Call for Volunteers at Little Hall, Lavenham

The very fabric of Little Hall captures the history of Lavenham and the growth and later decline of the cloth trade. In a prime position on the Market Place there has probably been a building here since the 13th Century when Lavenham got its market charter. Built for a family of clothiers, it is a typical hall house of the type found all over southern England.

As the cloth trade in Lavenham declined in the 18th and 19th Centuries so did the fortunes of the wealthy clothiers who left to seek business elsewhere. These fine houses were divided up and by the middle of the 19th Century the house was home to five or six working families.

It was purchased in 1924 by twin brothers Robert and Thomas Gayer Anderson along with the Great House next door. The brothers set about restoring the property naming it ‘Little Hall’ in 1935. Both brothers travelled widely during their military careers and collected artefacts from around the world. Little Hall is filled with their collection of antiques and antiquities and retains the atmosphere of a friendly family home.

In the 1960s and 70s it became an outpost of Kingston College of Art at that time in Surrey. The house was offered to Suffolk Buildings Preservation Trust and was opened as a museum in 1975.

Little Hall is the only medieval residential property in Lavenham open to the public and is run entirely by volunteers. If you would like to be a part of the Little Hall story, we would love to hear from you. You can email us at recruit@littlehall.org.uk or check out our website www.littlehall.org.uk where there is lots of information about the house and garden.

If you would like to find out more about volunteering at this lovely old house and garden please join us on: Saturday 25th February 2023 11am -1pm Find out what roles are on offer and meet some of the present team. There are some wonderful stories to tell and volunteering is incredibly rewarding. Even if you only have a few hours a week to spare, any help would be most welcome.

Little Hall, Market Place, Lavenham, Suffolk CO10 9QZ Phone number (shop) 01787 247019 www.littlehall.org.uk info@littlehall.org.uk Charity number 265212