Editing Suffolk (section)

== Suffolk Pink ==
[[File:Suffolk Pink cottage in Ixworth, with pargetting.jpg|thumb|16th century cottage in Ixworth, with pargetting and traditional Suffolk Pink limewash]]

Villages and towns in Suffolk are renowned for historic, pink-washed halls and cottages, which has become known far and wide as "Suffolk Pink". Decorative paint colours found in the county can range from a pale shell shade, to a deep blush brick colour.<ref>{{cite news |title=History of Suffolk county's architecture |url=https://www.britain-magazine.com/features/history/suffolk-architecture |newspaper=Britain Magazine |date=25 March 2020 |access-date=10 September 2020 |archive-date=4 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304184452/https://www.britain-magazine.com/features/history/suffolk-architecture/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to research, Suffolk Pink dates back to the 14th century, when these shades were developed by local dyers by adding natural substances to a traditional [[limewash]] mix. Additives used in this process include [[pig]] or [[ox]] blood with [[buttermilk]], [[elderberries]] and [[sloe]] juice.

Locals and historians often state that a true Suffolk Pink should be a "deep dusky terracotta shade",<ref>{{cite news |last1=Partner |first1=Claire |title=Why is pink the traditional colour to paint houses in Suffolk? |work=BBC News |date=13 January 2018 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42634851 |access-date=10 September 2020 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109003743/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42634851 |url-status=live }}</ref> rather than the more popular pastel hue of modern times. This has caused controversy in the past when home and business-owners alike have been reprimanded for using colours deemed incorrect, with some being forced to repaint to an acceptable shade. In 2013, famous chef [[Marco Pierre White]] had his 15th-century hotel, The Angel, in Lavenham, decorated a shade of pink that was not traditional Suffolk Pink. He was required by local authorities to repaint.<ref>{{cite news |title=Marco Pierre White repaints Angel Hotel Suffolk pink |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-23642051 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=10 September 2020 |archive-date=12 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211212021809/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-23642051 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gaw |first1=Matt |title=Lavenham: Village not tickled pink by Marco Pierre White's paint choice |url=https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/lavenham-village-not-tickled-pink-by-marco-pierre-white-s-paint-choice-1-2314592 |publisher=East Anglian Daily Times |access-date=10 September 2020 |archive-date=3 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703134237/http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/lavenham-village-not-tickled-pink-by-marco-pierre-white-s-paint-choice-1-2314592 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In another example of Suffolk taking its colours seriously, a homeowner in [[Lavenham]] was obligated to paint their [[Listed building|Grade I listed]] cottage Suffolk Pink, to make it match a neighbouring property. The local council said it wanted all of the cottages on that particular part of the road to be the same colour, because they were a single building historically (300 years earlier).<ref>{{cite web |title=The history behind Suffolk Pink houses |url=https://www.fennwright.co.uk/about-us/news/the-history-behind-suffolk-pink-houses |website=Fenn Wright |access-date=10 September 2020 |archive-date=8 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108094837/https://www.fennwright.co.uk/about-us/news/the-history-behind-suffolk-pink-houses/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The historic Suffolk Pink colour has also inspired the name of a British apple.<ref>{{cite web |title=The origin of the Suffolk Pink apple variety |url=https://realenglishfruit.co.uk/suffolk-pink |website=Real English Fruit |access-date=10 September 2020 |archive-date=25 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925103430/https://realenglishfruit.co.uk/suffolk-pink/ |url-status=live }}</ref>