Despite being only a short distance from Lavenham, the village of Kersey which bestrides a hidden miniature valley, has earned the accolade of the most 'beautiful village in South Suffolk.' It is indeed a picture-postcard village with a wonderful array of timbered merchants' houses and weavers' cottages most of which retain their large windows on the first floor to give plenty of light to the cottage industry of weaving dating back to the fifteenth century.

The main street which runs north south plunges down to the 'Splash', a tributary of the river Brett and up to the pretty church at the top of the hill and thankfully does not suffer from through traffic. This scene together with the adjacent 700 year-old Bell Inn has featured in many films and travelogues.

It is a location which has long been a painters' favourite subject as shown here by the Suffolk artist Leonard Squirrell and Jack Merriott and as with so many quintessential English villages would benefit by the removal of on street car parking altogether.

A famous resident of Kersey was until 1998 the writer Ralph Hammond Innes who lived in a stunning 16th century house going down the hill on the left from the church and before the ford.

Worth a visit is Kersey Pottery which has been run by Fred Bramham and Dorothy Gorst since 1972. They have developed new techniques which have evolved to encourage luminous colours and interesting textures. Their work is exhibited alongside the lovely etchings of local artist Glynn Thomas.