Kersey            

Kersey is, without a doubt, one of the prettiest and (next to Lavenham) most photographed villages in Suffolk.

Situated just two-and-a-half miles from Hadleigh and running down both sides of a steep valley, Kersey is noted for its picturesque ford populated by a group of (sometimes over-friendly) ducks, and is one of the places that all tourists have on their "must-visit" lists.

Kersey is essentially a medieval village, built on the wealth of the cloth industry, (Kerseys were a form of coarse narrow-cloth, exported throughout Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries) and retains many fine buildings. These are mainly the half-timbered and jettied (see the picture above) which are so typical of rural Suffolk, though there is an unusual one in red-brick (from the middle-Tudor period) right next to the ford.

Another striking view much beloved of artists and photographers is the 14th century parish church. Standing at the top of the hill, on one of the highest points for some miles around, it dominates the both the village and the landscape.

For details of an attractive walk around a relatively unknown part of the parish, click here.

Leonard Squirrel (1893-1979) Ipswich Museum.