Author: Norman Scarfe

Date published: 1960, 1976

Status: out of print

What is it? The Suffolk volume in the Shell series of gazeteers of English counties. The series was edited by John Betjeman.

What's it like? Little old market town on side of low hill to which it owes its greatness, the site of one of the chief English baronial castles. Observe at leisure the mellow beauty of all the ancient houses and shops of the town, their red pantiled roofs climbing one above the other from the mill-brook at the bottom to group themselves round the triangle of the market place. (Framlingham)
Fourteenth century tracery of five windows contains fragments of worst glass in England. (Shimpling)

What's good about it? A period piece of sorts; the easily-obtained 1960 edition is beautiful, containing endpapers by John Piper.

What's bad about it? Entries are very brief, yet still manage to be Arthur Mee-like. Scarfe's views of 19th century art, for example his opinion of the work of the great Henry Holiday at Shimpling, have not stood the test of time.

Overall rating: 2/5

Buy this book: Amazon.co.uk (UK and Europe), Amazon.com (rest of the world)