Great Waldingfield residents saddened after 200-year-old 'crinkle-crankle' wall found with major damage

Villagers have expressed their disappointment after discovering significant damage to a centuries-old garden wall in Great Waldingfield.

A part of the serpentine wall, which borders a Victorian farmhouse in Lavenham Road, was found collapsed by residents.

Located across East Anglia, the structure is also known as a crinkle-crankle wall, due to its distinctive curvature design.

Bernard Rushton, of The Street, stated that the cause of the damage was unknown.

“It’s very unusual – it’s been here for 200 years,” he said, adding that it was unlikely that last week’s stormy weather had attributed to the collapse.

“I would have thought it had seen winds a lot stronger that what we’ve had recently,” added the 60-year-old, who has lived in the village for 29 years.

Bernard’s wife, Linda, recalls fond memories of spotting the site as a young girl.

“My dad stopped our car and pointed out that wall to me in 1973 when we drove by on our many trips to Lavenham and beyond, and I’ve been admiring it ever since,” she said.

Mike Kiely, of Rectory Road, said the site had become a significant landmark in the village.

“Because the wall has been there for so long, it has a special place in all our hearts,” he said.

The parish council had been in the process of submitting an application for the wall to be listed as a heritage asset.

Members of the heritage team at Babergh District Council visited the site last year and noted its distinctive design.

The landmark forms part of an iconic view from St Lawrence Church, a Grade-I listed site located in The Street.