Pictures of Sudbury

About Sudbury

Sudbury is an ancient market town full of evocative memories. It was the birthplace of Gainsborough one of England's greatest painters, whose former home still stands and is open for you to look around and soak up the atmosphere of a typical Suffolk home of the period.

This lovely town developed along the banks of the River Stour, in Thomas Gainsborough's time it was a busy river port. It was also East Anglia's most famous woollen centre and weaving continues in the town to this day. Most recently, in the 20th century the silk for the wedding dress of the late, Diana, Princess of Wales was spun at a mill in Sudbury.

A walk around the town reveals many attractive medieval and Georgian properties in the streets below Market Hill. The Old Moot Hall is 15th century, it is extremely picturesque with an overhanging storey, and the nearby Salter's Hall, has fine oriel windows.

In the town you can find atmospheric inns of yester-year, nearly all of which will be serving Maldons beer. This award winning beer has been brewed in Sudbury since the year 1795. You will also find pleasant shops, galleries, book shops, and antique emporiums to look around.

A short distance out of the town standing on the peaceful banks of the Stour you can see a gently turning 16ft mill wheel at the side of Hotel Elizabeth. The wheel is powered by the water of the Stour. This is a pleasant part of the Suffolk landscape which is well worth seeing.


This part of Suffolk was beloved by Gainsborough and Constable, both painted the beautiful landscape of the Stour valley. It is an area with historic roots stretching back to Saxon times as is borne out by some of the ancient churches to be discovered in scattered towns and villages. St.Gregory's is Sudbury's own parish church, it is Perpendicular with a west tower, and in the chancel there are large windows built by Simon de Sudbury. He became Archbishop of Canterbury and was murdered in 1387. In the church visitors can see a very ornate font canopy and fine misericords, and many other historic church treasures.

Sudbury is a quintessentially English town with a fine historic legacy, it is beautiful place to wander around, and likely you might feel you have been here before. That will be because Sudbury has played a central role in some fine film and television programmes. Parts of the town featured in the programme about irascible antiques dealer, Lovejoy.

One of the best ways of exploring both the town and the Stour valley is on foot. In the countryside beyond the town you will find plenty to see, especially churches and romantic looking houses, you will also find a plentiful supply of inns and good accommodation should you choose to spend a few days in a lovely landscape beneath pink tinged Suffolk skies, where the warmth and atmosphere reflects a timeless quality long since gone.