History & Archaeology in The Stour Valley Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) 1 Clare Castle 3 Melford Hall 4 Kentwell Hall Malting Lane, Clare, CO10 8NW Long Melford, CO10 9AA Long Melford, CO10 9BA www.clarecastlecountrypark.co.uk www.nationaltrust.org.uk/melford-hall www.kentwell.co.uk Stour Valley and surrounding Wool Towns 01787 277902 01787 379228 01787 310207 Stour Valley Path Wool Towns 2 Clare Ancient 5 Long Melford Heritage Centre House Museum Chemist Lane, Long Melford, CO10 9JQ 26 High Street, Clare, CO10 8NY www.suffolkmuseums.org/museums/long-melford-heritage-centre www.clare-ancient-house-museum.co.uk Crown copyright. 01787 277249 7 Lavenham Guildhall 6 Sudbury Heritage Centre Chemist Lane, Long Melford, CO10 9JQ To Bury St Edmunds Town Hall, Sudbury, CO10 2EA www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lavenham-guildhall www.sudburyheritagecentre.co.uk All rights reserved. © Suffolk County Council. Licence LA100023395 Boxted 8 Little Hall Museum Market Place, Lavenham, CO10 9QZ To Newmarket www.suffolkmuseums.org/museums/lavenham -little-hall-museum www.littlehall.org.uk LAVENHAM Great Glemsford Wratting A1141 12 Court Knoll Nayland, CO6 4JL Cavendish www.naylandandwiston.net/history/index.php Kedington To Ipswich CLARE LONG 13 Bridge Cottage HAVERHILL MELFORD 5 Foxearth at Flatford Mill B111 Stoke by Clare Great Flatford Road, East Bergholt, CO7 6UL www.nationaltrust.org.uk/flatford/features/ Sturmer Waldingfield SUDBURY HADLEIGH Steeple Great A1071 Boxford Bumpstead Cornard Bulmer Raydon Information of each location: Polstead To Ipswich 1. Clare Castle 5. Long Melford 10. Bures Dragon Built in the 11th century, Clare Castle has a Heritage Centre Local legends reveal the tale of a knight in the motte and bailey structure. The motte, which Display cases show artefacts found locally, from Middle Ages who encountered a dragon on his Tw instead Stoke-by-Nayland Great Eastern Main Line stands at around 60 feet, is one of the highest the Paleolithic stone age when hunter gatherers land in Bures and tried to kill it with arrows. Leavenheath Higham in the country. Many artefacts have been found first settled in this part of the Stour V-alley, to To honour the legend, and in celebration of the to Ipswich on the grounds of Clare Castle over the years. In the Roman occupation of the village when it was Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2012, the Bures East the 1860s an extremely rare and valuable a Romano British small town, and also Medieval Dragon was created on a nearby hillside. The Lamarsh Bergholt 15th-century Clare Cross was unearthed. It is a artefacts from when Long Melford was a thriving dragon is on private land but can be seen in full To Halstead Stratford small crucifix made of gold with four grey Wool Town. from behind St Stephen’s Chapel. Nayland St Mary pearls on a gold chain, and with a cavity for Bures Cattawade relics, the Cross was eventually claimed by 6. Sudbury Heritage Centre 11. The Lost Tudor Queen Victoria. Today, the Clare Cross can be Explore Sudbury’s long history at this interesting Hunting Lodge seen in the British Museum. space within the Town Hall building. There is The remains of a 16th century wall, discovered Boxted also a substantial online archive on the website. by accident, led to a seven-year excavation and Flatford 2. Clare Ancient the finding of the site of a lost Tudor hunting Dedham House Museum 7. Lavenham Guildhall lodge. The structure that was unveiled by the Wormingford Great Opened in 1999 the Clare Ancient House Museum One of the most spectacular timber framed Colchester Archaeology Group included a Horkesley Langham MANNINGTREE is in a Grade 1 Listed Building which dates to buildings of medieval England at the heart of hunting tower and a complex series of buildings. the 14th century. The museum's exhibits not Lavenham, considered to be Britain's best Please note: The Tudor hunting lodge is on only tell the story of the medieval town of preserved medieval village. A range of artifacts, private land and is not accessible to the public, Clare, but also feature artefacts from the Iron especially from the weaving industry are on however a similar hunting lodge from the 17th Gainsborough line Age, pre-Roman and Victorian eras including show at this National Trust building. century can be seen at Melford Hall. tools, clothing, coins and domestic items. to Marks Tey 8. Little Hall Museum 12. Court Knoll To Colchester 3. Melford Hall In one of the oldest buildings in Lavenham is a The origins of Nayland and Wissington are Although predominantly built in the 16th collection by Gayer-Anderson of art and shrouded in mystery but archaeological finds Great Eastern Main Line century, parts of Melford Hall date back to the artifacts, plus examples of the cloth industry. prove there was habitation in the area in the to Colchester and London medieval monks who once lived there. late Neolithic/early Bronze Age and probably Devastated by fire in 1942, the house was 9. Mount Bures Motte earlier. The Anglo Saxon name for Nayland was restored by the Hyde Parker family who still live It is estimated that the Mount Bures "Motte" was ‘Eiland’ meaning “at the island” and Court there, and has been in the ownership of the built a short time after the Battle of Hastings in Knoll, a field of about five acres completely National Trust since 1960 with much of the 1066 as a stronghold and lookout of the land and surrounded by a deep ditch, is believed to be 11 The Lost Tudor house and gardens open to visitors. Melford Hall rivers. On top of the mound would have been a the original site of the village. The site is listed is well known for having a famous visitor, wooden tower. The “Bailey” or courtyard would as a scheduled monument. Hunting Lodge Beatrix Potter, whose sketches are on display have housed the troops and supplies. The mound Wormingford, CO6 3AZ along with Chinese porcelain and Naval paintings. is accessible to the public via a road leading up 13. Bridge Cottage 9 Mount Bures Motte 10 Bures Dragon www.bures-online.co.uk/lodge/lodge.htm to the church. There is a wooden flight of steps at Flatford Mill Hall Road, Mount Bures, CO8 5AR St Stephen’s Chapel, Bures, CO8 5LD 4. Kentwell Hall to the top. It’s well worth the climb to enjoy A 16th century timber-framed and thatched www.mount-bures.co.uk/Motte.htm www.bures-online.co.uk/dragon This Hall is part original Tudor, with later the fabulous views of the surrounding Stour cottage containing a permanent exhibition classical elements, mixed with the owners' Valley countryside. which tells the history of mill life and historical personal style. Visitors can appreciate Tudor artist John Constable. Owned and managed by portraits, interesting artefacts and historic the National Trust. tapestries in this family home with a difference. Stour Valley History Planned landscape is often Pedunculate Oak, Ash and Field Maple. A characterised by larger and more particularly notable tree in Stour Valley rectangular fields and straighter roads woodland areas is Wild Cherry, with some & Archaeology created by Parliamentary Enclosure in impressive mature specimens at Arger Fen The Stour Valley is well known for its English succession as a lookout post and the 19th century. and Spouse’s Vale. Elms were also once a outstanding landscape of meandering river place of safety for residents – can still common sight in Stour Valley hedgerows, and gentle valley slopes. The creation of this be climbed via a flight of stairs today. Mighty Trees although mature specimens are now very The Stour Valley is home to important rare due to fungal Dutch Elm disease. special landscape has taken place over many The River Stour fragments of diverse ancient woodland. thousands of years and clues to its geology One of the defining features of the A key indicator species of this hugely and unfolding history can be found Stour Valley landscape is the river important habitat is Small-leaved Lime. throughout the valley. itself. Providing not only a route for The area between Sudbury and Beneath the scenery made famous by transport and trade but also as a source artists John Constable and Thomas of power for water mills grinding wheat Historic Churches Gainsborough is a secret landscape with for flour. The introduction of locks on More evidence of the past can be seen over 200 sites and artefacts recorded in the River Stour meant that specially at the many historic churches and Essex and Suffolk’s Historic Environment religious buildings of the Valley. designed Stour Lighters (similar to For example: Clare Priory is one of the Record for the Stour Valley. Evidence of barges) could carry a wide variety of oldest in the country; the wool trade human activity covers the whole of cargo including bricks, grain, flour and wealth of the past built soaring ‘wool prehistory from the earliest Stone Age churches’ that dominate the landscape; hay down to Mistley Quay where it Arger Fen ancient woodland and changing architectural styles, such right up to the Iron Age. Relics such as a would then be transported to London. as flint work on outside stonework, or Stone Age flint hand axe and flint tools The area can be best explored by Hadleigh is especially important for this round towers designed as look out have been found, especially around species, which was traditionally points, evidence different significant walking all or some of the sections of historical periods. Bures, proving that people lived in the the 60-mile Stour Valley Path.