Kersey is one of the most picturesque villages in Suffolk. It is situated between two hills, two miles north-west of Hadleigh in Suffolk – not Essex. It dips from Church Hill, down to the ford across the stream, which is a tributary of the River Brett and then up Priory Hill. There are multi-coloured cottages and thatched cottages running down to the water splash or ford. Kersey was already a thriving community before the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon will about 900 AD. Whilst it is small, it has a vibrant community with a school, church, village hall and pub. It is famous for the Kersey cloth, a rough woollen fabric which brought prosperity to the village in the 14th century. The Medieval Weavers’ houses can be seen in The Street, the main road in Kersey. It is said that at one time, half the men in England were wearing the hard-wearing Kersey cloth.
The village is crowned by the massive tower of St. Mary’s Church which was built mainly in the 14th century, entirely of flint. The size and magnificence of the building demonstrates the prosperity of earlier centuries. The roof of the south porch consists of sixteen carved wooden panels, a masterpiece of 15th century craftsmanship.
The Bell Inn, built in the 14th century in The Street, is a traditional pub, with oak beams, flagstone floors and cosy log fires.
