Dedham Vale is also known as "Constable Country", it is designated an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), and the place where the famous painter John Constable was born. John spent most of his life in these parts, just as his father before him. He attended the local Grammar school in the late 18th century, and it the romantic landscape of this beautiful vale in the Stour Valley that inspired Constable to produce most of his famous works of art.
Another famous East Anglican artist, Sir Alfred Munnings, lived in Dedham Vale, he was born in 1878 and went to live at Castle House after he married in 1920. Sir Alfred, lost the sight of one eye early in his career, none-the-less he achieved remarkable success. After his death in 1959, Lady Munnings eventually opened the house as a fitting memorial to the talent of her husband, and like many of the places associated with John Constable, Castle House is open for public viewing.
Most of the land around here is owned by the National Trust, so too are many of the buildings. The vale possesses one of the most familiar of all English churches, St.Mary's, built around 1500, whose silhouette can be seen in several of Constable's paintings.
The countryside of Dedham Vale is mostly agricultural. In summer behind green hedges the ground is covered with ripened corn which unlike the sheaves of yester-year, is rolled into giant Swiss rolls, but they reflect the soft Suffolk sunlight just as effectively.
This is a lovely place to visit, not just for its famous connections, but as much for the magical atmosphere of a place that appears little changed for centuries. Most particularly, the scene at Flatford beside the River Stour has changed little since John Constable painted Willy Lott's Cottage early in the 19th century. It has the same timeless charm, and completely English peace as when Constable and Munnings strode through the lanes and wandered dreamily along the river banks.
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