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East Bergholt is famous as it is the birthplace of the painter John Constable, and the area has now become known as Constable Country. The Church of St. Mary the Virgin was built in the 15th and 16th centuries, but is well known for the absence of a bell tower. St Mary's is a peculiar building in that it has no tower, only a small cupola. The tower was begun in 1525 but the money dried up and it was never finished. As a result, the church bells are housed, upside down, in a 16th-century wooden bell cage in the churchyard. This 'temporary' wooden bell cage was erected in the churchyard for the bells and still exists some 500 years later. 

 

Other attractions include Old Hall, a former nunnery, later friary, which now houses the Old Hall Community, a household of about 60 people who live co-operatively and farm organically. East Bergholt Place is a woodland garden and arboretum, with a plant centre in the old kitchen garden and is worth a visit.

 

Flatford Mill buildings were once owned by Constable's father and are recognisable since they feature in many of his paintings. Please see the page on Flatford Mill.  East Bergholt is very pretty and is s a sizeable village on the north bank of the River Stour, in the very heart of Constable Country. The association of East Bergholt with the Constable family runs deep; the artist grew up in a now-vanished house a few hundred yards from St Mary's church.

Constable's parents are buried in the churchyard, and there is a memorial to his wife inside the church. East Bergholt is an interesting but by no means a place to spend much time, so we recommend a brief walk or a quick drive through here and maybe a few photo's.