Welcome to Lavenham
The Swan is a 15th century inn that has been at the heart of Lavenham life for hundreds of years, and we love welcoming people to this gorgeous nook of Suffolk.
This is our in depth guide to the village. It covers the top things to do and what each one costs, where to eat and drink, the walks and how muddy they really get, Lavenham through the seasons, days out across the Stour valley, what to do with children and with the dog, and the practical things nobody else writes down, like which car park fills first and why there is no bus on a Sunday.
The Swan is not one building but several medieval ones joined up over the centuries, including the old Wool Hall next door, which is why no two bedrooms are quite the same shape.
Lavenham High Street. Suffolk pink was traditionally made by mixing limewash with whatever was to hand, sloe juice or ox blood among them, which is why no two houses on the street are quite the same shade.
Lavenham in 60 seconds
Lavenham is a village in south Suffolk, about 60 miles north east of London, 5 miles north east of Sudbury and 12 miles south east of Bury St Edmunds. The population is around 1,700.
It is the best preserved medieval village in England. More than 300 of its buildings are listed, most of them timber framed and built between about 1400 and 1530.
The village stood in for Godric's Hollow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, released in 2010.
Half a day covers the village centre on foot. A full day adds the church, a walk and a long lunch. Two or three days take in Long Melford, Bury St Edmunds and the Stour valley.
Eating and drinking in Lavenham
For a village of 1,700 people, the best places to eat in Lavenham cover a surprising amount of ground. Restaurants in Lavenham run from our own AA rosette dining room and afternoon tea to proper pub lunches and a tea room or two, with Michelin starred cooking twenty five minutes down the road in Bury St Edmunds.
The new one. The Great House on the Market Place is under new management. Once famous for its French cuisine, now you'll find Greek and Turkish, in its new incarnation as Aegean Kitchen. Dinner is 6.30pm every night, lunch at weekends only, and dinner is over-tens. Booking is strongly advised
The pubs. The Greyhound on the High Street is the proper village pub, low beams, decent beer, and the one locals use. The Cock Horse Inn is a short walk out and does a good Sunday. The Angel on the Market Place, has recently been taken over by the team behind Suffolk stalwart The Bildeston Crown.
Coffee and lunch. The Guildhall tea room if you are already in there. Lavenham Blue Vintage Tea Room is also very popular. For a picnic, go to Lavenham Butchers. Baron Bigod, Suffolk Gold, and Binham Blue on the cheese board, Suffolk ham and salt beef cut to order, and their own pork pies, scotch eggs, sausage rolls and Lavenham pasties made on the premises. Take it up to the churchyard, which has benches and a pretty view over the fields behind the tower.
Worth the drive. Long Melford is ten minutes away and has a string of good places along its very long main street. Scutchers is the one to book, a long-standing Suffolk restaurant that locals have kept to themselves for years, and the Black Lion does good food in a proper inn looking out over the green.
Pea Porridge in Bury St Edmunds is the only Michelin starred restaurant in Suffolk, but Bury has a lot more to offer foodies than that: 1921, Jay Rayner's favourite Lark and Maison Bleue are all excellent alternatives. For something more relaxed, try highly rated Francela or Amigos (Mexican hat optional). The town also runs weekly food tours, which are a good way to spend a morning before lunch and the Abbey Gardens.
And then there's us.
The Gallery: two AA rosettes, seasonal menus, oak beams and chandeliers, smart casual, over-eights. Mess Call 487 is our brasserie, modern British, all ages, dogs welcome, with a fireplace and the garden through the windows, and it serves lunch from noon and dinner from six every day. Luxe Lunch there is £24.50 for two courses or £29.50 for three with a glass of wine, Monday to Friday, and it is the best value meal in the village by a distance. Afternoon tea is from £32 a head, served in The Gallery or by the fire in the lounge, Monday to Saturday from noon to 4pm and Sundays 3pm to 4pm.
Lavenham Blue Tea Rooms gets its name from the cloth the village got rich on. It feels like sitting in someone’s front room.
Our two AA rosette dinner in The Gallery makes a special occasion of any night of the week, and you don’t have to be staying with us to book a table
We have served afternoon tea at The Swan for decades. Our chefs rework it every season. It is one of those things you should not leave Lavenham without doing
Top things to do in Lavenham
Six places to start with, all of them within a ten minute walk of our front door.
A look around Lavenham
Less than 20 minutes from our front door
The shops of Lavenham
Lavenham's shopping is small, concentrated and almost entirely independent. There are no chains to speak of. You can walk every shop in the village in forty minutes, or spend a whole afternoon on it, which is what most people end up doing.
The Airmen's Bar
If you are interested in history, and the Second World War in particular, do not leave Lavenham without enjoying a drink in the Airmen’s Bar. It was the regular haunt of the American 487th Bombardment Group. They left a good deal of themselves behind: signatures covering the walls, and their badges pinned along the beams, which legend has it they put there because they didn't know if they would be coming back from their latest mission.
Open daily from 11am, dogs welcome, and you do not need to be staying here to come in. If you want to know more, including the story behind the airman who went on to write a Hollywood classic, read the history of the Airmen’s Bar.
Spa & Beauty in Lavenham
Looking to wind down and relax? Our very own Weavers' House Spa has an outdoor heated vitality pool, a steam room, a sauna and a relaxation lounge, with treatments using Temple Spa and Tribe517. Open 9am to 6.30pm, seven days.
If you are staying with us, two hours in the heat and relaxation suites is included every day. If you are not, the Spa Refresher pass is £55 a head for two hours and a refreshment. Anyone booking a treatment of 90 minutes or more gets the two hours included as well.
Local tip. Book the first slot of the day. The suites are quietest before 11am, and you come out into the village just as the shops open.
Ask our spa manager and she will send you for the Weavers’ House Hug. Two hours, face to feet, with warm oil and hot stones, and our best seller by a distance. From £183.
Walks from the door
Lavenham sits in rolling arable country with footpaths in every direction, and the village is small enough that every walk starts in the middle of it. Two things to know before you choose: this is clay, so anything off a made surface is genuinely muddy from November to March rather than slightly muddy, and there is very little shade on the field paths in July.
Walk | Distance | Surface | Time | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The village circuit: Market Place, Water Street, High Street, Church Street | 1 mile | Pavement, one steady hill | 30 to 45 min | Everyone |
1.5 miles [check] | Field path and woodland, uneven | 45 min | Most people, boots in winter | |
Lavenham to Brent Eleigh and back | 4 miles [check] | Field paths, flat | 2 hours | Reasonable fitness |
4.5 miles, linear | Old railway line, woodland, field path | 2 hours | Most people. See below | |
The railway walk as a return | 9 miles | As above | 4 hours | Fit walkers only |
The railway walk is the one people come for. It runs from the Guildhall along the bed of the old Lavenham to Long Melford line and finishes at Melford Hall, 4.5 miles and about two hours, rated easy. On the way you pass a railway cutting that is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest, the site of an 1891 derailment, a wartime pillbox and Hare Drift. Dogs are welcome under close control, on leads where signed.
Two honest warnings. The cutting section floods and stays wet, so waterproof boots from October to April, not trainers. And you cross the A134, which is fast and has no crossing, so take your time.
Do not walk back. Take the Chambers 753 bus from Long Melford, which runs roughly hourly and takes about fifteen minutes. There is no Sunday service, which catches people out, so if you are walking it on a Sunday either walk both ways or arrange a taxi before you set off. We are happy to book one for you.
Discover our stunning village
Explore Lavenham
Local Attractions
Lavenham
Explore the historic crooked houses and listed buildings of medieval Lavenham, our charming corner of Suffolk.
Lavenham: A Harry Potter Film Location
Our medieval village was used as a Harry Potter film location…
Lavenham Boutiques
Take home luxury spa skincare, bespoke furniture and of course fine knitwear from Lavenham’s fine boutique shops.
Lavenham Guildhall
Lavenham Guildhall; a piece of history in itself is one of our village’s finest medieval monuments.
Lavenham Art Galleries
Get a culture fix at one of our local Suffolk art galleries.
Discover Suffolk: Romance
Visit Suffolk presents a series of films showcasing our wonderful county of Suffolk.
Kentwell Hall
Experience amazing costumed re-creations of the past at Kentwell Hall.
Palace House, Newmarket
Palace House is a fantastic new National Heritage Centre in Newmarket, Suffolk.
Newmarket Racecourse
Experience the thrill of one of England’s favourite pastimes with a day at the races at Newmarket.
History of The Swan, Lavenham village and historical attractions
The hotel, the village and our wonderful part of Suffolk is steeped in history and is a must-see for those that love history as much as we do. From a walk-through video of the history of the hotel to more details about our Airmen's bar, Lavenham village and nearby historic houses, the history section of our website is a great way to plan your next stay.
The story behind our afternoon tea crockery...
Immerse yourself in 'Where there's tea, there's history', our film which details the creative and manufacturing process undertaken to create The Swan's afternoon tea crockery.
The crockery itself depicts a collection of stories from the hotel’s long-standing history. From its strong connection to the US Air Force, RAF and Army during World War II to famous visitors such as Dolly Parton and many more moments in time.
Our news
The Swan at Lavenham awarded prestigious Four AA Red Stars
The Swan at Lavenham has been awarded with one of the most significant benchmarks of excellence in the UK hospitality industry. We have been recognised with the coveted Four Red Star Award by the AA, placing us among the AA’s Inspectors’ Choice Hotels - one of only a handful of hotels given the accolade this year.