Chapter 6, rows 1-16.indd

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Chapter Six

The Rows of Great Yarmouth

Until the Second World War, the majority of all the

residents in Great Yarmouth lived in the narrow

passages between the three main streets known as

the rows. Virtually all the properties were owned and

rented out by landlords, who often had quite large

portfolios of houses around the town.The rows all

had their own names, yet those names kept changing,

being generally known by a pub or shopkeeper

at one end or other. There must have been great

difficulty finding the way about until the rows were

first numbered in 1804. Even then, although some

sequences were logical enough, the rows had been

clearly given their numbers by walking around with

a paint brush. In 1804 there was no readily available

printed map, and the numbering was done “on the

ground”. The sequence followed in the numbering

was simply up and down here and there, and not

entirely logical.

Rows

One

to Sixteen

There were 84 rows in the town in 1598 according

to Nash, but by 1619 there were 140. The rows av-

eraged six feet in width, but some were as narrow

as three feet or even less. Most houses previous to

the reign of Queen Elizabeth had been covered with

reeds or thatch, but in 1571, that method of roofing

was forbidden. In 1555 an act had been made by the

Corporation that no-one should let a house without

a chimney, the fine being 10 pounds.

Various

views

of Row

One.

Row One

Ramp or Rampart Row

The first row was the longest row in the town and

ran absolutely dead straight and parallel with the

wall. At its west end was the northwest tower. Also

at the west end, on the south side, was the old White

Swan public house. The dwellings in this row became

very dilapidated, and in the 19th. Century the north

side ones that were built against the town wall were

demolished. In about 1875 there had been build-

ings on both sides of the row. At that time, those

at the west end of the row were leaning severely

outwards towards the centre. Of course all houses

in Gt.Yarmouth are built on sand, or made ground,

and clearly foundations in this row were very poor.

All the drainage, even of sewage, ran down the row

in an open drain, as can be seen on the old draw-

ings of Row One. This water would have seeped

into the sand below and aggravated the settlement.

The buildings on the south side appear to have been

leaning outwards by about 10 degrees, held only by

cross braces against the houses on the opposite side

of the row. In another photo looking in the opposite

direction it can be seen that the row was cobbled,

with the drain on the south edge. At that time, trees

were growing out of the roofs of some of the dwell-

ings. Since 1618 an ordinance had been made that

all doors opening outwards into rows should be

altered and made to open inwards.

100

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Map of Row One

by

Henry Swinden

1758

second tower

The left-hand section is from the North Gate to the house

west of the second tower, and the right section overlaps

and continues to the North-West Tower.

North Gate

house

Northgate Street

yard

East wing of the

White Swan, or

more likely, the

main building,

facing down the

quay.

Here is a feature

never elsewhere

referred to, a gate

in the wall by the

tower

Tower 2

North Quay

garden

River

North-West Tower

The White Swan

House as at top of right-hand section

Yard, as at top of right-hand section

101

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

wide thoroughfare for carts, but we can see from

the photographs in the mid 1800’s that this in

fact never really happened, or else they were

soon rebuilt. The same houses on the north side

were never given numbers, and in the Kelly’s

Directories the numbering runs down the south

side, commencing at Northgate Street.

Rows

One

to Sixteen

The middle of Rampart Road is where the wall

stood. The foundations of the wall still remain

under the road. At the south-east corner of the

row, up by the North Gate was a public house,

which was at one time called “The Plough”,

and thereafter the “Jolly Farmers”. In Palmer’s

time it became a granary, and later a malthouse.

There were two substantial malthouses in Row

1, which latterly belonged to Lacons, and the

western one was not demolished until 1971. It

had been built in 1705, and rebuilt in 1912. The

site of the malthouse was in 1980 a tyre fitting

The owners were fined five shillings each if they had not

complied, and the constables were ordered to nail up their

door. The dwellings in this row, always those of the poorer

inhabitants, were very small, and never had any gardens or

yards. The houses built along the north wall had originally

been built without permission, and in 1641 a Committee was

formed to view them and enquire as to who had erected them.

They had been used as alms houses in the care of the church

wardens, but the Town Council owned the ground. Inside the

houses, the arches in the wall were used as bedrooms. (One

such bedroom was evidently present in the house knocked

down prior to Cotman’s drawing). Many of the

houses were cleared away when it was hoped to provide a

5 North Quay

20, Row 2 (map, p. 107)

centre, but the site in 2004 has

now stood empty for several

years. The next public house

along Northgate Street appears

to have been the “Bird In Hand”,

afterwards called the “Black

Horse”, and in Palmer’s time the

“East and West Flegg”, between

rows one and two.

The gap in the wall, and the gap

between the White Swan public

house and the other houses of

rows 1 and 2 can clearly be seen

on the 1855 map by Laing, that

shows the railway tracks which

102

The railway line ran along the narrow North Quay, before the road was widened.

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

then passed through a gap in the

wall. A photograph shows the

White Swan from the west side;

the doors are now in slightly

different positions, and the level

crossing gate can be seen on the

left of the photograph. Another

view of the White Swan shows

the railway tracks. The nar-

row gap is again nicely seen in

the photo. of the floods dated

January 7 1905. This photo.

has been taken from a point

just south of the end of Fuller’s

Hill. The shops that can be seen

on the right hand part of this

photograph being those between

rows 8, 9, and Fuller’s Hill. The

print which is captioned “Inside

The Town Wall”, is of the in-

side of the wall along Rampart

Row when the houses

on the north side had

been demolished. This

view is looking from

the site of the North

Gate. The North Gate

had of course been

demolished in 1807,

whereas the town wall

stood here until 1875.

Proceeding west down

Rampart Road from

Northgate Street, on the

south side, past the end

of the Standard Motor-

1906 ﬂoods.

Note the railway

crossing gates,

this photo taken

from the west side.

103

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

ist Centre, there was in 1991, Ashley Printing,

which is a small firm printing stationary that

occupied some low sheds, that previously

were used for an upholstery business where

a Mr. Kelly did upholstery under the name

of “Gt.Yarmouth Upholstery”. The next 2

buildings down Rampart Road are nos. 9

and 10 Rampart Road, a pair of semi-de-

tached houses, at the back of which were

some warehouses that belong to the printing

works. These are pre-war houses with some

wooden dormers in the roof, but with modern

aluminium white PVC covered windows.

There were only five occupants listed in

this row in 1886, some 11 years after the

wall had been demolished. It seems likely

that Bowles the labourer was at no. 9, and

Neaves’ fish office at no. 10. This would

put J. Dawkins into no. 8. If so this would

have been a tiny dwelling a century or more

earlier, on Swinden’s plan.

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Re-roofing the North-West Tower , was carried

out by H.Moore’s in 1987 using new laths and pintiles.

The restoration was in keeping with the original, but the

concrete stairs, the metal railings, and new tiles were not

good conservation.

Most likely no. 25 was the last house on

this side of the row, and the malthouse that

was rebuilt by Lacons obliterated the houses

up to number 22, leaving William Tindall

in number 23, Arthur Burwood in 24, and

James Grimmer in number 25. In 1990 David

Grimmer of King Street was a fisherman,

who had a small boat moored by the Haven

Bridge and went shrimping up river and

sometimes in-shore sea fishing. He several

times reckoned that the shrimps gave him

food poisoning, which would not have been

surprising, since untreated sewage was then

still discharged straight into the river. There

was always a small cross row into Row 2, as

is shown on Swinden’s map, also in 1906,

and which was numbered as Row 2a. on the

surveyor’s map. The rest of the space beside

Rampart Road is occupied by the British

Telecom car park, and then their telephone

exchange, a three-storey brick built building

of somewhat square proportions, and rather

unsightly. The best thing about the nearby

new Court-house that has been built on the

site of St. Andrew’s School is that it is outside

the old town. It is not until one looks across

the river from North River Road, that it looks

so completely out of place. Unfortunately,

although it could elsewhere be described

as an attractive modern building, here it is

completely out of place, and becomes an

eyesore (photo. page 107).

Standard Motorist’s Centre, left, 1987.

104

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Above, 1987.

Lacon’s

Brewery

Malt-house,

Rampart

Road, 1971.

105

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Top left, gateway of old St. Andrew’s school, centre, Ashley Print, where Yarmouth

upholstery was. Bottom, ﬂats replace the former Standard motorist’s centre, 26.8.2005,

where was previously three shops, and before that the pub., the East and West Flegg.

106

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

discontinued. One of the Senior fitters there was

a Peter Griffen, a local family some of whose

members live in Cobholm. An unfortunate

effect of the recession is that one day in 1990

this Motorist’s Centre was in business, and on

the next the staff told not to come in as it had

been closed. The line of the wall at this point

can be observed by standing out in the roadway.

Having run directly down Northgate Street, the

row would have been south of the centre white

line in the road. The footings of the old wall

are still present under the road and interfered

with the gas pipes when they were being laid

in 1986.

I maintain that the Magistrates Court (above)

is too modern in exterior design, when set

across the river as a backdrop to the tower as

one of the ﬁrst impressions of the town.

The Row Survey as written in 1936 for the

archaeological society, by Major Gerard

Davidson, FSA., of the society for the protection

of ancient buildings, says- “Rampart Row is the

ancient north boundary of the town. There is

nothing specially to report or urge for attention,

though a number of houses were built between

1870 and 1900, and are structurally in fair

order”.

The Occupants, Row One, 1886

(from Northgate Street)

Dawkins, J.

Bowles, G., labourer

Neave’s fish office

Harding, R.

Vincent, J., labourer

The Board Schools

Row One, Occupants: 1913

from Northgate Street

South side

9. Mason, Walter

9. Sheen and Mason, coal merchants.

10. Gunns, Mrs.

Jary, Arthur, carpenter &c., (workshops)

23. Tindall, William Thomas

24. Burwood, Arthur

25. Grimmer, James

North side : Council Schools

East and West Flegg , site of later

motorists’ centre, 28 Northgate Street

The malthouse at the south-east corner of this row was one

belonging to Lacons and demolished in about 1880. The site

was last occupied by the Standard Motorists’ Centre, the front

part of this had been a shop for some years run by the same

Company. Later, the entire building was been taken over

for tyre fitting and exhausts, motor accessories having been

The north side of the East and West

Flegg , and Lacon’s malt house

behind (Rampart Road).

107

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Photo. 26.8.05.

Ellis (see Row 127) was

headmistress in 1959. She

was promised a new school

on the Rampart Road site,

but instead, the school was

moved to the north end of

Northgate Street in 1974.

In 1981 there was a grand

centenary at the school

to celebrate the old St.

Andrews School. There was

to have been a new nursery

class, but Mrs. Thatcher was

education minister, and cuts

were imposed such that the

nursery was never built (see

also Rows 11 and 13 and

Fuller’s Hill).

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Row One, Occupants : 1927

South side:

9. Dawson, Howard G., firelighter

manufacturer

10. Lane, Cecil Harry

22. Brown, Miss G. E., general stores

22. Allen, Ernest, ice cream manufacturer,

tel. 482

23. Thurston, Ernest

24. Sayers, Mrs.

25. Grimmer, James

North side:

Council schools

Row One, Occupants, 1936:

from Northgate Street

South side:

9. Thorpe, Edward Gordon

10. Sherwood, Horace Frederick

23. Thurston, Ernest

24. Sayers, Mrs.

North side:Council schools

RAMPART

ROAD

At the north-west corner of

Rampart Road was the Northgate

St. Andrew’s School. Sarah Webb

was the first headmistress of St.

Andrew’s school when it opened

in 1881. St. Andrew’s School had

been at the south-west of Fuller’s

Hill, but was demolished together

with the Wherrymen’s Church of

St. Andrew, and then merged with

the Northgate school in 1957. Joan

View from midway down Rampart Road looking west, telephone exchange on left, 1990.

108

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

2 was blocked as previously stated by the wall at the back

of the Motorist Centre, which surrounded their car park.

But if one takes a turn to the left behind the buildings of

Northgate Street, near to the Chinese Takeaway, one then

passes up a small passage into a yard with some very old

flint and brick walls of which there is also a portion at the

back of the Chinese Takeaway. The old wooden beams in

the walls are visible in places, and still support the building

over the top of the row. The Chinese takeaway was called

the “Hong Kong Palace 1 ”, and at no. 27 Northgate Street.

Pittman’s the General Store is no. 26 Northgate Street.

This is also an off- licence selling wines and spirits. No.

26 Northgate Street was Mr. Wishee-Washee’s Laundromat

(1987), proprietor P. Wilson, so clearly nothing to do with

the Chinese take-away, 2 doors up. The laundry had a large

Photo in the small cross passage 27.11.04.

ROW TWO

(Palmer gave no name)

Black Horse Row

Bird in Hand Row

(Johnson)

Row 2 runs back parallel to Row 1, from Northgate

Street to North Quay. It was called Black Horse Row

from the public house at the east end, the pub which

had previously been called the “Bird In Hand”, and

later was called the “East and West Flegg”. The

row was divided half way down by a cross row.

The large building past the first house was Lacon’s

malthouse. In the 18th. century there were really

quite a lot of gardens in this row, but most of the

open spaces were built upon during the following

century. Indeed during the next half-century most

houses look as though they front on to Laughing

Image Corner. As far as the west half of the row is

concerned, those dwellings which front on to Row

2 were exceedingly small, several of them built

within the spaces of the previous gardens, a habit

which persists today, although regulated at least

some of the time by the Planning Committee.

Mr Pittman, outside his shop, 18.10.06

number of industrial-sized washing machines, and also a

dry-cleaning machine. Many persons in this area clearly

do not as yet have their own washing machines. Several

houses in this part of Northgate Street have been given

over to tenants that live on social security benefit. They

are accommodated in single roomed bed-sit “flats”, which

are no asset to the town.

Looking at the 18th. C. Map, it shows on the north side

of this row perhaps one dwelling, along with some open

space in the eastern half, and what may well represent a

range of about 3 cottages adjoining the White Swan. The

1886 directory refers to some malthouses, and then lists

ten inhabitants, as representing ten inhabited dwellings.

Strangely, in 1913 only the inhabitants of numbers 22-25 are

listed, but are on the south side, whereas in 1936 numbers

11,12 and 13 were also listed. Lacon’s malthouse was then

to the west, and other malthouses up at the east end of the

row. 1 1994, now the “China Inn, 2006”.

Row 2 is just a narrow alleyway now, running a

short distance between the “Golden House 1 ” and

the vacant site of the former Standard Motorist

Centre. Part of the old row wall still exists there

however, and is exposed on the north side; also, as

can be seen from the photograph, the cobblestones

are still to be seen. Between Row 2 and Row 3 are

Pittman’s and the Laundromat, both parts of the

same building, and then no. 25 Northgate Street,

is W. W. Bells the family butchers. In 1990, Row

109

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Adams, R., fish curer

23. Robinson, William

A.

Chapter

Six

Errington, J.

24. Watts, Mrs.

Marshall, A.

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Larn, Mrs.

25. Rivett, Ernest Vic-

tor

Row Two,

Occupants: 1936

11. King, Donald

Curtis, Mrs.

Gilham, R.

Parmenter, Mrs.

12. Palmer, Mrs.

Pillar, Miss

13. Liffen, Mrs.

Darnell, I.; Green, J. J.;

German, J.

Row Two,

Occupants: 1913

22. Hancy, Archibald

here is Lacon’s malt-

house.....

22. Goodson, Charles

23. Robinson, William.

23. Robinson, William

A.

24. Shearing, John Fre-

derick

24. Palmer, Miss

25. Brunsdon, Alfred

25. George, Mrs.

Row Two,

Occupants: 1927

11. King, Donald

26. Calver, Bertie

William

Row Two from the west end, 1962 (photo Leslie Goodson)

There is a picture of a plaque (page 105) that was on Lacon’s

malt house. Another photograph (page 102) shows no. 5

North Quay, and the back of the house, clearly approached

from row 1, but which was numbered as 20, Row 2 (see map,

p.111). The malthouse as re-built in 1912 went right across

to Row 3, completely across the row, making it impassable

beyond the cross row,

Row 2a. Eva Newark

(Twine) has confirmed

my numbering on the

plan (see Row 3).

Johnson said in 1927,

that the row was called

after the public house

at the north-east corner.

There had been fish-

houses on the north

side, demolished earlier

(smoke-houses).

Lacons maltings were

erected blocking the

row in 1912.

12. Palmer, Herbert

13. Liffen, Emanuel

22. Thurston, Frank

Row Two,

Occupants, 1886:

from Northgate Street, Malt Houses

Row

entrance,

above,

18.10.06

Old wall and cobbles, right, 18.10.06

110

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

R O W T W O

"The Plough"

photo of Row Two 1960, showing the

Cross Row (L.Goodson)

The "Bird in Hand"

The "Huntsman and Horn"

the "Black Horse"

malt-houses

Armstrong’s version, 1772.

1906 map

11

12

21

13

22

23

24

25

11

12

13

cross row

26

27

28

Lacon's

Malt-

House

29

30

31

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

32

no. 6 North Quay

no.5 North Quay

111

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

ROW THREE (Palmer)

Boulter the Baker’s Row (Johnson)

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Doughty’s Row (Johnson)

Harry Johnson said that Boulter’s Rusk Shop was

at the north-east corner. Henry Boulter died in

1865, and was buried in the Quaker’s burial ground.

(Rows 60/63) A boat was discovered here, deep

down when digging a well in about 1845. Doughty

the Grocer had a shop at the south-east corner for

many years.

26.8.2005

In 1994, Bell’s the Butcher’s Shop is on the edge

of Row 3. The wall at the front end of the row on

the north side is a very old one. Most of the other

walls have been replaced relatively recently with

new brick. There is a nice little square garden at the

rear behind a very high wall with apple and pear

trees, and behind that is an electricity sub station,

which is surrounded on two sides by another very

old brick and flint row wall, clearly part of a house

now demolished, which looks as if it could well be

of 16th century origin. From the east end of row 3

can be seen the “Kings Arms”. Looking westerly,

the row still runs through to the river, passing by

at the west end the new Telephone Exchange. On

the site of this telephone exchange was the Lacon’s

malthouse already described, which was up for sale

in December 1971 to be subsequently demolished.

It was a very large malthouse, first built in 1705

and rebuilt in 1912. Row 3 as leading from the

north part of Laughing Image Corner to Northgate

Street, and was called Boulter’s Row from the

baker’s shop at the north-east corner. If we have

many pubs today, then there were certainly many

more before, since at the south-east corner of the

row was a public house called “The Horse and

Groom” in 1850 or so, and which had belonged in

1738 to Andrew Chambers of Horning.

The walls at the south-east end of row 3, on the

side of no. 24 Northgate Street, are also of a very

considerable age, with brick and flint construction.

An old row door exists at this point, a front-door

into the row, which appears to be little, if at all used

these days. Where Boulter’s stood is now Bell’s

the Butcher’s, a more modern two storey building,

no. 25 Northgate Street, which in February 1994

was empty and for sale. There is a slight bend to

the right in Row Three, if one walks in a westerly

direction from Northgate Street. The 1870 photo

would therefore have been taken from the cross

row and perhaps shows Mr. Newark’s bakery on

the left. (i.e. looking back up the row). In another

photograph, William Newark is shown as a very

young man delivering bread on St. George’s Road

when he scarcely looks more than 20 years old.

Row 3, 1987.

112

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Row 3 in Northgate Street, 1987.

Newark with ﬁrst wife and son.

That is a well known picture, though I suspect that

few would have been able to identify Mr.Newark.

His daughter Eva let me copy pictures of him and

both his wives and family. The interviews of her

and her husband(on tape) are especially interesting.

The old open gutter can be seen on the right of the

1870 photograph, whereas the 1900 photo. shows it

had been converted to a closed underground system.

In my view this photo appears to show no. 12 or 13

on the right, again looking east.

Charles Newark as a young delivery boy.

1870

1900

113

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

In the 18th. century, Laughing Image Corner

and Rainbow Square were seen as a large open

Square or Plain, and Sayer’s Corner was where

Rainbow Corner was to be later. The photo. of

houses at Rainbow Corner must be of those

in the centre- the block of 6. It is taken late in

the day from the west, since one can just see

the space immediately behind the house that

reveals the small garden behind. The photo

of Cross Row from Rainbow Corner is also

dated about 1870, and shows the houses on

the right which were demolished before 1906

to make way for yet another malthouse. Im-

mediately beyond the second house is the end

of row 5. The end of row 4 can also be seen.

The house at the north-west corner projects

out several feet. To the left of that is the very

narrow passage into Row 2 from Laughing

Image Corner. The second house in this photo

is jettied and timbered, and has a very steep

roof, formerly thatched, and appears to be of

16th. century origin; it also appears to have

a shop window.

Rows

One

to Sixteen

This row was not mentioned in the 1936 Row

Survey.

The Occupants, Row Three, 1886

(from Northgate Street)

Above, Mary Ann Cooper Newark

(formerly Smith), Charles’ mother

1. Ames, J. , labourer

2. Chipperfield, W.

3. Scales, J., fish hawker

4. Roberts, J.

5. Harbord, H. T., baker

6. Payne, R.

Sparham, S.

Wright, Mrs.

Godfrey, Thomas, painter

Amos, W. bricklayer

Rous, Mrs. Mason, Mrs.

Ames, H., fisherman

Soanes, H.

Right, William Crisp Newark, fa-

ther of Charles.

William Crisp Newark was a whitesmith up

Newark’s Passage, off Broad Row

114

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

William Charles Newark had the bakery at no.5,

the house on the corner of the cross row. He took

the business over from his Uncle. The horse and

cart in the photograph belonged to his uncle

(Mr. Guyton). He had started work at the age of

fourteen, working for Mr. Guyton before taking

over the bakery himself. There is a photo of him

with his first wife, by whom he had two boys,

William Charles, and Richard Crisp Newark.

Newark met his second wife, Alice Eva Shingles,

at the White Horse pub. where she was working.

She had two children by Newark, Eva (1923)

and Fred (1925), both born at the bakery. Alice

also had son by another man, but Newark took

him on as his own son (George). The baker’s

shop was through the left hand front door, and

there was another front door on the right directly

into the living-room. Behind the shop was the

bakery, there being a partition at the back of the

shop, and a doorless opening into the bakery. The

bakery oven was large enough to bake several

Sunday dinners at a time. Newark would be up

very early in the morning to light the fire. The

cart was kept in the yard behind the bakery,

but the horse was stabled in a small stable, one

of three on the south side of Laughing Image

Corner. The stable was immediately behind the

Chaplin’s house (no.7) on North Quay, at the

south-west corner of Laughing Image Corner.

The other stables were those of Slack, and Mr.

Symonds. Above the shop were four bedrooms,

and on the second floor, a large single roomed

attic where the family would stay when Mrs.

Newark took in summer visitors. The front and

back bedroom on the west side of the house

went over the cross row or passage into row two.

Fred Newark first worked at Wenn’s box factory

(see North Quay) , when he left school. Then he

and his sister both worked at the shoe factory,

and Fred in due course went into the navy. Eva

met and married Jim Twine, who came from

Sussex as a gunner, and manned a Bofors gun

at the north-east corner of the Haven Bridge.

Eva and Jim lived in the two front first-floor

rooms of the bakery during their first married

year. A man called Hacon rented out the bakery

to William Newark, and later Newark bought it

from him. During the war though, Newark had

a number of customers who didn’t pay their

bills, and unfortunately he became bankrupt. He

went to work for Purdey’s bakery, and the house

becoming dilapidated, it was sold to the council,

who typically, pulled it down. Charles Newark

Eva Newark (Twine), July 1947.

Charles Newark and wife

Eva Alice, right.

Alice Eva was born 24th December 1884 at

Thorpe to George Shingles a farm labourer, and

Sarah Ann, formerly Purdy. Charles and Eva

married 7th Feb 1917 at Norwich.

115

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

The Occupants, Row Three, 1913

(from Northgate Street)

17. Nicholls, George

South side:

Chapter

Six

9. Marshall, Ronald ( see in Row 4,

regarding Ronald Marshall)

North side

The Occupants, Row Three, 1936

(from Northgate Street)

Rows

One

to Sixteen

1a. Platten, William

10. Armes, Archer Herbert

1. Jay, Silas

North side:

11. Milligan, Edward

2. Abrey, Alexander, W.

1a. Platten, William

12. Gowen, Samuel George

3. Clements, Thomas

1. Jay, Silas

13. Powles, Edward

4. Smith, Daniel

2. Ealam, James

14. Robinson, Mrs.

5. Newark, William Charles, bak-

er

3. Clements, Thomas

15. Huggins, Claude Albert

4. Nicholson, William

16. Thompson, William Seaman

South side

5. Newark, William Charles,

baker

17. Cuthbert, Ernest

9. Chesham, Mrs.

10. Cole, Mrs.

.

11. Milligan, Edward

12. Thorpe, Miss

13. Powles, Edward

15. Thomas, Mrs.

16. Oxborough, James,

17. Nicholls, Mrs.

The Occupants, Row Three, 1927

(from Northgate Street)

North side

Detail to show the brick row pavement common to all the

rows in this area.

1a. Platten, William

1. Jay, Silas

2. Ealam, James

3. Clements, Thomas

4. Nicholson, William

5. Newark, William Charles, bak-

er

South side

9. Gowen, George Samuel

10. Ives, George

11. Milligan, Edward

12. Blogg, Stanley

13. Powles, Edward

14. Robertson, Mrs.

16. Annison, Mrs.

Centre, Fred Newark, right is Eva.

116

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

ROW 3

The "Huntsman and Horn"

N o r th g a te Str eet

1906

Boulter's Rusk shop,

now Bell's the Butchers

The old house with the

images, at the corner of

North Quay and Laughing

Image Corner.

17

16

1906

1a

15

14

1

13

2

11

3

10

4

9

In 1952, nos. 2,7,8,9, on the north side were still

occupied. In 1955, there was only James Allright at

no. 16., whereas in 1952 there had also been 14,15 and

16 still occupied on the south side of the row.

no.5

was Newark's

bakery, here in

1913, and remaining in 1955.

16

Laughing Image

Corner

1772

15

See in Row 6 for a map

of Laughing Image

Corner and Rainbow

Corner .

Laughing Image Corner from North Quay, 1960, (photo by Leslie Goodson).

117

1772

12

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Rolling’s Shop

ROW 4

(Palmer gives no name)

Wiltshire Arms Row, 1834

(at N.E. corner)

to develop the former coach house at the rear of 43 King

Street to become a dwelling. The wall on the SE corner

of Row 115 is similarly distorted and unsound. I expect

that it will be possible to build inside it and to preserve

the original.

Thornton the Grocer’s Row

Ecclestone the Grocer’s Row

Rolling’s Row

(These four names are from Johnson’s note-

book)

In 1990 I noted: “In Row 4 the walls on either

side are mostly original, especially the wall on

the south side. Although it is supported by both

props and girders, its antiquity makes it of great

interest. Again there is another old row door, a

front door into the row which is labelled as no.

21, Row 4.” I was horrified to find in 1991, only a

year after writing the above note, that the council

had allowed the old south wall to be completely

removed and replaced with modern brick. The door

described was not in current use. The front of this

building had been rendered, to look as though it is

stone squares, although the paint was peeling off,

and it was currently in use as a bakery. The name

above the shop-front is C. Rolling. The name on

the front door of the shop is “ G. A. Bales”. This

was the present incumbent’s grandfather. Mr. (A.

J.) John Bales is continuing the business. I shall

shortly have in 2004-5, a similar problem with

preservation of a row wall, since I have consent

Francis Rice, about 1915.

118

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

“Rolling” was also the name on the machinery in the

shop, used for rolling out biscuits. Perhaps these were

the biscuits sold to the sailors. Four years ago (written

1990) they pulled out a huge brick oven at the rear of

the property inside the back wall, and some fifty tons

of brick work were removed. There was no date on the

oven, but Mr. Bales thinks that it would have been put

in around about 1830 when it first became a bakery.

The present oven is a large oil fired one. I saw the staff

making sausage rolls, meringues, tarts, bread and bread

rolls. The back part of the present building was at first

a separate cottage, and Mr. Bales owned some property

on the north side of the row, which had what he refers

to as an “Angel Cupboard” in one room. -One of the

painted Yarmouth cupboards which are in evidence in

a few of the old buildings. The row had been known

as Lambert’s Row, from a grocer’s on the north-east

corner, or alternatively as Rolling’s Row, from the

bakery that I have just described. Mr. Bales told me

that his grandfather said that the shop was in use as a

grain merchant’s prior to his use of it as a bakery, or

conversion of it should we say.

Hannah Rice (lt.) and Mrs Brunson of

Row 4, about 1980 (above). Below, Han-

nah Rice aged about 30.

Johnson in his notes in 1927 stated: “Rollings Rusk Shop

is at the south-east corner, which manufactured Norfolk

hollow biscuits”.The house was re-roofed 1996, the front

having been rebuilt over a hundred years previous in

about 1890. A post-war dig in the area behind the house

during the demolition of war damaged properties is said

to have revealed some three sets of old footings at a depth

underneath the row houses then existing. Most likely

these are still present for archaeologists in the future,

should someone wish to pursue further investigations.

“There are still a few Dutch gabled fronts around”; very

few, I should say. There used to be one on Clowse’s

establishment on Hall Quay, and there still remains the

one here on Northgate Street. It can be seen from Laing’s

1855 survey that the “Norfolk kitchen”, formerly the

grocers, was in 1855 and earlier “The Wiltshire Arms”

public house. Row 4 contained some 12 very small

cottages on the north side, between Northgate Street and

the cross row, and seven very small cottages on the south

side, east of the Cross Row. Many of these cottages were

demolished before the war, since the 1935 photograph

shows a Silver Jubilee party of 1935 in an open space

between rows 4 and 5, and certainly no such space had

existed on either the 1855 or the 1906 maps.

The “Norfolk Kitchen”, at the north-east corner of Row

4, had been the “Wiltshire Arms” public house in 1850,

and was still a pub in 1906. Much of the north side of

the row was open space in Swinden’s time, but by 1850

it was very much a residential row. This row is not

mentioned in the 1936 survey, but for the silver jubilee

of King George V in 1935, there was a big celebration,

and the inhabitants of rows 4 and 5 had an outdoor

party, with tables set out in the space south and west of

no. 16, This was in the space created (as stated above)

some years earlier, when some of the buildings had been

demolished. The party was attended by families living

nearby, not exclusively from this row, but those from row

119

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Evelyn Carter

Rene Nursey

Joan Donovan

Joan Dolan

Chapter

Six

Miss Batley

Miss Lawrence

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Phyllis Ut-

ting

Violet

Titchell

Joyce

O l i v e

Batley

Hilda

C a n -

nell

Leverne

Jones

Irene

Eileen Ellis Olive Brown

May Edwards

May Rose Edwards, seen at Northgate School,

extreme right, front row (see also Row 27).

4 included: from no. 5, Mrs. England and her daughter

Ethel; from no. 6, Tessie Rice, whose father, John

Francis Rice, a Caister man, had at one time had a

horse and cart in London, then worked for Purdey’s,

and at this time as a maltster for Watneys. He was

a maltster 30 years, but eventually succumbed to

asthma caused by his work. His wife Hannah sur-

vived him by many years, living into extreme old

age at Admiralty Road (above left).

row 2 (no. 25, row 2); from no. 16, the house on the

left of the photo, were Mrs. Wilgress and her daughter

Doris. Also in the picture is the vicar from Gt.Yarmouth

Parish Church, the Rev.Aitken, much loved, a man of

the people. There is a memorial to him at the east end

of the church, near to the altar. He was vicar during

the period 1920-1941, dying on 14/12/41. His wife

survived to see the re-consecration of the church in

1961, dying in 1962. The Rice family had lived in

this same house even before 1913, since Hannah Rice

was the daughter of Michael Harvey. She previously

married Michael Barber and had a daughter Louise,

but Barber died in the first war, and Hannah took her

child to live with her parents. One son, John, (“Joe”)

was in the army during the war, and later employed as

a porter at St.Nicholas Hospital. He lived in extreme

poverty, so it appeared, since after his mother’s death

he could not cope, but when he died in 1992 he left

some £40,000, and no will! (died 24th. Nov 1992.)

Michael Harvey had seven children: Matilda (Tilly),

was the eldest; then came- Hannah Louise, Hilda, Mary

Bertha, Olive, Edward (Ted), and youngest was Isaac.

The girls were herring girls in the season,the rest of

the year working at Grouts. This was entirely typical

of those days, when one seasonal employment blended

well with another.

In the party photo., (page 126) from no. 7, are seen

Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, whose son George was a well

known boxer at that time. Bella his wife was a chorus

girl, but he pushed her down the stairs to her death

when pregnant. He later married a blonde haired

girl, who bore him two sons- Rodney and Ronnie.

Ronnie Marshall married again and kept a hot dog

stall outside the arcadia on the sea front. The arcadia,

then owned by Dennis Hazell, had been the Jetty

Dining Rooms, (see Marine Parade) now the “Golden

Nugget”. Mrs Marshall snr. was Mrs Hunter’s sister.

Kenny Hunter of no. 4, married Betty Ship, whose

father kept the Crystal public house. From no. 9,

we see Mrs. Saunders; from no. 11, the mother of

Mrs.Weldon, wife of Bert the grocer; from no. 12,

Mrs.Ash, wife of Roland; from no. 13, Mrs.Clutton,

wife of John, and sister of Mrs. Brunson, here from

120

Vera Pain

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

26.8.2005

R O W 4

The "Wiltshire Arms" (1834)

later, the grocer's,

now, "Norfolk kitchen"

Thornton's, then

Ecclestone's grocers

tram lines

Northgate Street

1

2

1906

Fancy tiles at the entrance of

Rolling’s shop (Row 4).

Row 4, 26.8.2005

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

18

17

16

15

14

13

In 1955 no's. 3,5,7,8,17, and 18 were still occupied

No.16 was Mrs. Wilgress' house, shown in the

party photograph

1772

121

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Rows

One

to Sixteen

In the picture (above) of Hannah and her

sisters, there were from the left: Hilda,

Mary, Hannah, and Olive.

Tilly Harvey married a policeman by the name of Day.

Millie, another daughter of Edward Harvey, attended

one year, a Christmas Party at Johnson’s Rooms in

Northgate Street. Harry Johnson the historian had

rooms on Northgate Street that he hired out for func-

tions. Using a candle to light the way when visiting

the toilet, she caught fire to her dress. In her fright

she ran out into the street and all the way down the

row to the house, where the decorations and cards

also caught fire. Taken to hospital by ambulance,

she died from her burns in a bed next to another girl

also called Tilly Day, who herself died - but in her

case - of peritonitis.

coachman. Wearing a top hat, he drove a horse and

carriage there for a Mr. and Mrs. Purdy. After mov-

ing to Yarmouth, Francis and Hannah brought up five

children at the row house. They were Tessie, born

16/12/20, who married John Ecclestone; Gladys,

Francis Rice, Hannah’s husband, had been born at

Catfield, but went initially to London to work as a

Tessie Rice married John Ecclestone

122

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

born 26/2/22; John; Sewell; and Arthur. Tessie and

John Ecclestone had a daughter- Louise; Gladys and

John remained single. Arthur’s wife was Daphne, but

the couple were childless. Sewell married Sylvia and

their son is Roger. In the wedding photograph, Tessie

is in the white dress with pleats. To her left is Billy

Ecclestone, brother of the bridegroom, then John

Ecclestone, Arthur Rice, Hannah Rice, and on the

extreme right of the photo is Jack Ecclestone, father

of the bridegroom.

William George Edwards, above, top row,

2nd from left, on active service in France,

about 1915.

Maud, William and Lillian Edwards.

John Ecclestone was sent to Fleetwood during the war.

After, he worked for H. Holmes as a bricklayer when

they built the estates at Gorleston and Caystreward,

and also Havenbridge House. He suffered an accident

with a dumper truck that damaged his knee and caused

a thrombosis. He later suffered a heart attack, dying

suddenly in 1983.

In 1913, William George Edwards lived at no. 14 on the

south side. He was away in France in the first World

War, where he is shown, (above) second from the left

whilst on active service. After returning to his wife

and family, he worked for a while in the employ of

Palgrave Brown the timber merchant. He and his wife

Emma started their family well before the first war,

the elder daughter, born in 1908, was Maud Lillian.

Pictured as a little girl, she appeared then to be about

six years old, making the date of that picture approxi-

mately 1915. Also depicted are William Samuel, the

oldest child, born in 1904, and their second daughter,

Lillian Florence.

123

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Lillian Florence, who was born in 1913, is also

seen as a handsome lass of perhaps 22 years. She

died young, in 1948, whereas Maud Lillian lived

until 15/9/92. May Rose Edwards, below and in

the Northgate School picture, page 120) and the

youngest child, Sidney, were both born post war, in

1920 and 1921. When their Grandmother became

ill, their mother gave up work, and putting the two

small children either end of the pram, their elder

sister Maud wheeled them down to Louise Close,

never to return to the row. As a result, William

Edwards changed his employment, then working

at Henry Sutton’s fish house. Called out to all

types of work there, at all times of day and night,

he evidently contracted a chest complaint and after

only a three day illness, died in 1937, presumably

from pneumonia. His sister Lucy was an unmarried

mother, of Tom. Another sister, Sarah, married Tom

Clements, of row 3. There is a photo (below) of

May and Sidney in Louise Road, which is seen to

have been a cobbled street in about 1926 (for May

Edwards, see also Row 27).

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Below, Sidney and May Edwards.

Lillian Edwards

Maud Edwards

Row 4, 26.08.2005.

124

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Row Four, Occupants, 1886:

11. Wales, Mrs.

from Northgate Street

from Northgate Street

12. Sampson, Mrs.

North side

1. Page, C., labourer

South side

2. Maskett, Frank

2. Cook, C. wherryman

13. Plane, Arthur

3. Pole, Mrs.

3. Rogers, W., carpenter

14. Edwards, William

George

5. England, William George

4. Smith, J. fish hawker

15. Matthews, Henry

6. Rice, John Henry

5. Crow, G., fisherman

16. McCarthy, James

7. Marshall Frederick Henry

6. Mace, Mrs.

17. Wales, Mrs.

8. Runniff, Gilbert Nelson

7. Page, J.

17 Edwards, Miss

9. Bargewell, William

8. Carr, W., labourer

Row Four, Occupants,

1927

from Northgate Street

10. Spivey, Arthur.

9. George

11. Weldon, Bert. Robert

10. Wilson, W. caulker

12. Ash, Roland

11. Warden, G., labourer

North side

South side

12. Woods, W., wherryman

2. Cook, Harry

13. Clutton, John Alfred

13. Porteus, R.

3. Pole, George

14. Wright, William Charles

14. Hubbard, Mrs.15. Burton, F.,

beachman

4. Hunter, Henry

15. Porter, Alfred

5. England, William George

16. Willgress, Arthur

16. Overton, Mrs.

6. Rice, John Henry

17. Payne, Percy William

Wales, Miss.

7. Marshall Frederick Henry

17 Clements, Thomas William

17 Fulcher, C., basket maker

Row Four, Occupants,

1913:

from Northgate Street

8. Mapes, William

9. Saunders, Walter

10. Spivey, Arthur.

North side

11. Weldon, Bert. Robert

1. King, Frederic

12. Gaze, Charles Benjamin

2. Tye, Mrs.

South side

3. Pole, George

13. Baker, Bertie

4. Balls, Samuel

14. Wright, William Charles

5. Russell, Charles

15. Patterson, Ernest

6. Harvey, Michael

16. Willgress, Arthur

7. Cook, William

17. Lambert Charles Wil-

liam

8. Mapes, William

18. Edwards, Miss

9. Saunders, Walter

Row Four, Occupants,

1936

10. Rose, George A.

Row entrance, about 1910?

125

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Rows Four and Five Party, 1935 Silver Jubilee .

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Mrs Rilings of Laughing Image Corner

Mr Marshall

Mrs. Nell of Row 5

Mrs.Clarke of N.Quay

Mrs Saunders, Row 4

Miss Amiss

Tessie Rice, Row 3

Rev Aitken,

Vicar, St

Nicholas

Church

Mrs Weldon’s mother

Alice Newark

Mrs Smith

Mrs Marshall

Mrs Wright

Brenda Ash, Row 4

Joyce Allen

Miss

Hunt-

Mrs Clutton, sister of Mrs Brunson

Sylvia George

Grand daughter of Mrs Plummer

126

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Mrs England, Row 4

Ethel England

Mrs Weldon

Mrs Allen, Rainbow Corner

Mrs Pestle Row 4

Miss Sewell, Rainbow Corner

Doris Wilgress, daughter of below

Mrs Wilgress, Row 4

Mrs Anderson, Rainbow Corner

Mrs Plummer, Rainbow Corner

Doreen Smith

Doris Rilings

E i l e e n

Rilings

Freddie Newark

Winnie

Eva Newark

Mrs Palmer

127

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Rows

One

to Sixteen

;

and 5 and many of the occupants

of row 4 were there, (see photo,

in description of row 4) but in

the 1920’s and 30’s there were

only two dwellings remaining in

row 5, those of Harry Fowell at

no.2, and Harry Kirby at no.8.

Neither of those families were

represented at the row party as

far as is known. Although ten

families lived in this row in 1913,

after the First World War there

were only two houses occupied.

On the 1906 map you can see how

the dwellings ranged along the

north side of the row, with a shop

facing Northgate street on the

south side, perhaps a warehouse

in the mid south of the row, and

the malt house on the west end

occupying most of the south side

of the row. This row was not

mentioned in the 1936 survey.

There remained two workshops

in the row in 1955.

3. King, J.

ROW FIVE - SPLIT

GUTTER ROW

(Palmer)

4. Harmer, J., la-

bourer

5. Breeze, J.

Split Gutter Row, or Chapman’s Row

(Johnson’s Notes)

6. Green, W.

7. Johnson, J.

This runs between “the Fruit Basket”, with it’s Dutch

gable, and Sidney Cook, the Butcher’s. In 1874,

Palmer recorded that this row was then called Split

Gutter Row because of the wide gutter that ran down

the centre. William Butcher is said to have resided

in this row when Mayor, in 1753. He died in 1779 at

the ripe old age of 82. There were never very many

residences in this row. From a very early time the

south side of the row was taken up by a very large

malthouse which filled the whole space across to row

6. This malthouse became even bigger by 1906, and

the houses already described fronting onto “Cross

Row” 1 between rows 5 and 6, were demolished. The

malthouse once belonged to William Browne. See

55 North Quay for more about Browne.

8. Pigney, R., la-

bourer

9. Bagness, C.

10. George, J., fish

hawker

Row Five,

Occupants,

1913:

from Northgate

Street

2. Kember, Mrs..

In Johnson’s notes of 1927 we read that: “Hugh

Bourne, a pioneer of Methodism, lodged in this

row. Note the pretty gable fronting the street at the

north-east corner”.

Row Five, Occupants,

1886:

from Northgate Street

5. Stebbens, Mrs.

6. Balls, Edward 7.

Westgate, Frederick

8. Colman, Edward

8a. Wall, William

There is a photograph (p.123) of a row party held on

the occasion of the silver jubilee of George V and

Queen Mary. The party was held between rows 4

1. Scales, W., fisherman

2. Harwood, Mrs.

128

1 I have frequently referred to the cross row, but this was not an ofﬁcial name, just my

description.

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

ROW 5

the"FruitBasket",with

Johnson's"prettygable"

Row5

Row5 1/2

TheDutchhouse

1

2

partofa

veryearlyRow

3

4

1758

1906

5

6

7

8a

9

(thenumbersare

asinthe1930's)

malt-house

10

malt-house

Therearemanyoldrowsthat

werenevernumbered.

onesuchrow wasthatshownabove.

Ihavecalledit Row5andahalf.

Therewerefewoccupantshere

afterthefirstWorldWar,onlyNo's.2and8

werethenoccupied,andin1955there

werejustthetwoworkshopsofH.Prior,

Radioengineer,andAlfChamberlen,

decorator.

Row Five, Occupants, 1927:

from Northgate Street

2. Fowell, Harry 8. Kirby, Harry

Charles

Row Five, Occupants, 1936

from Northgate Street

2. Fowell, Harry 8. Kirby, Harry

Charles

Row 5 now next to Eddie

Thompson’s excellent

Butchers shop, 26.8. 2006.

129

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Rows

One

to Sixteen

ROW SIX - BROWNE’S

ROW

(Palmer) the names below, are from Johnson’s notes:

The White Horse, Row 7, and Nos.14 and 15 Northgate Street.

26.8.2005.

Row 6 had been called in 1766, Browne’s Row,

from William Browne the brewer who had earlier

owned the malt-houses. Browne is referred to in the

descriptions of no. 55 North Quay. Later the row

was known as Rackham’s Row and Snatchbody Row.

Vaughan and Murphy were infamous body-snatchers.

Vaughan had been a stone mason’s labourer and

a drunken waster; he had committed offences in

various parts of the country and eventually came

to Yarmouth. He rented a house in the row, so this

must have been one of the three cottages previously

referred to. At least ten bodies were dug up in the

churchyard before anybody discovered him. He was

caught and jailed in 1827 having made advances

to a young woman. He pretended that he was not

married, but when she discovered that he had been,

she evidently turned him in. Some London surgeons

actually paid his expenses while he was in prison

for some 26 weeks. Presumably he would have

been detained in the Tolhouse Prison. Murphy, a

tall strong Irishman, was thought to be somewhat

more intelligent. He was paid 12 guineas each for

four bodies; again the London surgeons paid quite a

sum of money, some 160 pounds, which eventually

got him out of trouble. He lived to a reasonable age

Palmer recorded, and died a natural death. Vaughan

on the other hand was transported to Australia for

having stolen clothes at Plymouth. At that time the

stealing of a body was only a minor misdemeanour

and not a transportable offence. Stealing clothing

was then a major crime.

Rackham’s Row

Browne’s Row, 1766

Rackham’s Row

Body Snatcher’s Row

Douglas’ Row

Row 6 in 1855 contained three cottages at the rear of

what became in c.1988 for a few years, Dr.Lloyd’s house

and surgery (details in Row 7, p.130). Further west, or

on the south side of the row was for 200 years or more,

a malt-house, and indeed the north side most of the row

was formerly occupied by malt-houses. Similarly Row

7 was not residential on this side (east) of the cross row,

there being a large yard to the rear of the White Horse

Inn which could be approached from the west part of

Row 7 or through the archway of the Inn itself.

Wheatley’s Antique Shop, Photo. 1987.

Houses then numbers 4 and 5, in Row 6, at a time

before they were re-numbered (now Wheatley’s

Antique Shop) were divided into two shops during

the period 1855 to 1906, having been originally built

as a single house, owned in 1766 by John Burton,

130

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

R O W 6

John Burton's house,

now "Wheatley's"

old row un-numbered

(5 1/2)

Dr.Lloyd's surgery

(closed 1990)

Row 6

16

15

14

This is the eastern part

of row 6, beyond the

cross row. The west half of

the row was residential,

and starts at

Rainbow Square.

1758

1906

William Browne's

malt-house

malt-house

26.8.2005.

The White Horse Inn

no. 14

No. 15

Row Six

26.8.2005

131

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Row 6, looking

east, 1987.

The White Horse Pub.

Row 6 on Swinden’s Map,

1758.

the Water Bailiff. In 1771 his house and the extensive

malt-houses which he also then owned, were conveyed

to Christopher Eaton, who also owned no.51 North Quay.

Only two years later he disposed of the Northgate Street

house as it was sold in 1773 by Eaton to John Daniel the

grocer, together with the malt-houses which were thought

to be extremely old. Part of the walls and bricks which

were seen at the rear of the bakery were at the same time

purchased by Edmund Lacon, being part of their very

extensive brewery business. Presumably this was asset

stripping by Eaton.

This picture of about 1870, appears

to be looking in the line of the small

arrow above the text.

Weighbridge,

outside Inn,

1987 (right).

The White Horse Inn 1962, note the Dutch gabled

building to the left (photo. Leslie Goodson).

132

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Row Six, Occupants, 1886:

from Northgate Street

1. Wortley, W.Carr, R.

Rainbow Corner

Newman, J.

2. Pestell, Mrs.

3. Simms, Mrs.

4. Leggett, J.C.

5. Joy, C.

6. Smith, Mrs.

LAUGHING IMAGE CORNER

7. Bartle, Mrs.

9

RAINBOW SQUARE

8. Liffen, Mrs.

3

1906

1 12 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11

Suspension

Bridge

Row Six, Occupants, 1913:

from Rainbow Square

It was scribbled in

the directory that

Mrs Hurrell was

to be found in the

Wherry all week.

See Row 8, p.139 .

1. Potter, Frederick Edward.

2. Wright, Mrs.

3. Nudd, Daniel David

Row 6

4. Smith, Miss

1772

Row 7

6. Vincent , William

10. Beverley, Mrs.

The "Wherry"

11. Bowgin, George

Row 8

Row Six, Occupants, 1927:

from Rainbow Square

Row Six, Occupants, 1936:

from Rainbow Square

1. Smith, Robert

1. Smith, Robert

2. Nudd, Wilfred

2. Goldsmith, Herbert

3. Colby, James

3. Colby, Mrs.

4. Anderson, Cecil

4. Temple, Arthur

5. Littlewood, Ernest

5. Littlewood, Ernest

6. King, William Robert

6. King, William Robert

10. Thompson, Arthur

10. Thompson, Arthur

11. Cheeseman, Mrs.

11. Cheeseman, Miss.

133

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

ROW SEVEN -

WHITE HORSE ROW

(Palmer; No additional names from John-

son)

Row 8, Northgate Street, 1987

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Row 7 was known, and still is, as White

Horse Row, named of course after the old Inn

on the south-east corner. The house between

Rows 6 and 7 was a large house in the 17th.

Century, the property of Robert Harward

and afterwards his son Titus Harward from

who was passed to Thomas Ellis who died in

1761. He passed this house on to his son, also

named Thomas Ellis, the only survivor of

19 children. He sold it 1802 to Doctor John

Jones who used it for his school. Doctor

Brown MD was a pupil. Jones’ house was

divided into two by 1855. More recently,

in the northern half resided and practised

Dr. Lloyd (until 1990), who came to Great

Yarmouth in 1982 to take over the practice

of Dr. Buchan, who then was in partnership

with Dr. Perkins at their surgery in Crown

Rd. Dr. Perkins was also a Methodist

Minister. Dr. Lloyd had previously been

working in the Research Department for

ICI (Imperial Chemical Industries). He did

not get on with Dr. Perkins and they split

up within a very few months of going into

Houses in the cross row, that

crosses Row 8.

Rainbow Square

partnership. Dr. Lloyd took Dr. Buchan’s list of

patients with him, causing a great argument, and set

up practice in this house in White Horse Plain. The

practice closed suddenly in 1990, when Dr. Lloyd,

who was fond of recommending herbal treatments,

decided he had enough of general practice, and

just left with no warning. The Health Authority

put Dr. Kalaria from Norwich in as a locum, but

then divided his patients among three practices,

including my own, and the building was put up

for sale. The rooms used on the ground floor were

really far to small for the purposes of a surgery. Dr

Buchan went to Australia for a while and finally

finished in practice in 2000, having worked as

assistant to Dr Rossage at Kittywitches surgery.

Douglas Buchan tended the practice whilst Mike

Rossage regularly went to La Rochelle in France

where he had acquired his second French property,

an old Chateau that had belonged at on time to a

134

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

General in Napoleon’s army. The house needed entire

restoration, and Mike spent six weeks every two

or three months there, working on it, and getting a

break from the stresses of General Practice, which

in the 1980s were pretty intolerable.

interest when I looked at it, not only was it the brick

and flint construction which is typical of the old row

houses, but also it was well exposed where it had been

knocked away at the ends and in its construction were

many bits of old slate, also the narrow old bricks used

in the 17th. Century and earlier. The next house in

Northgate Street has the Dutch gable. This is the shop

called the “Fruit Basket”. Dutch building was carried

on locally in the 17th. Century.

Row Seven, Occupants, 1886:

from Northgate Street

The space behind the house was open right down

to Rainbow Corner in 1906 (see map with Row 6),

the cottages having been demolished already that

Vaughan and Murphy had occupied; along with

Lacon’s malt-house. A malt-house still existed to

the north, and it seems likely that the yard was used

for the drays and horses, who had ready access from

here out onto North Quay via Rainbow Corner. Very

likely therefore the cottages were bought by Lacon’s

Brewery, which caused them to be so demolished.

The wall at the south-west corner was of considerable

Cole, Mrs.

Tiptod, W., sweet boiler

R O W 7

Herbert, C.

Row 6

Dr.Jones' school (1802)

- not divided into two

dwellings until 1855.

Row 7

Row Seven, Occupants,

1913- 1936:

from Northgate Street EMPTY

1772

"Yew Tree" Tavern

later the “White Horse”

Building being

r e p l a c e d ,

18.10.2006.

Dr. Lloyd (1990)

1906

Row 7

135

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Rows

One

to Sixteen

White Horse Inn sign

Row Eight

136

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

White Horse Pub. without the

figures of horses on it

Row Seven

Chase the corn merchant, notice the corn sack

outside the shop

137

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

ROW 8 - FERRY BOAT

Row Eight

(Palmer) and by Johnson:

This means that the Methodist Meeting House was

converted into nos. 12, 13 & 14. Methodism had been

introduced into Yarmouth by Thomas Olivers in 1754,

when he visited the town with a friend. They went to

the Parish Church, and after the service there, attempted

to preach in the Market Place, but there he proved very

unpopular, and there had the contents of chamber pots

thrown at him. He and his companion were pelted in

the streets and they were forced to ride out of the town.

Palmer relates that Captain Howell Harris, a Captain in

the Welsh Fusiliers, was posted to Yarmouth in 1760.

When he found out about the ill-treatment which Olivers

had as a Methodist, he employed the Town Crier to

announce that there would be a Methodist preacher in

the Market Place. A savage mob gathered and threatened

to kill any preacher that should appear. Harris, however

told them that he would address them himself, and was so

eloquent that they allowed him to preach, something that

he later frequently repeated. Wesley said that Yarmouth

was then ‘a large and populous town, as eminent for

wickedness as any seaport in England’. Yarmouth

clearly was a very rough town in the eighteenth century,

full of taverns and brothels. This is evident also from

newspaper correspondence, as related in the description

of Howard Street. Wesley himself came here in 1761

and 1767, again in 1774 and 1776, but the movement

had not progressed, and despite him preaching at the

old Dutch church to crowded congregations, the society

locally dwindled to only eight persons. There are in

the University of East Anglia (UEA) library, in several

volumes, the letters of John Wesley, collected by his

brother. There are two mentions of visits to Yarmouth

in those letters.

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Ferry Boat Row

Yew Tree Row

Johnson noted that the Yew Tree Tavern was at the north-

east corner, and was later known as the “ Shrimper’s

Arms ”. Palmer records- Row 8 was Ferry Boat Row,

so called because immediately opposite its west end

was the ferry across the river Bure, originally to the

marshes - used until such time as the suspension bridge

was erected. The ferryman lived in the cottage on the

south-west corner and its number was fifteen, Row 8.

It remained in existence on the 1964 map, it having

been part of a much larger building in 1906.

The first Wesleyan meeting house was erected on the

north side of this row, towards the west end. Wesley

himself preached the first sermon and obtained £100

towards the expenses. Adam Clarke, an eminent Wes-

leyan was also present and Mr. Lee, a corn merchant

in the town, donated a quantity of bricks. The building

cost £350 to erect and was later converted into two

dwelling houses. The stone recording the dateof 1783

was seen on the front of the house. It is impossible

to know exactly how the dwellings in this row were

numbered. The converted building is seen clearly on

the photographs as having a small out-house at the

front centrally, walled gardens either side, and a gate

towards either end. Despite Palmer saying that it has

been divided into two houses, close examination of the

few photographs we have, reveals three front-doors;

furthermore there can be seen on the side to the east of

another building, a door on its west side and a passage

between the two buildings. This appears to be the malt

house which ends up in 1964 as no. 15, Row 8, the

malt house clearly shown on the 1855 map.

Also in row 8 were Browne’s buildings, and Secrett’s

passage. The latter was presumably that which ran south

from row 8 into row 9 by the Albion Tavern .

Row eight was not mentioned in the 1936 Row Survey,

but there were some interesting occupants of this row

over the years. One, Horace Butcher, was murdered

in his shop in Middlegate. Another was Bob Fryer

who had a wheelwright and blacksmith’s business in

Northgate Street, and whose son ran the four horse

brakes on Marine Parade. A half-brother of this Bob

Friar’s grandson, E. Albert Symonds, lived behind

“Horry” Butcher’s shop at the time of the murder

in Middlegate. For a description of those events,

see Row 112. Another resident of this row, Mrs.

Hurrell in 1886 has been recorded by an unknown

scribe on an edition of Kelly’s Directory in the

public library, as having spent most of her days

in the “ Wherry ” public house , fairly typical of

the ordinary citizen of the times, and reflective

of the great number of public houses.

“North Tower” public House, no.8

North Quay, beside Row 8.

138

see Middlegate re Delf the Grocer

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Row Eight, Occupants, 1886:from Northgate Street

2. Betts, Charles

Howard, R., beachman

3. Smith, George

Bunk, H.

4. Nicholason, George

Buck, H

Brown’s Buildings-

Watts, F.

1. Upton, Mrs.

Beckett, T.

2. King, William

Read, J., carpenter

3. Smith, James

Howard, W., labourer

4. Martins, Robert

Watson, J.

Row 8 was down the south side of the White

Horse Inn (photo 18.10.2006).

5a. Smith, Mrs.

Rowling, W. S.

5. Holland, Mrs.

Leighton, G., sawyer

6. Steward, Mrs.

Moore, Mrs.

7. Chipperfield, Walter

Ruffold, G., labourer, (house with iron railings, no. 10.,

(see Row 21)

8. Doughty, William

Howe, Mrs.

9. Alexander, Joseph

Hurrell, Mrs. (in “ The Wherry ” all week)

10. Wilson, Benjamin

Mann, J., waterman

............... Row 8 1/2 ................

13. Riches, Samuel

Newby, C., dry closet contractor, Gorleston (no universal main

drainage)

15. Read, Henry

Aldridge, S., fisherman

back

Batley, J. (WESLEY’S HOUSE)

1. Orbell, Mrs.

Watson, Mrs.

2. Hockley, William

Leach, G.

16. Harper, George

Mills, Mrs. E.

17. Bailey, Mrs.

Myers, W.

18. Collins, Frederick

Masham, J., fisherman

19. Adams, John, chimney sweep

Fryer, R., wheelwright (in photo)

20. Alger, Charles

Horder, H. fruit dealer

South side

Wolton, Mrs.

23. Scales, William

Mann, Mrs.

26. Greenacre, Charles

Southgate, W.

Row Eight, Occupants, 1913:

from Northgate Street

27. Tuck, George William

Robert Fryer (snr.), the

wheel-wright and his

wife. (The smithy was

in Northgate Street.)

28. Barber, Joseph George

29. Chamberlain, Joseph

North side

30. Upton, Charles

1. Greenacre, George

139

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

31. Mackridge, Mrs.

The Occupants, Row Eight, 1927

(from Northgate Street)

Chapter

Six

32. King, Frederick

North side

Rows

One

to Sixteen

33. Burton, Benjamin

34. Mills, Arthur

1. Downes, Archibald (see Hunts mineral waters, Howard

Street)

Row 8 1/2 (from 12., row 8)

2. Wigg, Zachariah

1. Davey, Mrs.

3. Smith, George

2. Davey, Richard

4. Nickerson, George

3. Wigley, James

Brown’s Buildings

4. Mays, Mrs.

1. Marrison, Arthur

5. Bilyard, William

2. Smith, James

Photo of surviving house in Row 8,

1962, by Leslie Goodson . Having saved the

houses until 1962, it seems criminal that there

were no funds to restore them and so they were

all demolished along with Rainbow Corner and the

surviving houses on Fuller’s Hill.

6. Hindes, Mrs.

Wesley’s House (No 8), 1962.

On the right, this is the most disgraceful

example of un-necessary demolition that I

have yet seen, since the house was clearly

in good order in 1962 when photographed

by Leslie Goodson and his cousin, David

Amiss. This is listed as no. 12 Northgate

Street in 1965, a ﬁne Dutch-gabled house,

adjoining the White Horse Inn.

140

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

2. Betts, Charles

33. Burton, Benjamin

3. Smith, George

34. Mills, Arthur

4. Nicholason, George

Row 8 1/2 (from 12., row 8)

Brown’s Buildings-

1. Davey, Mrs.

1. Upton, Mrs.

2. Davey, Richard

2. King, William

3. Wigley, James

3. Smith, James

4. Mays, Mrs.

4. Martins, Robert

5. Bilyard, William

5a. Smith, Mrs.

6. Hindes, Mrs.

The Occupants, Row Eight, 1927

(from Northgate Street)

Another picture of no.8.

5. Holland, Mrs.

Mills, Mrs. E.

6. Steward, Mrs.

Myers, W.

North side

7. Chipperfield, Walter

Masham, J., fisherman

8. Doughty, William

1. Downes, Archibald (see Hunts

mineral waters, Howard Street,

also page 143)

Fryer, R., wheelwright (in photo page

139)

9. Alexander, Joseph

10. Wilson, Benjamin

2. Wigg, Zachariah

Horder, H. fruit dealer

............... Row 8 1/2 ................

3. Smith, George

Wolton, Mrs.

13. Riches, Samuel

4. Nickerson, George

Mann, Mrs.

15. Read, Henry

Brown’s Buildings

Southgate, W.

back

1. Marrison, Arthur

Row Eight, Occupants, 1913:

from Northgate Street

1. Orbell, Mrs.

2. Smith, James

2. Hockley, William

3. Stephens, Mrs.

North side

4. Smith, Charles

16. Harper, George

1. Greenacre, George

5. Chambers, Mrs.

17. Bailey, Mrs.

Photo by P.E.Rumbelow, no.8, when

still occupied.

18. Collins, Frederick

5a. Smith, Mrs. Sarah

19. Adams, John, chimney

sweep

6. Butcher, Horace (later murdered

in Middlegate)

20. Alger, Charles

7. Morse, Samuel

South side

8. Addy, Peter

23. Scales, William

9. Daniels, William

26. Greenacre, Charles

10. Boult, Charles James

27. Tuck, George William

11. Ford, Charles

28. Barber, Joseph

George

12 . Farman, Jack

— Row 8 1/2 —

29. Chamberlain, Joseph

13. Holland, Mrs.

30. Upton, Charles

13a. Holmes, James Martin

31. Mackridge, Mrs.

32. King, Frederick

141

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

R OW 8

Detail of Swinden’s map

showing Row 8.

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Whitehorse Plain

6

7

8

11

10

Browne’s

Buildings

9

34

33

32

31

3 29

5

A

Row 8 1/2

7 5a

28

27

26

25

8

9

10

11

B

13

14

15

Secrett's Passage

16

17

18

19

23

1906

20

22

21

Row 8

This area of

Swinden’s map (right)

appears to have

at one time been folded

or crumpled and some

of the pencil rubbed off.

Fortunately the rest of the

drawing is well preserved.

Occupants of Row 8, 1927, continued

15. Edwards, William (moved from 14.

Row 4)

back— Secrett’s Passage

Row 8

Compare

the buildings at

positions A and B

in the maps above,

areas that were

apparently open

space in 1758,

yet thoro

ughly

1. Beales, Harry

2. Long, Joseph

31. Miller, Mrs.

16. Ellis, Charles

17. Ellis, Mrs. E.

ROW 8 1/2

32. Plummer, Victor Bertie

18. Hanton, John

Graves, T. W. and son, Dairy-

men

33. Benjafield, Albert

Charles

19. Childs, Mrs.

16. Ellis, Henry

34. Harris, Albert

20. Alger, Charles

17. Ellis, Mrs. E.

Row 8 1/2 (from 12., row 8)

South side

18. Hanton, John

1. Moughton, John Robert

23. Varley, Herbert

19. Childs, Mrs.

2. Cox, Harry

28. Rudd, Harry

29. Hunter, Miss

20. Alger, Charles

3. Wigley, Mrs.

30. Upton, Mrs.

South side

4. Mayman, Edgar G.

31. Miller, Alexander

23. Jex, Edward, carter

5. Huggins, Ernest Arthur

32. Laws, Thomas

28. Rudd, Harry

6. Smith, Mrs.

33. King, Raymond

29. Squires, George Law

6a. Yallop, George T.

34. Horton, Frank George

30. Upton, Mrs.

142

12

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Part of Swinden’s Map.

Archie Downes of 1, Row 8 in 1927, was born on 3rd

Jan, 1913. He told me that there had been water rats

in the toilets of nearby Browne’s Buildings. His father

worked then as a tram driver. The house at no.1 had

two bedrooms, and as was usual, despite the lack of

space, a very large family - they had eight children.

Despite sleeping eight children in one bedroom, the

front room was kept only to be used for special events

and for laying out the dead. He told me this when he

came to me for a consultation. The family doctor all

those years ago was a Dr Davies, an old gent who kept

a consulting room in Northgate Street, and who, when

walking, was stooped over, hands clasped behind his

back. (See Hunts Mineral Waters , Howard Street, for

more about Archie Downes.)

143

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

ROW 9 - BESSEY’S

HALF ROW

(Johnson gives no additional names)

The Occupants, Row

Nine, 1913

(from 14 Fuller’s Hill to

North Quay)

5. Read, Charles, Wil-

liam

7. Pestell, Arthur

Rows

One

to Sixteen

8. Anderson, Mrs. E.

North side

Row 9 was called Bessey’s Half Row, from the

house at the south-west corner, the residence

of a family of that name. The large open space

between here and Row 11 which can be seen on

Swinden’s or Faden’s map prior to 1800, was

known as Bessey’s Piece. Later, this open space

was occupied by the Church and School of St.

Andrew, designed by Mr. C. E. Giles, and erected

through the efforts of the Revd. John Gott who was

its first Minister. St. Andrews was the Wherryman’s

Church. Consecrated by Dr. Pelham, Bishop of

Norwich on the 9th October 1860, it was built to seat

400 persons. Previously services had been given in

a small sail loft on the west side of the North Quay

Road on the side of the River Bure. The latter was

a small tiled building with steps rising

up to a doorway a few

feet from the ground. The

building had been owned

by Richard Hammond (see

also Rampart Road and

Rows 11 and 13).

South side

1. Kerrison, William

2. Todd, William

9. Hanton, Charles

5. Cushing, Adam

10. Crowe, George

6. Baldwin, Mrs.

11. Hodgson, Harry

7. Hawkins, John

12. Saunders, Daniel

Charles

The Occupants, Row

Nine, 1936

North side

South side

12. Ashby, Frank

10. Harding, Frederick

1. Spurgeon, Richard Al-

fred

9. Spinks, Ernest Wil-

liam.

2. Todd, Mrs. (still

there!)

This row was not

mentioned in the Row

Survey of 1936, despite

being very much intact,

as on the RAF photo.,

next page.

The Occupants,

Row Nine, 1886

(from Fuller’s Hill to

North Quay)

Row 9, detail

from Henry

Swinden’s

map.

1. Hall, G., shoemaker

2. Howes, J., mariner

3. Sewell, Mrs., mangler

3. Wells, Sidney

4. Bacon, Mrs. M.

5. Pilgrim, Arthur

5. Webster, Mrs.

6. Bacon, Mrs. Elizabeth

6. Crisp, G., fisherman

7. Pestell, Arthur

7. Barrett, Mrs.

South side

8. Parker, J., bricklayer

The Occupants, Row Nine,

1927

North side

9. Hanton, Charles

9. Barrett, Mrs.

10. Vince, David Ellis

11. Hodgson, Harry

1. Grimmer, William

12. Eke, Charles Victor

2. Todd, William

144

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

The north end of the town

from the air, 26th.June 1946

Fuller’s Hill (

undamaged!

)

Row 27

Row 47

The

Albion,

standing

undamaged

Here the

old town

(intact)

Row Nine

Row 45

Airphoto copyright RAF, MOD.

Row 31

Note that most of the streets and rows

were still standing after the war ended.

The Conge had been completely cleared

before the war, in 1938-9.

there is only a small area

bombed out here.

This is one of the best examples of bad post-war planning,

and a total lack of conservation. The photo shows the

intact Row nine, and Fullers Hill. The Conge had been

cleared in 1936, and could have taken the new road in

1971, instead of removing all the old houses in this area.

The Luftwaffe was not very effective at demolishing

Great Yarmouth, it was the post-war council, during

the period 1946-1972, that did the job. Unfortunately,

warehouses were built upon the Conge following the

war, whereas later this would have proved an ideal route

for the road, without demolishing the old houses. There

could have been a different approach to conservation,

which did not become policy until half the old town

had already disappeared. Conservation was, it seems

a dirty word, until the 1990’s.

145

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Fuller’s Hill

Fuller’s Hill became the roadway leading from North

Quay to the end of Northgate Street, although it origi-

nally did not run as far west, since it only ran as far

as the end of Row Nine. In the seventeenth century,

several people of eminence in Yarmouth lived here,

including Sir Thomas Meadowe, who was recom-

mended by Charles 1st. to be elected to the office of

Bailiff. Thomas Meadowe, the father of Sir Thomas,

had been Bailiff in 1617, 1629 and 1638. His son Sir

Thomas Meadowe also entered the Corporation, and

was friendly with Sir John Wentworth of Somerleyton

Hall. He was responsible for paying one thousand

pounds of ship money gathered from the Yarmouth

citizens to Sir John, who was the High Sheriff at the

time, but Meadowe held back the money for the town.

Sir Thomas had land in Herringfleet, and owned the

Manor at Herringfleet which he had built in 1650. He

rebuilt the great barn there, that still stands alongside

the manor house (photos page 153). In 1662 he was

selected to fill the office of bailiff, when the towns-

folk disowned Henry Cromwell as High Steward, and

elected in his place Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon

and Lord Chancellor. Whilst in office Sir Thomas

entertained the Bishop of Norwich, Lord Townshend,

Lord Richardson, Sir William D’Oyley and the Dean

of Norwich. He provided an “entertainment

extraordinary” for Sir Edward Turner, Speaker

Rows

One

to Sixteen

he had the Earl of Yarmouth as a guest, when the lat-

ter came to be sworn in as High Steward. Palmer also

relates how Sir Thomas Meadowe, as Prime Bailiff and

his colleague Nathaniel Symonds, at that time the Junior

Bailiff, had a squabble as to the duties which were in

dispute. Nathaniel Symonds will be mentioned in the

matters concerning 55 King Street and the White Lion

public house.

On the south side of Fuller’s Hill, adjoining Conge Street,

towards the west, Sir Thomas Meadowe had a Brewery

that he purchased from Augustin Bloomfield. This was

probably the oldest brewery in the town according

to Palmer, and was conveyed in 1698 to Christopher

Brightin, beer brewer. Sir Thomas Meadowe’s house

was rebuilt in 1642. He had obtained leave to extend the

walls so far as the former buttresses projected, and to

enclose a piece of ground to the west. At that time the

only substantial piece of building on Fuller’s Hill with

a large piece of ground enclosed is that on the south

end of Fuller’s Hill to the west of George Street. This

became the site of the former Zebra bus depot, divided

into Comet and the DIY shop in 1991, then by 2004,

“Staples” office equipment store. The only substantial

building that might have been Sir Thomas’ brewery

would be that on the south-west end of Row Eleven, in

the middle of the site which became Brewery House,

or the Brewery Stores, previously the Falcon Brewery.

Eventually this building absorbed Row Thirteen. Now

on this site stands the “Lidl” grocery store, part of a

German supermarket chain, in a building that is supposed

to echo the architecture of the former brewery store.

View now equivalent to

that below!

of the House of

Commons

which cost thirty

five pounds. In

1682 Meadowe

was once again

bailiff, and had

to personally at-

tend the King in

Council concern-

ing the affairs of

the town.

In his

house at

Yarmouth

Fuller’s

Hill

with

the

Albion

down

the

Hill,

centre,

see also

over

next

page.

Brewery Street is on the site of what was formerly rows

seventeen and eighteen, at Sayer’s Corner. Fuller’s

Hill itself was originally much higher and thought

traditionally to be the oldest part of the town where the

settlement first began. Even in the mid 19th century

the road had been “much lowered for the convenience

of traffic”, and the houses on the south side became

thereby “much elevated above it”. These houses are

evident in the photographs of Fuller’s Hill, as it was

then. All those houses have of course all been entirely

swept away, and the space between Row Ten and Row

Nine completely obliterated and filled by the road.

Here the Surveyor’s plans of 1970, showing the outline

146

The only surviving buildings west of the

Crystal, 1987.

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Laughing Image Corner.

Row 8 is now the carpark.

where the road was to

be prior to demolition,

are most useful. Fuller’s Hill passage would

now be situated in the car-park on the north side of

Fuller’s Hill. Almost the whole town has now been

modified merely for the convenience of traffic.

be seen in the photograph to the left of the Albion.

Sir Thomas Meadowe also had property south of the

river, and a farm and barn at Herringfleet (pictures

page 153). Immediately in front of this was George

Street, commencing with no. 116. Rather nearer, the

next houses situated on the very high ground faced

by a wall and which were approached by steps, are

seen in three photographs, one with a gathering of

people, and one with a clear view of the south side,

showing the “Jolly Waterman”, which was closed in

1903. The Jolly Waterman was no. 32 Fuller’s Hill,

and on the elevated piece were nos. 34, 35, 36 and 37.

There was a passageway between nos. 35 and 36, the

entrance to which looked like a doorway, but which

had no door and passed under no. 36. nos. 38 and

39 had a double shop front, 38 had a bay window,

39 had a flat window with many panes, no. 40 was

the square two-storey house with the sign board in

Lacon’s brewery, mentioned above, was one of the first

premises to be connected to the telephone, in 1888, and

had the number - Yarmouth 12. At the foot of the hill

at the west end of Fuller’s Hill there was an old public

house called the “Sawyer’s Arms”. This was destroyed

by fire in 1841, and a new house erected on the site called

“The Albion”, set back eight feet in order to widen the

road, which had been very narrow. The Albion public

house can be seen on the 1797 and 1906 maps, becoming

wedge shaped as rebuilt after the 1841 fire. This pub.

is seen as a rather square Georgian style building with

very tall chimneys in the 1880 photograph, looking

over the top of the hill. The large house likely to have

originally belonged to Thomas Meadowe, can easily

147

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

front, and what looks in the photo. like a passage

way goes into a yard as seen from the survey-

or’s drawing (p.166), on the 1906 plan (p. 147).

no. 41 can then be seen which is a rather pretty

Georgian private house. No. 116 George Street,

looked very dilapidated indeed, possibly empty

and semi-derelict, judging from the state of the

windows. As seen on the surveyor’s plan, no. 116

had the corner cut off. I feel that this must have

been demolished earlier in order to improve the

view into Fuller’s Hill. It looks in a better state

in the 1870/80 photograph, but has all its main

windows looking east, and a very small window

with a rounded top at ground floor level or between

floors; perhaps on a stairway looking north into

Fuller’s Hill. Between this house, (no. 116) and Sir

Thomas Meadowe’s house there appears to have

been a fairly tall garden wall. No. 31 had a first

floor platform, projecting into Fuller’s Hill, which

must have been used for loading carts - perhaps

there was a grain loft.

and when they later pulled it down, Irene was moved to

Milton Road. (There is an audio interview recorded with

Irene in 1991).

Rows

One

to Sixteen

In a “modern” house (no. 3, owned by Mr. Bensley in 1874)

on the north side of Fuller’s Hill, (modern as described by

Palmer) Dr. Alfred Impey commenced practice in Yarmouth

as a physician, and obtained “considerable eminence”. He

died in 1852 at Cove Hall, Suffolk, at the residence of his

father in law, William Everett Esq., at the early age of only

thirty eight. There was a mural monument to his memory

in the south aisle of St. Nicholas Church, with an inscrip-

tion on brass “ Erected By Friends Who Appreciated His

Worth And Abilities ”. At the south-east corner stood an old

house which in 1751 was the property of John Hurry, and

was occupied by Martha Palmer, widow. It was rebuilt as

two dwelling houses in 1777 by John Vout, liquor mer-

chant. John Vout was referred to as owning houses on the

corner of Church Plain, and also owned the King’s Head

public house on the east side of Northgate Street. These

two houses in Northgate Street were partially pulled down

in order to widen the approach to Fuller’s Hill. In 1903

further widening of this road took place when Mr. Howes

removed the mound and demolished some cottages (stated

in Ecclestone’s extracts). These were not 26 and 27 Fuller’s

Hill, or 16 Church Plain. These latter buildings are seen

surviving until the demolition taking place in January 1971

(plans pages166, 167; photos pages 151, 152, 164). The

south-west corner had already been opened out by 1758, as

seen on Swinden’s plan, and remained unchanged in 1906

(map page147). There are three photos showing

D. H. Folkes’ Antiques Shop and the Public House to its

left or south side in Brewery (Church) Plain (top photo

opposite, and pages 152 and 167; plan p.167)). Previously

Folkes’ shop seems to have been the Tobacconist behind

This shows a building beyond the Albion, centre of the Fuller’s Hill

(maps, pages 144/ 147/ 153).

One of my patients, Irene Newman, lived at the

Albion from the age of 7 with her family (1929)

until she was in her twenties, at which time the old

Inn was demolished to enlarge the roadway. The

house had already lost its licence as described by

Harry Johnson, and had been lived in by vagrants,

so it was in a poor state. Her brother aged 18 did

all the decorating, but subsequently he became

ill. The Newman family comprised seven girls,

three boys, and their parents. There were four

large bedrooms on the first floor, and they used

these rather as dormitories, with 2 cots and 2

beds in one room. The Council owned the house,

Photo about

This is not the Albion, which had been demolished in about 1949 (see picture opposite).

148

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

33

Photos about 1870. What an appalling action to obliterate this street, instead of restoring it. All for a

roadway. The Albion was demolished in about 1949, the other buildings in 1971.

41 40

32

36

35

34

33

See maps, pages 147, 153 and 166).

116 George Street

Pub on corner of Northgate Street.

149

Photo from point 1 on page 166

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

the Belisha beacon in the 1930’s photographs. Uttings

is no. 42. -the number can clearly be seen (see also

Church Plain and Brewery Plain).The east end house

in Fuller’s Hill on the south side (no. 41) was Cubitt’s

Yarmouth Bloaters and Kippers. The sole remaining

original buildings on Fullers Hill today are “Twinkles”

shop and the Crystal Pub on the corner of Northgate

Street (below).

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Temporary bridge to Fuller’s Hill (see

North Quay, Volume 2).

Looking into White Horse Plain, 1987.

FULLER’S HILL : Occupants 1874

North side

1. Parker, William, wine and spirit merchant

1. Deeks, Thomas, Ham curer

3. Bensley, Thomas, Ham carpenter, “Impey

House”

4. Goose, James, gardener

5. Goffin, Alfred, marine stores

6. Emes, Suzanna

Twinkles and the Crystal, 16.7.2006.

Fuller’s Passage

1. Wisker, John, marine stores

2. Pillow, Charles, carter

3. Millard, Charles, musician

4. Thomas, Benjamin, fisherman

7. Thomas, John, shopkeeper

8. Farner, Rebecca, Lodgings

9. Whittaker, George, brewery

10. Bullimore, George Robert, carter

11. Barker, Zachariah, blacksmith

24. Scotten, Sarah, shopkeeper

25. Rainford, Rosanna, shopkeeper

Wheatley’s and the Crystal, 26.8.2005.

26. Rogers, Louis, fisherman

150

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

16 Church Plain no 42 no 41 Fullers Hill

The crystal on the right, west end of Fuller’s Hill opposite.

Photo from point 2 on page 166.

151

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Rows

One

to Sixteen

D.Folkes antiques, demolished January 1971 (see page167).

The Crystal, 26.8.06.

Fuller’s Hill, south side,

Occupants, continued:

Tavern”

15. Atkins, Philip, cowkeeper

16. Forder, shoemaker

17. Harbord, Robert, barman

18. Rowland, Mrs., dressmaker

19. Blake, William, shrimper

20. Waters, James, coal porter

21. Gown, James, coal porter

27. Gooch, T., basket maker

28. Fulcher, Mary, laundress

George Street

29. Allcock, James, John, beer retailer

30. Wells, John

31. High, Henry, shoemaker

32. Campher, Robert, basket maker

33. Watson, James, basket maker

34. Long, Mary Ann, laundress

35. Bexfield, Stephen, miller

36. Symonds, Harriet

37. Woodrow, Wm., brewery

38. Clarke, George, fisherman

39. and 40. Watson, George, Game dealer

41. Ramm, Cornelius, haberdasher

42. Cooper, J. W., shoemaker, (and Church

Plain)

12. Hall, George, shoemaker

13. Cobram, William

14. Thompson, John, victualler, “ Albion

152

The North Star, 23 North Quay, corner of

Fuller’s Hill, about 1875.

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Sir Thomas Meadowe’s Barn

and farmhouse, 17th C.,

Herringﬂeet (photos 1987).

Detail from Henry

Swinden’s map, 1758,

Fuller’s Hill

22. Chandler, Samuel, coal

porter

South side

23. Ratcliffe, John, coachbuilder

(house, 26. Caister Road)

The Crystal

Photo along yellow arrow from

Northgate Street.

1987 photo

about 1870

Looking west down the north side

The Sawyer’s Arms , later,

The Albion

153

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

THE WRESTLERS INN .

It seems inconceivable that this famous public

house was, in 1992 renamed by its new owners as

“Hardy’s”, but thankfully only a few years later,

when acquired by Ralph Littlewood, the name

reverted to “The Wrestlers”. Back in 1743 the

Wrestler’s Inn was purchased by Samuel Killitt, a

merchant. Business was not good enough or perhaps

Killitt had other debts, since he became bankrupt,

and the pub was sold by the assignees of his estate

to Job Smith. The pub was then described as the

“most considerable hostelry in the town”, so why

was business so bad? In 1764 Smith established

here what he called “a new flying-post coach on

steel springs, carrying six inside passengers”. This

was apparently to encourage visitors from Norwich.

John Ives Senior, in his Journal, frequently mentions

the Wrestlers where occasionally he had a very

good supper.

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Above, The

Wrestlers’

28.12.2006

Left, The

Wrestlers’ Inn, by

Messent, 1930’s.

The bar at the

Wrestlers

28.12.06

26.8.2005

154

Here, it seems, was the liquor shop or “off

licence”known as the “Anchor of Hope”

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Job Smith died in 1784, Mary his wife having died

in 1779, and in 1787 the heirs by law of Smith,

who were very difficult to locate, conveyed the

property to John Suckling, Vintner. Suckling

himself died in 1799, leaving the “Wrestlers” to

Sarah his widow. In the following year an incident

occurred which greatly contributed to the celebrity

of the hotel.

Below, Woodcock’s store, and Lacon’s

ofﬁces. Right, painted panel at the

Wrestlers.

Presumably the buildings of D.Yerrell and

perhaps those to the left of that also, were

originally all part of the Wrestler’s, as was

Woodcock,s which had been separately sold

off in 1751.

Fill’s house, erected 1577.

Lacon’s ofﬁces, erected 1855.

The Wrestlers 1943

(Description of the Wrestlers, page 161.)

155

.

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Nelson’s Visits to Yarmouth

Nelson famously stayed at the Wrestlers having re-

turned after many months in Naples. He came with

Lord William Hamilton, and Emma Hamilton was

then some seven months pregnant by Nelson. Palmer

relates how Nelson “filled Europe with his fame by

victory at Aboukir” (14th. March 1797), and on the

6th November 1800, he landed at Yarmouth, accom-

panied by William and Lady Hamilton, proceeding

to the Wrestlers. His return had been “anxiously

expected by all England”. When he arrived in the

Yarmouth Roads, the weather was stormy, and the

coxswain of the Admiral’s barge hesitated to un-

dertake the responsibility of a landing, but Nelson

would not wait. The townsfolk, frantic with delight,

received him on landing with loud cheers, and taking

the horses off the carriage which was ready for his

use, the men themselves dragged it triumphantly to

Church Plain. Standing at an open upper window of

the Wrestlers and surveying the vociferous multitude

below him, Nelson, much gratified, exclaimed, “I am

myself a Norfolk man, and I glory in being so.” Soon

afterwards the Mayor and the Corporation attended

upon Nelson, and presented him with the Freedom of the

Borough. Accompanied by the Mayor and Corporation,

by Admiral Dixon and all the naval officers then on

shore, and by many of the principal inhabitants, Nelson

crossed the Market Place to the Parish Church, where

he gave thanks to God for having preserved him amidst

so many dangers, permitting him to return in safety to

his native land. When Nelson entered St. Nicholas’s

Church the organist played ‘See The Conquering Hero

Comes’. The troops then in the town assembled on the

plain before the Hotel, salutes were fired, bands played,

and every means used to express the joy of the inhabit-

ants and their admiration for the great Captain. In the

evening Nelson dined with the Mayor, Samuel Barker

Esq., and at night there was a great firework display.

On the following day Nelson wrote to the Admiralty

expressing his desire to serve again immediately. Nel-

son had been away from England for a period of two

years and eight months. He had been ordered home

from the Mediterranean by Lord Keith (Lord Keith

was Admiral, second in command to St. Vincent in the

Mediterranean). Nelson had been in command of the

blockade of Malta, although much distracted by having

the Hamiltons on board. He and the Hamiltons travelled

across Europe from Naples, via Florence, stopping in

Vienna for a month due to the poor health of Sir Wil-

liam Hamilton (they left Florence on 11th. July). At

a ball in Vienna, Haydn and other musicians played,

but Lady Hamilton ignored them, instead she gambled

at cards, winning some £300-400. After Vienna, they

spent a week in Dresden, and reached Hamburg on 21st.

October, travelling by day and stopping every night to

rest. On 31st. they embarked on the mail-packet, and

after a stormy passage, landed at Yarmouth on 6th.

November. The whole party after their short stay in

Yarmouth, went to London, where they arrived on the

8th. Emma Hamilton was at this time clearly pregnant,

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Above, The Wrestlers Inn, 1885.

Right end of

Wrestlers Inn,

seen left of upper

photo. Centre,

Emma Hamilton by

Romney, bottom left,

Captain Maurice

Suckling, Nelson’s

Uncle.

156

Continued on page 160

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Modern Naples, see page.159

157

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Naples, 28.4.2006.

158

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Above is a view of the bay

of Naples, 28.4.2006.

As seen from the hill. The view

must surely be much as it was

when seen by Nelson and Emma

in 1800. Naples remains greatly

impoverished, great stone built

apartment blocks and narrow

medieval streets, seemingly

unchanged, washing hanging in

the streets smells clean, but the

moisture fills the street. Thieves

and pickpockets abound. The

description of the inhabitants as

desperately poor but friendly,

easily roused to a mob, also applies

as much today as then. (See also

An Elise around Europe, Mark

Rumble, 2006, for my adventures

in modern Naples.)

Right and opposite page,

street scenes in lower

Naples, the part much

visited and described by

Emma Hamilton. Photo.

28.4.2006.

159

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Continued from page 156:

carrying Nelson’s daughter Horatia.

Chapter

Six

Whilst in Yarmouth, the Yeoman Cavalry

under the command of Captain Sir E. K.

Lacon had the honour of escorting Nelson

out of the town. Before his departure Nelson

generously left fifty pounds with the Mayor,

to be distributed amongst the “necessitous

poor”, and a request was made by the widow

Mrs. Suckling to allow her to call her Hotel

in future the “Nelson Arms”. “That would be

absurd”, said the hero, “seeing that I have but

one”, and “Nelson’s Hotel” was substituted.

Nelson was to be in Yarmouth again on 7th.

March 1801, when he came ashore from the

“St. George”, a three decker, and his flagship

for the time. There were six hundred troops

on board, that had embarked at Spithead.

Nelson came ashore to visit the Commander

in Chief, Sir Hyde Parker, who was staying

in town with his young wife (Parker was

then an old man). The couple had arranged

to give a great Ball in the town on 13th.

March. Preparations were in hand for the

Battle of Copenhagen. Parker and Nelson, at

least at first, were not on good terms: Nelson

arranged that the Admiralty despatch them

on 12th. March, and they sailed with a fleet

comprising fifteen ships-of-the-line, and two

fifties (Fifty gun warships), as well as frigates,

sloops-of-war, brigs, cutters, fire-ships, and

seven bomb-vessels. Nelson was at this time

aged 42 years (Battle of Copenhagen, April

1st. 1801). Suckling’s widow was married -in

1801- to William Wood, and went to reside at

Horsley Down in Surrey. In 1803 “Nelson’s

Hotel”, i.e. the “Wrestlers” was purchased by

William Rowe, and after many subsequent

changes of ownership, became in 1817 the

property of John Atkinson, on whose death it

was sold and divided. Part of the Wrestler’s

was then reconverted in Palmer’s time into a

liquor shop called the ”Anchor of Hope”. The

war-time photograph (page no.155) shows

the Wrestlers very much as it looks today,

though one of the pilasters there now ap-

parently came from Steward’s in the Market

Place after that was demolished by a bomb.

However the old pilasters were still present

at the front of the Wrestlers Inn after the war

and another building on the west side in the

right of the photograph (E. J. Woodcock) the

bottom part of which is all boarded up with

corrugated iron in the photograph. Presum-

ably the buildings of D. Yerrell and perhaps

those to the left of that also, were originally

all part of the Wrestler’s, and Yerrell’s may

well have been that which was converted into

a liquor store in the time of Palmer (Messent’s

Drawing, page 154). 1

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Lady Nelson

Below, a young and dashing Nelson,

opposite page, bottom, Lord Hood.

160

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

North of Row Nineteen, fronting Church Plain, says

Palmer, stood a large and stately house demolished

in 1868, which in the previous century had been

the property and residence of the Wards, a family

of great wealth and influence in Yarmouth. This

house would appear to be that which became Lacon’s

Brewery. The east front is shown in the line drawing

of 1700. Palmer says it was demolished in 1868; this

would then be when the new brewery was built. The

first of the Ward family who settled in Yarmouth was

Toby Ward, the great- great-grandson of John Ward

of Kirby Bedon, who lived in about 1363. Sir Edward

Ward of Bixley was created a Baronet in 1660, and he

married Susannah, the only child of William Randel,

a very rich merchant of Yarmouth, and all his wealth

came to her, not only increasing Sir Edward’s estate,

but also administering to the further improving of the

splendour of his seat at Postwick by beautifying it with

canal, gardens and courtyards. Susan the only surviving

daughter of Sir Edward Ward, married in 1764, Neil,

the third Earl of Roseberry, and on the death of her

brother, Sir Randel, she inherited the large property of

her family, including the Postwick Estate, which in 19th

C., still belonged to the Earldom . William Randel died

in 1719 aged 55 and lay buried in St. Nicholas Church,

under a slab which bore his Arms. It so happens that

one of the houses which I went to look at, when it was

for sale in 1981 was the Roseberry’s house in Postwick.

At that time it was for sale with some twelve acres of

land, and was owned by an Architect in Norwich. The

rooms were rather small and square, but had been opened

into each other through square archways. At that time it

was for sale at £120,000, and seemed somewhat over-

priced. With regard to the Yarmouth family of Wards,

Toby Ward married Thomaseen, daughter of Edward

Fisher of Great Witchingham, and had a son and heir,

Thomas, who left three sons, Augustin, Joseph and

Edward. On the breaking out of Civil War, Geoffrey

Ward, Joseph Ward, Richard Ward and Dionis Ward,

brought in money and plate for the use of Parliament.

In 1648 Geoffrey Ward signed the Solemn League and

Covenant. In 1650 he filled the office of Bailiff, and was

re-elected in 1661. Ward by then owned the brewery

and this business then absorbed two others at least, one

of which had belonged to John Victor on the east side

of Middlegate Street. George Ward filled the office of

Bailiff in 1671 with Sir Thomas Meadowe, and they

had the honour of entertaining at dinner, King Charles

II and his retinue.

George Ward was installed as the first Mayor of Yar-

mouth, by the Charter granted in 1684. George Ward,

the younger, filled the office of Mayor in 1728, and in

1734 he contributed ten pounds towards the purchase

of the gold chain. He died in 1755 aged seventy four.

Gabriel Ward, the nephew and devisee under the Will

of the first named, Geoffrey Ward, married Mary,

daughter of Robert Mackye, merchant. He filled the

office of Bailiff in 1689 and 1700, and left a son, Robert

Ward, who was Mayor in 1729. He inherited the old

family house on Church Plain, which was depicted in

Corbridge’s map. As Palmer says, it had a gable at the

1 The building on the north-east corner of Charlotte Street was held as one unit (on the same title deed) as part

of the Wrestlers until 1751, when it was separated and renamed the “Anchor of Hope”. This is the building

later seen as Woodcocks. see Palmer, Perlustration of Great Yarmouth, vol. 1, p. 180.

161

Lord Hood

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

south end, and the remainder of the house had

two storeys, the second in the roof with three

dormer windows.

Rows

One

to Sixteen

The adjoining house on the right, as I previ-

ously suggested, north of Row Sixteen (the

row being through the archway), was a public

house called “The Lamb”, and afterwards the

“Anchor of Hope”, and taken down with the

adjoining house in 1868, when absorbed by

the brewery. Robert Ward married Caroline,

daughter of the Reverend William Beevor, by

whom he had two daughters and coheirs. The

eldest, Elizabeth, married John Lacon Esq.,

son of Edmond Lacon Esq., of Otley in the

County of York, who settled in Yarmouth and

became the founder of the Yarmouth family

of that name. John Lacon, the second and

youngest son of the marriage, resided in the

house on Church Plain until his death, unmar-

ried in 1811, aged fifty three, after which his

sister Miss Judith Lacon lived there until her

death in 1817. Palmer says that two half-

timbered houses stood on the south side of

Row Nineteen until 1868. At the south-west

corner was a house having a stone tablet let

into the front bearing the date 1635, and the

letters H. T. E.- the initials of Henry Thompson

and Elizabeth his wife, who built the house.

Thompson was a member of the Corporation

during the Civil War, but immediately after

Charles I was executed, resigned. When the

house was demolished in 1865 to allow the

“Tun Room” to be erected on the site, several

fragments of carved stone, apparently the

remains of an ecclesiastical structure reused

as building materials, were discovered. In

particular, two stone cups and some fragments

of a fine quatrefoil corbel moulding. These

houses must be those beyond the garden previ-

ously described as belonging to the Wrestler’s

Inn. Since the house fronting Church Plain,

between rows nineteen and twenty-one was

owned by the Ward’s, it cannot have been

part of the Wrestler’s. It seems much more

likely that the public house, the “Lamb” and

the “Anchor of Hope” was owned by the

Wrestler’s, indeed this seems to be the case

from the reference on page 188, volume one

of the Perlustration. Palmer’s description of

it though is very confused.

Top Left, Horatio Nelson.

Lower left, his daughter

Horatia by Emma

Hamilton.

162

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

Detail from Henry Swinden’s Map, 1758.

This section of Swinden’s map is the best evidence

that I can give to support a date for the map of

1758, since the Wrestlers property is shown with

the corner onto Charlotte Street being a separate

unit. The division from the property of the Wrestlers

took place in 1751.

(see Palmer’s

Perlustration,

page 180)

Wrestlers’

Wrestler’s Yard

This property

part of the

Wrestlers until

1751.

The “Anchor of

Hope”

Thought to

be property

belonging to

the Wrestlers

B e l o w :

Nelson’s

coach towed

to the

Wrestlers ,

painted on

panel in the

Wrestler’s

Inn, photo

28.12.06

163

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

ROW TEN - NORTH ROW

Horn Row (Johnson)

Johnson noted that a Methodism study circle was held

at a house in this row. Women rebuilding the silk fac-

tory after the fire in 1822 “championed the cause”.

(Grouts/Bayliss factory)

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Palmer records that Row Ten, leading from George

Street to Church Plain, was called North Row on

Armstrong’s map, and Horn Row at a very early pe-

riod, probably from a tavern, the horn being used for

the drinking of mead. Several very old houses still

remained in it in Palmer’s time. At the north-east corner

he said, was a house having it’s gable end towards

Church Plain. A once common arrangement, of which

there are very few examples remaining.

Brewery Plain, above -1971

(P.G.Trett.).

On the south side were houses belonging to the

Hospital of the Blessed Virgin, and on the same

side extending into the next row, there was in the

eighteenth century a chandlery established in 1760

by John Brown, tallow chandler, who died in 1800,

aged 68. He bequeathed his property to his nephew

John Brown, who placed a Tablet to his Uncle’s

memory upon a pillar in the nave of St. Nicholas’s

Church, with the words, “ Death Extinguishes All ”,

showing a candle covered by an extinguisher.

The south side of Row Ten became the Crate Store,

part of the Falcon Brewery, as in 1970; however on the

1906 map it was still very much a row, as were rows

twelve and fourteen. The houses did not seem to have

The line of Row Ten crossed this

pavement, see map, page 166.

changed very much at all from the earlier date.

I do however have a photo of Row Ten which

shows a curvature in the row, which is scarcely

apparent on the map, so if this is indeed of Row

Ten, it is somewhere in the middle of the row and

looking from east towards the west. The walls of

the houses here are clearly made of flint in the

majority, and the extremely old house with the

small jettied first floor projection might perhaps

have been no. 5. The lady in the doorway would

then have been standing in No. 4. The lowsheds

seen further on - the positions of nos. 6 and 7.

(see page 167)

The Occupants, Row Ten, 1886

(from Church Plain to George Street)

Row 10,

about

1870.

1. Gerrard, W., labourer

2. Day, A. G.

3. Blake, G., labourer

4. Bly

5. Keeble, Mrs.

6. Challis, J.

7. Bessey, G.

164

A New Perlustration of Great Yarmouth

South side

11. Clarke, John N.

12. Bales, William

13. Holt, George J.

15. Earl, Henry

16. Flatman, George Thomas

17. Cook, Thomas

18. Frosdick, Miss

Pageant celebrating the Bicentenary of Nelson’s

return from Naples, July 2000.

19. High, Christopher

The Occupants, Row Ten,

1936

(from Church Plain to George Street)

North side

Crome, G.

South side

1. Smith, Mrs. Martha

More pictures from July 2000 Nelson

Pageant, below.

8. Alexander, Mrs.

11. Lark,

9. Harwood, Mrs.

Frederick

10. Springall, J., labourer

12. Prescott, William

11. Bexfield, Mrs.

13. Westgate, Mrs.

12. Rouse, G.

15. Kirk, Henry

13. Gates, Mrs.

16. Russell, Charles

14. Spurge, W.

17. Harding, Timothy

15. Barnaby, J.

The Occupants, Row Ten,

1927

(from Church Plain to George

Street)

The Occupants, Row Ten, 1913

(from Church Plain to George Street)

North side

North side

1. Smith, Mrs. A.

1. Smith, Mrs. Martha

2. Flartey, Archibald

2. Haylett, Edward

3. Riches, Thomas

3. Riches, Mrs.

4. Harding, William

4. Adams, Edward

5. Stone, Edward Samuel

5. Turrell, Mrs.

6. Stevens, Mrs.

6. Haylett, Robert Joseph (prev. at no. 6)

7. Haylett, Robert

7. Flerty, Mrs.

8. Smith, Charles

8. Harden, Frederick

9. Kirby, Charles

9. Smith, John

165

The Revised History of Great Yarmouth

Chapter

Six

Rows

One

to Sixteen

Photo.

2

1

B

A

Row ten crossed the line

of the new Fuller’s Hill

south side pavement.

The Survey Plan prior to the new roadworks of 1970-71,

shows the scale of destruction to be wreaked on the old

town for the sake of the new road.

B

A

17.9.2005, site of previous Comet

Store, before that, was Zebra coach

garages.

The (back of) Palace Bingo is opposite the

rear of Staples, on the other side of George

Street.

166