Meet the Crooked Men
A fairytale romance come true,
with a shared vision for a life less ordinary…
“The moment I stepped inside, I knew I had to live here one day”
The Crooked House is home to the Crooked Men, Alex (left) and Oli (right); the latest in a 600-year line of custodians of this ancient place.
Our story starts in 2018, on a dark December’s evening. Alex was in Lavenham on a weekend away, with the recommendation to visit The Crooked House, which was a tearoom at the time.
On stepping inside, he fell in love and dreamt of one day moving to Lavenham, living in The Crooked House and sharing its magic with the world.
Just two years later, in January 2020, The Crooked House was put up for sale. Alex spotted it online and wanted to give up everything for it - but reality prevailed - he couldn’t leave his job and busy life in London… “Give it 30 years and I’ll get it next time.”
Two months later, London went into lockdown as the Covid-19 pandemic spread.
“From our first ‘video date’, I knew we’d be together forever”
In May 2020, Oli and Alex met online - in the midst of lockdown.
Discussing hopes and dreams for a life together, the conversation soon turned to The Crooked House. It was still for sale and with the world of remote working looking likely to stick, could ‘Crooked Life’ actually be possible?
Entirely impractical for most, The Crooked House was the perfect home for both these ‘Crooked Men’. A small and historic place with one bedroom but with the space and scale to entertain; a scene for unlimited creativity!
Maybe it wasn’t to be - The Crooked House went under offer. But then it fell through. Oli quickly booked a surprise trip to Lavenham with Alex and they stepped inside their dream home together.
“They’ve accepted your offer.” We’ll never forget those words, when our life began and the fairytale came true.
Early in 2021, the Crooked Men moved to Lavenham. They wasted no time getting to work, lovingly restoring and reimagining The Crooked House to tell its 600-year story.
That December, Oli and Alex got married - 18 months after first meeting. The reception for friends and family was, of course, held in The Crooked House - a fairytale home for this fairytale romance.
What a start it’s been and so much more to come. Thank you for joining this ‘Crooked’ adventure with us…