St Peter and St Paul's Church, Lavenham

St Peter and St Paul's Church, Lavenham
St Peter and St Paul's Church, Lavenham
52°6′22.83″N 0°47′29″E / 52.1063417°N 0.79139°E / 52.1063417; 0.79139Coordinates: 52°6′22.83″N 0°47′29″E / 52.1063417°N 0.79139°E / 52.1063417; 0.79139
Location	Lavenham
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	lavenhamchurch.onesuffolk.net
History
Dedication	St Peter and St Paul
Associated people	Thomas Spring of Lavenham
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I listed
Architect(s)	John Wastell
Style	Late Perpendicular
Completed	1525
Specifications
Length	156 feet (48 m)
Nave width	70 feet (21 m)
Height	141 feet (43 m)
Administration
Parish	Lavenham with Preston
Deanery	Lavenham
Archdeaconry	Sudbury
Diocese	Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
Province	Canterbury
Clergy
Rector	Reverend Stephen Earl
Laity
Director of music	Peter Tryon
Churchwarden(s)	Graham Pattrick, David Deacon

St Peter and St Paul's Church, Lavenham is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Lavenham, Suffolk. It is a notable wool church and regarded as the finest example of Late Perpendicular Gothic architecture in England.

A church has existed on the current site, in a prominent position to the west of the town, since Anglo-Saxon times. The original church, which was probably wooden, was rebuilt in stone in the 14th century. The chancel is the oldest part of the current church, having been constructed in c. 1340 and decorated with money from wealthy citizens, including Thomas Spring II. In the decades following the Black Death the town of Lavenham grew rich as a result of the booming wool trade. The 14th century church was added to and modified several times in order to convey the new wealth of its religious community. The eastern vestry, built in 1440, is the only other remaining part of the previous church building. Following the victory of Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, the Earl of Oxford, a major local landowner and commander of Henry's army, suggested that the church should be rebuilt in the latest style to celebrate the new Tudor king. However, it is likely that plans were already underway to rebuild the church in order to reflect the growing prosperity of Lavenham.

The reconstruction of the church took place mainly between 1485 and 1525. The architect is thought to have been John Wastell, who built the Church of St Mary the Great, Cambridge, which is very similar. The building is late perpendicular in its design, and regarded as one of the finest churches built in that style. It was also one of the last churches to be completed before the English Reformation. The extraordinary cost of the work was paid for by the local merchant families, who had become amongst the wealthiest in England. The same families continued to pay for the upkeep of the building, in some cases for centuries after its completion.