title A Postcard From: Needham Market, Suffolk - 31st July 2026 intro Fred's in Spain with the county wind orchestra and Harry's out at a friend's house for a film night, so we decide to visit Needham Market for something to do and because - despite having been through it about 1,700 times by train - it's actually the first proper visit, despite once having been to county-council Trev's parents' house just outside the town to play snooker in the late 90s, and again to pick Isobel up from the station after her train was terminated there. We start with a walk around Needham Lake and follow that with a stooping walk under the railway line via the Cattle Tunnel, built in 1846, to have a look round the town itself, including the interesting architectural mash-up that is the church of St. John the Baptist - including its impressive mediaeval hammerbeam roof, of which the often-scathing Nikolaus Pevsner was moved to quote Henry Cautley, who called it "the culminating achievement of the English carpenter". imgp1237 The back field is already cut imgp1247 We watch the auto-bale-pick-up thing imgp1248 Needham Lake imgp1252 A goose stands on one leg imgp1253 Another waterway has turned to astroturf imgp1254 Isobel walks around the Needham Lake path imgp1258 A Class 66 "shed" rumbles through Needham imgp1262 The Greater Anglia train from London imgp1263 A view from the other side of Needham Lake imgp1264 A pair of fluffy baby moorhens pootle after mum imgp1267 Isobel heads under the very low cattle bridge imgp1268 Isobel in the cattle bridge under the railway imgp1272 The impressive Needham Market railway station imgp1273 The Rampant Horse Inn, Needham Market imgp1275 Needham's grand Christchurch United Reform Church imgp1276 A tall but distressed door imgp1277 A classic Victorian shop porch imgp1278 A closed-down shop has some interesting stuff imgp1279 Needham Market's high street imgp1280 A grand house on the high street imgp1283 A former pub with Tolly Cobbold signs on it imgp1285 The bizarrely-modified St. John the Baptist imgp1286 The wide, bright nave of St. John the Baptist imgp1288 Buildings seen through squares of old glass imgp1289 The impressive mediaeval hammer-beam roof imgp1290 A colourful font imgp1291 All that remains of original mediaeval glass imgp1294 Victorian poppy heads on benches imgp1297 Another view of the architectural mash-up imgp1299 An original carved mediaeval door imgp1300 Another impressive building on the high street imgp1302 Isobel walks through Needham Market imgp1304 Impressive pargetting on a building imgp1305 Bins in a back yard