Hadleigh (Suffolk)
Hadleigh is a historic old market town in the lovely county of Suffolk, and was an important centre of the wool trade.
It has a long High Street, with a wide range of architectural styles, including timber framed houses and elegant Georgian ones, and with a fine display of pargeting.
Overall House was named after the Bishop who was heavily involved in the King James translation of the Bible.
St. Mary's Church dates from the 14th century, and contains a bench end showing a wolf holding the head of St. Edmund, who was martyred by the Danes and subsequently laid to rest at Bury St. Edmunds.
The Guildhall, on the edge of the churchyard, is a magnificent timber framed building with jettied upper storeys.
The Deanery Tower, also on the edge of the churchyard, was built in 1495 and is the only surviving part of the Deanery.
Guthrum, the Danish King of East Anglia, had his capital at Hadleigh. Part of his political settlement with King Alfred was his own baptism, which duly took place at Cirencester. He is said to be buried in the churchyard.
Father Hugh James Rose was Rector of Hadleigh from 1830 to 1833. A meeting held in the Rectory in 1833 led to the formation of the Oxford Movement.
Hadleigh was the birthplace of the sculptor Thomas Woolner, a member of the pre-Raphaelite brotherhood.