> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # πŸ“ Field Notes from my Camper-van-camino: The remarkable St. Peter and St. Paul, Lavenham - URL: https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/field-notes-from-my-camper-van-camino-the-remarkable-st-peter-and-st-paul-lavenham/ - Published: 2026-08-18T13:38:54.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-18T20:59:23.000Z - Description: Lavenham was one of the wealthiest medieval towns in England. It's wealth came from wool, and its church is one of the most iconic of 'wool churches' in the area. - Author: Andy Marshall - Tags: field notes, lavenham, st. peter and st. paul lavenham, churchcrawling, gothic, misericords **Whenever I visit Lavenham, I always have to break it down into its constituent parts. This little village has a mighty punch. What I love about this place is that it isn't full of touristy shops. People just come here to participate in its ambience. It can be a little overwhelming during the high season - but if you visit first thing - you might just have the place to yourself.** Lavenham was one of the wealthiest medieval towns in England. It's wealth came from wool, and its church is one of the most iconic of 'wool churches' in the area. ## St. Peter and St. Paul, Lavenham. The church is a wonderful example of C15th-C16th perpendicular architecture and, in the early morning light, presents itself like a richly inlaid jewellery box. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/Lavenham-5-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/IMG_5577-1-1.JPG) Much of its surface is faceted and sculpted. The porch especially so.. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/IMG_5580-1.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/IMG_5581-2.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/IMG_5582-2.JPG) ## Interior The interior is spacious and cathedral like. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/IMG_5593-2.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/IMG_5632-2.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/IMG_5633-2.JPG) The font looks much older than the building itself. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/IMG_5595-1.JPG) ### It's a wood thing... Most of all, I'm drawn to the wood. The C15th choir stalls have some wonderful finial carvings - although some of them haven't survived iconoclastic times. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/IMG_5602-2.JPG) View towards the west end ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/IMG_5600-1-1.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/IMG_5603-1-1.JPG) The misericords are beautifully carved. They have a softness of line that is really engaging. The artist that carved these had a genius for spatial awareness - thinking through the design in three dimensions, envisioning the vignette, and pulling it out of the wood with tools that haven't changed to this very day. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/6701EA2D-8EE9-4AA5-AF45-DE89FBDD952F_1_105_c.jpeg) *Above: A dead man’s head with ears being pulled by an ibis on one side and a spoonbill on the other.* The misericords have three roles. Firstly as a seat for the choristor and then (after lifting) as a support whilst standing. Finally they have a didactic role through the symbolism behind the carvings. Many are inspired by the [Bestiaries](https://bestiary.ca/beasts/beast342.htm?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) of the day. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/E597A64E-E043-4530-A6DA-6A3936D6B858_1_201_a-1.jpeg) *Above: half-woman, half beast playing a viol, and another, half-man half beast beast, mimics her by playing a pair of bellows with a crutch.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/2D51E822-9166-4CFC-858C-E07C36CC601B_1_105_c.jpeg) *Above: Pelican in her piety - feeds her young with her own flesh* --- ### The Spring Chantry Chapel The early C16th parclose screen was built to enclose 'rich clothier' Thomas Spring's tomb. It's a triumph of carpentry, lavishly made whilst the tower was being completed (funded by Thomas Spring's money). Every single detail from the fluting to the finials has been cut to the glory of God but funded by the humble sheep. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/08CD2338-CDC5-498D-BFA2-809D64856187_1_105_c.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/D6DDB8C9-C27B-446A-A818-0584D393832D_1_105_c.jpeg) arachnid spandrels ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/5D9105A4-3C76-4408-A296-DA7179E3B04E_1_105_c.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/0F68325B-9133-4CC8-8E8A-5DAA6D7A5D00_1_105_c.jpeg) After helping the vicar with the dusting, I'm left to wander around the church and capture the pattern and repetition; an unthinking eye, drawn into spaces by the genius and ingenuity of those that have come before us. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/1BD7B33C-5662-4BF1-9B2F-7A8BDA94E736_1_105_c.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/9A1A2528-DBC6-46CF-B7DB-890A8D376301_1_105_c.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/B910780F-58E8-4AF5-9AC6-230D54ADB483_1_105_c.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/E87DD967-FC37-4ED5-B662-91FD4E8E8374_1_105_c.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/03A776BB-0D3A-4CAC-904E-940F5248A71A_1_105_c.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/83A2AF52-A28F-4062-95FD-705E38D063E2_1_105_c.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2024/01/3D2CE45A-E3E6-45B0-852E-DA0A8A35EBB0_1_105_c.jpeg) --- ## 🌟Member Goodies🌟 ✨ Members can immerse themselves in a wonderful aerial VR of Lavenham with St. Peter and St. Paul's church by clicking the box below (viewable on any device): [Be there: St. Peter and St. Paul, Lavenham in glorious VRThe church is a wonderful example of C15th-C16th perpendicular architecture and, in the early morning light, presents itself like a richly inlaid jewellery box.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/size/w256h256/2022/12/Andy.png)Andy Marshall's Genius Loci DigestAndy Marshall![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/size/w1200/2024/01/Lavenham-3.jpg)](https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/be-there-st-peter-and-st-paul-lavenham-in-glorious-vr/) ✨ Members can also see a glorious aerial video that spirals around the church with extensive views of the surrounding landscape - helps put the church and village in context. [Aerial Video of St. Peter and St. Paul, Lavenham, Suffolk.The church is a wonderful example of C15th-C16th perpendicular architecture and, in the early morning light, presents itself like a richly inlaid jewellery box.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/size/w256h256/2022/12/Andy.png)Andy Marshall's Genius Loci DigestAndy Marshall![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/size/w1200/2024/01/Lavenham-2.jpg)](https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/aerial-video-of-st-peter-and-st-paul-lavenham-suffolk/) --- Readers of the Genius Loci Digest ## What stays with readers > β€œ > > That aura, those echoes - the muted light is transporting. What a space to feel rooted in history. I'd love to make that journey myself; you've stirred the opera lover and architectural dreamer in me. > > @sonatasips via X > β€œ > > Genius Loci has rapidly become the highlight of my Friday morning mailboxes, Andy! > > David via Linkedin > β€œ > > In reading & seeing Andy's work I always struggle to know which is more impactful - his writing or photos. In truth, the two combined are greater than their parts, he allows you to explore the importance of place and time from the comfort of home. > > Peter from Bluesky > β€œ > > Andy your work is becoming wonderful, remarkable. A so-called breakdown has been milled into its constituent parts, becoming profound construction: through perception, architecture, the lens and the pen. > > Stephen via Email 1 2 3 4 ← β…‘ β†’ ![The vaulted nave of York Minster glowing with filtered light](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2025/07/GjFbo3aXoAAgtYU.jpeg) York Minster - light through the nave01 / 04 ![Ancient carved stones and timber roof at Durham Cathedral's Open Treasure](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/production/photos/rt4ccpqm0nalr9e9vv5oxo8invcfxar6wbvq/original.jpg) Durham Cathedral - Open Treasure02 / 04 ![A family approaching the restored cloister at Exeter Cathedral](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/2025/06/Clews-Exeter-April-2025-134.jpg) Exeter Cathedral - new life beside the old03 / 04 ![The Iron Bridge reflected in calm water at dusk](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/production/photos/aii66p605mkuajmgvjdqnt9325o42kjghcac/original.jpg) The Iron Bridge - reflected at dusk04 / 04 From the heritage portfolio Three Ways to Come With Me ## Choose how to join, share or support Andy Marshall's work [ β†— Join Free Travel with me each Friday Receive the free weekly Genius Loci Digest in your inbox - photography, place-writing and overlooked stories from the road. Join the journey β†’ ](https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/) β†— Share Pass this page on Send it to someone who might see a familiar place differently. Share this page β†’ [ β†— Support Help make the next journey possible Become a member and sustain independent photography and place-writing. Support the journey β†’ ](https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/#/portal/) ## Time Travel With Me πŸ•°οΈ Let Woody - my campervan - choose our next stop: a distilled encounter with a place that still has something to say. Click to time travel to somewhere else ↻ **Loading posts** Β· [Explore all](https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/tag/loci/) Loading the latest Loci reflections... --- [ ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/size/w1200/2026/08/Biddlestone-3.jpg) β†— Mini-Caminos Take a Mini-Camino Short photographic journeys through places that reward a closer look. Explore the journeys β†’ ](https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/tag/mini-camino/) [ ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2e/b6/2eb6d776-18dd-41f1-a2d1-b76fa2d605be/content/images/size/w1200/2026/08/HHC-Westwell-Barn-1-2.jpg) β†— The Eustace Toolkit Help others see why place matters A free toolkit for revealing the memories, meanings and human value held by historic places. Open the toolkit β†’ ](https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/the-eustace-toolkit/) [](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Andy%20Marshall%27s%20Genius%20Loci%20Digest%3A%203%20Nov%202023&url=https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/andy-marshalls-genius-loci-digest-24/&ref=digest.andymarshall.co)[](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.digest.andymarshall.co/andy-marshalls-genius-loci-digest-24/) Connect with me on: [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/fotofacade.bsky.social?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/fotofacade/?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Fotofacade/) / [X](https://x.com/fotofacade?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/fotofacade?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotofacade/?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/fotofacade?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.social/fotofacade?ref=digest.andymarshall.co) / [Pinterest](https://uk.pinterest.com/fotofacade/?ref=digest.andymarshall.co)