Lavenham is one of Suffolk's most alluring places, beckoning you to come and soak up its history and atmosphere. And there's no better person to show you around than Tony Ranzetta, whose own history of the village spans more than 600 years.
If it's possible to truly fall in love with a place then Tony Ranzetta is an incurable romantic. On a Valentine's weekend more than three decades ago, he and his wife, Jane, visited Lavenham and instantly began a love affair with the picturesque medieval village.
"We’ve lived here since for 31 years now, and interestingly enough, shortly after moving here I discovered that my mother’s family had been here in Lavenham, right the way through from the 1460s. That came as a nice surprise.” Prior to moving to the village, Tony had no idea his ties went so far back. “My mother moved here after we did, and it was when she was working in The Little Hall that she started doing research into her house and ours. That was when she found out her family had been connected to the original family who built our home, De Vere House,” he explains.
Tony began to conduct his own research into Lavenham and dedicated his time to learning more about the place he lives in and loves. “I fell in love with the history of the village because its history explains its shape and beauty,” he says. “There’s something about the village as you walk around it. It has this marvellous combination of various periods of English architectural history - a touch of Norman, Tudor, Georgian, and Victorian as well. The parts of history I’ve always liked have been the romantic parts. Somewhere like Lavenham offers someone like me so much. I always wanted to find out why it was designed the way it was, and why there are so many listed buildings.”
Lavenham grew wealthy in the Middle Ages as a result of East Anglia's thriving wool trade and was once one of the wealthiest places in the United Kingdom. “The De Vere family who lived here during the 15th century appointed all of the sheriffs, MPs and magistrates in the whole of East Anglia," says Tony. "At the time, East Anglia was almost run as its own country, during the reign of Henry VII and Henry VIII. This was under the command of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, who was Henry VIII’s mentor, and had complete control of East Anglia, which was the most populous part of the country at the time. John De Vere was also Lord High Admiral of the Fleet, so he had complete control of the merchant fleet. He absolutely monopolised the wool merchant trade for the whole of Europe.”
This, combined with the friendship between the De Veres and the monarchy, meant that Lavenham became a tax haven. Residents paid just 1 per cent of the tax of elsewhere, and were exempt from all tolls. “The net consequence was that between 1460 and 1520, 72 per cent of the richest 100 people in the country moved to Lavenham, and in doing so, brought all of that wealth, cosmopolitan ideas and architecture with them. Suddenly, Lavenham became the forefront of Tudor design. For instance, the first gable fronts in the country were built in Lavenham, alongside the first piped sewage. It was the Venice of Tudor England.”
After years of research, Tony has been able to collate centuries' worth of fascinating information. “In the National Archives alone there are over 2,800 documents on Lavenham going all the way back to the 1200s, and through to the modern era. And it is not just wills and testaments – there are also royal visits, heraldic visitations and various other documents.
With all these historical facts at his fingertips, Tony originally planned to write a book but had a change of heart. “I actually spent years compiling a lot of the ghost stories I uncovered, and I planned to publish them in a book, but at the last minute I decided it wasn’t worth it. The stories needed to tell themselves and become alive, not on the stale pages of yellowing parchment, but dancing, hauntingly associated with the places in Lavenham itself.”
So Tony began conducting historical walking tours around Lavenham, to help people visualise and immerse themselves in the lore and beauty of the village. “American friends moved to the village just down the road from us and we soon got chatting about the village's history. Eventually, I offered to take them on a tour if they wheeled me around in my chair. Later, I thought to myself if they were interested, others might be too.”
Tony put a post on the village's Facebook group to gauge interest and was soon inundated with people eager to join him. “The response was overwhelming. I had no idea how many people wanted to find out more about Lavenham and seeing the village in a new light.” Armed with his arsenal of fascinating facts, Tony has been taking small groups around Lavenham, showing them the sights, sounds, and wonders of his village... dressed as a headless horseman.
De Vere House has become known for its role as parts of Godric’s Hollow in the Harry Potter film Deathly Hallows Part One. So, Tony took some costume inspiration from the Harry Potter character Nearly Headless Nick, who was based on Sir Francis de Vere, a former resident of De Vere House... and whose ghost reportedly lingers to this day...
Tony's tour
Tony expertly takes visitors through every nook and cranny Lavenham has to offer, starting at Grade I listed De Vere House, known locally as ‘the Harry Potter house’, where you might find yourself joined by a few extra ‘guests’. “We’ve got three ghosts here in the house, plus a witch’s curse. And in 2012, a 400-year-old murder mystery was solved here by uncovering the puzzle of the carvings on one of the doors," says Tony.
Next, Manor House on Water Street, home to the ghost called Boy, passing along the way the longest uninterrupted line of Tudor houses in the country, in a stretch of about 200 yards. Then onto Jane Taylor’s Cottage, the former home of the eponymous poet and novelist, best known for penning the lyrics to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
In Bolton Street , discover the origins of the village, about 10,000 years ago. Neolithic finds have been uncovered there, and there used to be a bridge between the two hills where ancient settlers once camped and traded.
Next stop on Tony’s tour is the former Anchor pub, which is inhabited by the ghost of a Victorian boy chimney sweep who perished after getting stuck in the chimney. “He was suffocated and mummified by the smoke," says Tony. "His remains were found in 2000 when renovations were done. He continues to haunt the village and, when I was doing one of my walks, a guest and friend of the owner of The Anchor and had seen the ghost boy looking out of the window.”
Tony then takes you up Prentice Street to see 15th century Woolstaplers Hall, before heading to the marketplace and high street. “This is where I get a chance to talk about the White Lady in Tatums, and the clock that ticks backwards to pre-announce a death in the village. We also discuss the ghosts of former World War II pilots who circle the airfield and try to bring their planes in to land after all these years.” Tony then heads to The Swan hotel and Blaize House, where he discusses the patron saints of the village, and its Saxon history before finishing up in the churchyard.
With so much in-depth history and lore covered over just a few hours, it is no surprise Tony’s walking tours have been so popular. "Feedback has been unbelievably positive, far more than I was expecting,” he says. “Most people treat the ghost stories with the scepticism they deserve – they are certainly interesting and fun. But people love learning about the village and its history, and I'm more than happy to share that."
To find out more or to book a place on a tour, call 01787 248383. Tony’s tour is free of charge.
