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26, Market Place26, Market Place · Photo: Martin Pettitt · CC BY 2.0
A+History Grade
History of Lavenham · Historic England

196 listed buildings, 13 of them Grade I

Historic England counts them inside Lavenham’s built-up area, 1,601 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 2 scheduled monuments. 30% of its homes were built before 1919. We have photos of 37 of its listed buildings. Lavenham grades A+ for history.

13Grade I25Grade II*2scheduled monuments31on High Street
Listed buildings
196
1,601 per 10,000 residents
Grade I
13
exceptional interest
Grade II*
25
more than special interest
Scheduled monuments
2
nationally important sites
Homes built before 1919
30%
typical UK town 15%
In pictures

Lavenham in 37 photos

Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.

27 and 28, Market Place27 and 28, Market PlaceGrade I listed67 and 68, Water Street67 and 68, Water StreetGrade I listed7-9, Water Street7-9, Water StreetGrade I listedChurch of Saint Peter and Saint PaulChurch of Saint Peter and Saint PaulGrade I listedDe Vere House and 60 Water StreetDe Vere House and 60 Water StreetGrade I listed+32See all photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.

The map

Where Lavenham’s history is

Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park.

Iron gas-holder, Lavenham gasworks, scheduled monumentMarket cross, scheduled monumentAngel Hotel, Grade II*Blaize House, Grade II*Little Hall, Grade II*Number 9 Including Outbuilding Adjoining on the North, Grade II*Swan Hotel, Grade II*Swan Hotel, Grade II*Swan Hotel, Grade II*The Barn, Grade II*The Great House, Grade II*The Grove, Grade II*The Manor House, Grade II*The Willows, Grade II*Woolstaplers, Grade II*10-13, High Street, Grade II*13-15, Church Street, Grade II*58, Water Street, Grade II*81, Church Street, Grade II*85, Church Street, Grade II*86, Church Street, Grade II*87, Church Street, Grade II*88 and 89, Church Street, Grade II*90, Church Street, Grade II*91, Church Street, Grade II*97, High Street, Grade II*98-100, High Street, Grade II*Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Grade IDe Vere House and 60 Water Street, Grade IMolet House, Grade IShilling Grange and Shilling Old Grange Cottage, Grade ISwan Hotel, Grade IThe Guildhall, Grade IThe Old Grammar School, Grade IThe Priory, Grade ITudor Shops, Grade I26, Market Place, Grade I27 and 28, Market Place, Grade I67 and 68, Water Street, Grade I7-9, Water Street, Grade I
Grade IGrade II*Scheduled monument400 m from Oxford Cottage
13 of 13Grade I buildings stand within 400 m of Oxford Cottage, a five-minute walk. So do 191 of the 196 listed buildings.

Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.

196 listed buildings by grade
13 Grade I25 Grade II*158 Grade II

Historic England lists buildings in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest (about 2.5% of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (about 5.8%), and Grade II for buildings of special interest (about 91.7%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.

Every entry on the National Heritage List for England whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings.

Grade I

The 13 Grade I listed buildings in Lavenham

Buildings of exceptional interest, about 2.5% of all listed buildings; 13 of these stand within 400 m of Oxford Cottage. 12 are photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.

House · listed 1958Oxford CottageOn the list as De Vere House and 60 Water StreetPhoto: Geez-oz · CC BY-SA 3.0
House · listed 1958Shilling Old GrangeOn the list as Shilling Grange and Shilling Old Grange CottagePhoto: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 3.0
Inns & shops · listed 1958Lavenham Wool HallOn the list as Swan HotelPhoto: Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0
Public · listed 1958Lavenham GuildhallOn the list as The GuildhallPhoto: Unknown photographer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Church · listed 1958Lavenham PrioryOn the list as The PrioryPhoto: Paul Buckingham · CC BY-SA 2.0
House · listed 1958Tudor ShopsPhoto: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 3.0
Grade II*

The 25 Grade II* listed buildings in Lavenham

Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Every one is photographed.

Inns & shops · listed 1958Angel HotelPhoto: Sandy Gemmill · CC BY-SA 2.0
Inns & shops · listed 1958Swan HotelPhoto: Roger Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0
Inns & shops · listed 1958Swan HotelPhoto: Dave.Dunford · CC BY-SA 3.0
House · listed 1958The BarnPhoto: Bob Jones · CC BY-SA 2.0
House · listed 1958The GrovePhoto: Michael Dibb · CC BY-SA 2.0
Show the other 13
Historic streets

High Street has the most listed buildings

Streets by the listed entries with an address on them. One entry can be a whole terrace, so long rows count once.

High Street31 listed · 3 II*
10-13, High Street97, High Street98-100, High Street
Water Street25 listed · 2 Grade I · 1 II*
58, Water Street67 and 68, Water Street7-9, Water Street
Church Street21 listed · 8 II*
13-15, Church Street81, Church Street85, Church Street
Prentice Street16 listed
Market Place12 listed · 2 Grade I
26, Market Place27 and 28, Market Place
Shilling Street11 listed
Lady Street4 listed
Bolton Street3 listed
Hall Road3 listed

Water Street holds 25 entries, 2 of them Grade I: more of the top grade than any other street. Of the 196 entries, 128 are named by a street address; the rest are named buildings such as churches, halls and bridges.

What’s protected

Most of Lavenham’s listed buildings are homes

Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.

Houses, terraces & villas165
Inns, shops & warehouses13
Public & civic buildings9
Churches, chapels & priories4
Walls, gates & bridges3
Street furniture2

165 entries (84%) are houses, terraces and villas. 4 are churches, chapels and priories, including 2 of the 13 Grade I buildings.

Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.

Grade II

158 Grade II listed buildings

Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.

The first 150 of 158 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z
Arundel HouseBaker's MillBox CottageCordwindersCottage in Grounds of Number 92Crawley HouseCroftersCrossover CottageFlats Owned by Swan Hotel Adjoining Number 22 on the EastGarden CottageGranaryHall HouseHigh Hall HouseK6 Telephone KioskK6 Telephone KioskLanham SarinaLavenham HallLittle KentwellMaltings to Baker's MillMarket CrossMarket HouseMill HouseNos. 1-3, Church Street and No. 74 Water StreetNumber 47 and Premises Owned by Terence Dalton Limited Publishers Adjoining Number 47 on the EastPasha Pecketts CottagePedlars WayPerserverance HousePremises Occupied by Stocks (Metalworkers) Limited Adjoining the Old Grammar School on the SouthSpinnersSwan HotelSwan HotelTeazle CottageThe Grey HouseThe Greyhound InnThe Old Tea ShopThe RectoryThe SparrowsThe Thatched CottageToll CottageUnited Reformed ChurchWall Between Molet House and Number 25 Market PlaceWall Extending Between the South West Corner of the Maltings in Bolton Street and Little House in Market PlaceWall between Wellington House and Shilling GrangeWellington HouseYaxley CottageZivani1, Bolton Street1, Hall Road1, High Street1, Lady Street1, Market Lane1, Shilling Street10, Market Place10-12, Shilling Street11 Market Place12 and 14, Water Street12, Market Place13, Market Place14 and 14a, High Street14 and 15, Market Place14-17 Bolton Street14-17, Prentice Street15-20, Water Street16 and 17, Market Place16, Church Street17 and 18, High Street18, Shilling Street18-20, Prentice Street19 and 20, High Street19, Shilling Street2 High Street2 and 3, Shilling Street2, Hall Road2, Prentice Street2-5, Market Lane20, Shilling Street21, High Street21, Shilling Street22-24, Shilling Street22-25, High Street23 and 24, Water Street25 and 26, Prentice Street25 and 26, Water Street25, Market Place26 and 27, Church Street26-28, High Street27 and 28, Bolton Street27, Prentice Street27, Water Street28, Water Street29, High Street3 and 4 Lady Street3 and 5, Prentice Street3, High Street30, High Street31 and 32, High Street31, Prentice Street31, Water Street32 and 33, Water Street32, Prentice Street33-35, Prentice Street34, Water Street36 and 37, Prentice Street37, Water Street37-39, Market Place38 and 39, Prentice Street39 and 39A, High Street39, Water Street4 and 5, High Street4, Church Street4-6, Shilling Street40, Prentice Street41-43, Prentice Street44, Church Street44, Prentice Street47 Prentice Street48 and 49, Water Street5 and 6, Church Street50, Water Street51 and 52, Water Street53 and 54, Water Street56 and 57, Water Street57, High Street6 and 7, Market Place6, High Street6, Lady Street61, High Street61, Water Street62 and 63, High Street62, Water Street64 and 65, Water Street66, Water Street66-68, Church Street69 and 70, Church Street7 and 8, Church Street7 and 8, Shilling Street7-10, Prentice Street7-9, Hall Road7-9, High Street7-9, Lady Street70 and 71, High Street70, Water Street71-73, Water Street71-74, Church Street72 and 73, High Street74-79, High Street75, 76 and 77, Church Street78, Church Street79 and 80, Church Street8 and 9, Market Place

Search the rest on Historic England’s list →

Conservation areas

1 conservation area covers 44% of Lavenham

Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.

Lavenham 197334 ha
34 hain conservation areas, of 76 ha inside the built-up area.

194 of the 196 listed buildings stand in one.

Historic England’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.

How the list grew

More than half of Lavenham’s listed buildings were added in one year, 1958

The year each building now on the list was first listed.

1958 · 1131980 · 521962 · 24
19501960197019801990200020102020

The first 113 entries were listed in 1958, 13 of the 13 Grade I buildings among them. Only 0 have been added in the last 15 years.

Monuments & landscapes

Monuments, parks and gardens

Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.

2 scheduled monuments

Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from the Secretary of State, advised by Historic England.

History Grade

Lavenham grades A+ for history

Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.

Protected heritage, for its size and in all (251 points, 2,051 per 10,000 residents)More than 98% of UK towns
Homes built before 1919 (30%)More than 84% of UK towns

Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.

Homes by age

30% of Lavenham’s homes were built before 1919

Every home by when it was built, from council tax records, against England & Wales (the dark tick).

29%
Before 1900
0.8%
1900–18
0.8%
1919–29
2.6%
1930s
4.5%
1945–54
6.3%
1955–64
12%
1965–72
12%
1973–82
2.6%
1983–92
11%
1993–99
1.8%
2000–08
4.5%
2009–15
12%
2016–25
LavenhamEngland & Wales

29% of homes are Victorian or older, against 16% across England and Wales. The busiest period since was 1973–82, which added 12% of today’s homes.

Valuation Office Agency, council tax stock of properties by build period, 31 March 2025, for the neighbourhoods (LSOAs) that make up the town, split by where their residents live. Homes with no recorded build period (0 here) are left out; 1939–44 is not a period in the data.

Towns its size

Lavenham has the 3rd most Grade I buildings of 1,938 towns its size

Places of 1,000–2,000 people outside London, by Grade I listed buildings.

Beaumaris24
Dadford23
Lavenham13
Cromford10
Cerne Abbas9
St Davids8
Winchelsea Beach5
Hugh Town4
Dedham4
Stanton Harcourt4
St Bees4
Painswick3
#4 of 1,938for listed buildings per resident (1,601 per 10,000). Aberaeron, Beaumaris and Burford lead.

Only Beaumaris and Dadford have more. The typical town its size has 0.

Neighbours

Listed buildings in the places around Lavenham

TownPeopleListedGrade IHistory
Lavenham1,22419613A+
Acton1,666131C+
Great Waldingfield1,377200B−
Long Melford3,8951842A+
Bildeston1,096710A+
Sudbury23,9222558A−
Glemsford3,693371A−
Great Bricett1,51800D
In brief

Lavenham in brief

For its size, Lavenham has more listed heritage than 98% of UK towns. All told, the list holds 196 listed buildings, 13 of them Grade I. Of its homes, 30% were built before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town. Its Grade I buildings cluster together: 13 of them stand within 400 m of Oxford Cottage.

Only 2 of the 1,938 towns nearest its size have more Grade I buildings. On High Street alone there are 31 listed buildings. A conservation area has protected part of it since 1973. Beyond that, Isaac Taylor (1787) and Henry John Westrop (1812) were born here before 1900; and it also has 2 scheduled monuments.

Questions about Lavenham’s history

How many listed buildings are there in Lavenham?

Historic England lists 196 buildings inside Lavenham’s built-up area: 13 Grade I, 25 Grade II* and 158 Grade II.

What are the Grade I listed buildings in Lavenham?

13, including Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, De Vere House and 60 Water Street, Molet House, Shilling Grange and Shilling Old Grange Cottage, Swan Hotel and The Guildhall.

Which street in Lavenham has the most listed buildings?

High Street (31), Water Street (25) and Church Street (21) have the most listed entries named by an address. One entry can be a whole terrace.

Are there scheduled monuments in Lavenham?

Yes, 2 scheduled monuments, including Iron gas-holder, Lavenham gasworks and Market cross.

How many conservation areas are there in Lavenham?

1, covering about 34 hectares of the town. The largest is Lavenham.

When were Lavenham’s buildings listed?

The first in 1958; the most, 113, in 1958.

How old are the homes in Lavenham?

30% of homes were built before 1919 and 34% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The National Heritage List for England is the official, up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England; check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it.

Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.