Pictures of East Bergholt

About East Bergholt

This enchanting village gained lasting fame as Constable's birth place. He was born here in 1776 and this enchanting village is featured in many of his paintings.

East Bergholt is set above the winding River Stour. Surprisingly, there is a number of large, elegant houses in this small community. Many of these were built by wool merchants who made large fortunes in the Stour Valley between the 13th and 16th-centuries - there are Tudor halls, Houses of Georgian brick and Black and White timber cottages with mossy red tiles and creeper clad walls.

Constable country (as this area is known) is made up of three villages - East Bergholt, Dedham and Flatford. Constable once acclaimed ' I love every stile and stump and lane - it is these scene's that made me a painter' and it is easy to see why. The gentle Hills, Valley's and Streams are still as beautiful today as they were when John Constable immortalised them forever in his paintings.

Constable's father owned the Flour mill at Flatford, his painting 'Flatford Mill' was completed in 1817 and hangs in the Tate Gallery. Also, in Flatford stands Willy Lott's cottage, made famous as part of Constable's - The Haywain.

Interestingly, nearby Dedham where John Constable went to school, was also the birth place of Horse Artist Sir Alfred Munnings(1878-1959) and Dedham was the home of the Sherman family whose descendant designed the American Sherman Tank. This pretty village is featured in much of Constable's work.

There is much to do and to see in this peaceful area; The 15th-century Church of St. Mary the Virgin has altered little since Constable's day. His parents are buried in the north east corner of the churchyard, and Willy Lott is buried on the south side of the church. Inside the church is a memorial to the artist's wife, Maria, and there is a stained glass memorial window to Costable himself. There is also a monument to Edward Lambe, who endowed the Lambe School for poor children in the village in 1594. Outside of the church you will find the famous medieval bell cage which houses the heaviest set of bells in England. Remarkably, these bells weighing in at approx 4.25 tons are rung by hand. They were being rung daily until a terrible accident that took place in 1999 and the bell ringing was halted. Ringing has since resumed and the bells have been made safer.

A larger selection of shops is to be found in Dedham, along with the 'Arts Centre' a former church, now a showcase for local Artists. In East Bergholt there is a specialist Garden Centre, selling rare and beautiful plants.

Dotted all around these picturesque villages you will find a good selection of inns and restaurants, all with a genial host who will happily relate to you local tales of this area's most famous Son.

Other local attractions are the nearby Misterly Towers, a R.S.P.B. site close to Wrabness and Alton Water.