Hadleigh history group unearths past of town's guildhall

Hadleigh Guildhall in Suffolk was built in 1449

Local historians said they believed their town's guildhall was of "national and international significance" after spending years researching its past.

The group presented its findings on Hadleigh Guildhall in Suffolk to the Hadleigh Society on Wednesday.

They produced a timeline of the building and the site from 1374 to the present day.

Hadleigh Society said the research undertaken by the group was "remarkable".

It was hoped the information would be made available on Hadleigh Society's website and a booklet also made.

The group spent years researching the building and produced a timeline of its history

Sally Looker, from the group, said they researched sources available at archives in Suffolk and Canterbury.

She said many of the early records were in Latin and had to be translated by a medieval manorial expert.

"This approach has not been attempted before," said Mrs Looker.

"The timeline begins in 1374 and takes us on the story of the history of the set of historic publicly owned buildings situated on the southern side of St Mary's churchyard, through to the 20th Century."

The historic building has had many uses over the years

The timeline highlights the site's medieval origins, the building of the guildhall in 1449 and its use as a workhouse, hospital and for the town's poor from 1577 to 1834.

It also includes how the building was used to conduct borough business and its history through two world wars.

Richard Fletcher, chairman of the Hadleigh Society, said some 100 people attended the presentation on Wednesday.

He said: "One did not appreciate just how much this complex of the guildhall, town hall and market hall had been at the centre of the community in excess of 600 years, which is amazing considering it is still used by the community today."

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