Moot Hall, Aldeburgh, Suffolk
The Moot Hall in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, on the only rainy day of our vacation.
The Moot Hall faces the sea. It was built over 400 years ago, a timbered flint and brick Tudor building, regarded as one of the most beautiful in its genre. Originally there were two rows of houses between the sea and the town hall, but these have been lost to the sea which through the ages has encroached further on the land. The constant exposure to the sea and wind necessitated costly repairs to the building in 1852, when chimneys copied from Hampton Court were added. Further restaurations were completed in 1986-1988 and received a “Civic Trust Award”.
The old English word “mote” stands for meeting place and debating place; here the citizens convened in a hall for public meetings - a hall of judgment. The Town Council still meets in the Hall, which formed the scenario for the opening of Benjamin Britten’s opera “Peter Grimes”. According to reports the cannon balls that were once stored here are responsible for the bulging walls. There were prison cells on the ground floor, whilst the northern end was originally an open gallery which functioned as a market hall with stalls.
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