Welcome to Chelsworth

Chelsworth is a small village of about 60 houses sitting on the north bank of the river Brett in one of the most beautiful, and almost entirely untouched, parts of Suffolk.  The village is very old. Documents in the British Museum record King Edgar giving the village 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 wattle and daub houses, its lovely bridge, and its well-known pub looking almost exactly as they do today.  The photographs below show the village as it was in 1865 and as it is now.

Click here for details of a very pleasant and fascinating historical stroll around the village

The quiet and graceful nature of the area has been admired by many over the years, and Julian Tennyson, great grandson of Queen Victoria’s Poet Laureate, said of our village: "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."

Equally significant is the historic church in its parkland setting: “There is no other church in Suffolk quite like All Saints.... character quite in keeping with this pretty village of half-timbered houses. It is bold, and majestic, and seen across the fields has a beauty of its own that none can match. Chelsworth is the thinking-person's Prettiest Suffolk Village.”

For those of you who want to come and visit us, Chelsworth lies in the heart of south Suffolk on the B1115 about 5 miles east of Lavenham and 1 mile west of Bildeston (go to the Maps and Directions Page for better instructions).

If you have a question, please contact us on e-mail by pressing the “Contact us” button below.  We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.