CHELSWORTH VILLAGE
Welcome to Chelsworth. This pretty little village of
some sixty houses sits in the beautiful Brett valley in South Suffolk,
stretching along a mile or so of winding village road. Its quiet and graceful
nature has been admired by many over the years, and Julian Tennyson –
great grandson of Queen Victoria’s Poet Laureate – said of it:
"But I have a perfect village of my own finding, which I pride myself is quite unknown. It is Chelsworth … It lies completely hidden in a little valley. Its cottages are irregular, very well kept and finely timbered. It borders a stream, a quiet ready stream, whose banks are lined with rich and gigantic trees. I can’t tell you why I think it is perfect. Perhaps it is because Chelsworth has been left to itself."
The village is very old. Documents in the British Museum
record King Edgar giving Chelsworth to Queen Aethelflaed in 962, and perhaps
its greatest blessing is that, architecturally at least, time seems to have
passed it by. Indeed photographs from the 1860s show the many thatched and
daub-and-wattle houses, its lovely bridge, and its well-known pub looking
almost exactly as they do today.
For over forty years, villagers have
opened their gardens on the last day of June to visitors to help with the
maintenance of Chelsworth’s 13th century church, and the event has always
been popular. Perhaps it’s because Chelsworth is a piece of pure Suffolk,
or because it’s compact and easy to get around – or perhaps it’s
the lure of an afternoon having the benefit of someone else’s gardening
with a relaxing cup of tea and a cake.
Whatever your reason for
coming – we’ll be glad to see you here on June 28th .
IMAGES OF CHELSWORTH
View of The Street and Peacock Inn
The River Brett in full bloom (NEW!)
View along the East end of Chelsworth
The Grange during Open Gardens Day
Chestnut Cottage and the 'Bog Garden'
