama Lovejoy. An episode aired in December 1994, was titled "Last Tango in Lavenham".
  Other productions that have used Lavenham as a location include Lowland Village a 1943 British Council release and an episode of Treasure Hunt from February 1988.
  One legend suggests that the distorted, or "crooked", appearance of many of the town's buildings inspired the poem "A Crooked Little Man". 
  
  One discussion of the town provides these specifics as to the reason the houses are crooked.
  The town grew so fast that many of the houses were built in haste with green timber. As the wood dried, the timbers warped causing the houses to bend at unexpected angles. Unfortunately, Lavenham's good times didn't last long. When Dutch refugees settled in Colchester began producing cloth that was cheaper, lighter and more fashionable than Lavenham's, the town's cloth industry went bust. By the time the dried timber started twisting, Lavenham's families had lost its wealth and with no money to rebuild their homes, Lavenham’s crooked houses were left as they were.
  The best-known crooked house, at 7 High Street (defined as 11 Hall Road in some reviews), was built in the 14th century as part of a Hall House. It has been Grade II listed since 1958 as part of 7-9 High Street. The listing description indicates that 7-9 High Street were divided into two tenements prior to 1958, and that the orange building (originally "the south cross wing") was "very much altered in the C18 and C19" and was "restored with the timber-framing exposed". One report indicates that 7 High Street was originally the medieval hall's servants' quarters. In 2005 and for some time after, the building was an art gallery. The property began operating as tea rooms in 2013 but the business was expected to close after December 2019. In February 2020, the building was listed for sale; the description indicated that a two-bedroom residential flat occupies the upper floor.
caption: The Lavenham Guildhall, was established in 1529
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