Before 1600 this was variously ‘The White Hart’ or the 'White Horse', the Market Bell rang from the adjoining chapel and Tolls were collected at the pub.
Another one of Harleston’s disguised treasures – cross to the other side of the road, look back past the 20th Century flat roofed single story glass extension that runs along the front, ignore the grey (originally white) Victorian building on the left hand end and you will get some idea of the original building that stood here – The White Hart: one of the oldest pubs in the town, we have mortgage documents going back to 1599 years!
Imagine the sizeable gap that once existed between this and the next building – an open area leading to gardens, sheds and barns in the space behind.
Cage Walk (named for old Prison Cell at the chapel) ran between here and the Old Chapel of Ease – internal window reveals remain where the original occupants could look over the Chapel. One Chapel bell was to call the faithful, the other rang to start and finish market trading – handy as the Market Tolls were gathered and recorded at the White Hart.
When the Chapel was demolished, the town was left with no clock so a new tower was erected echoing the Italianate style of the Railway Station and using the bell from the Old Chapel.
The new Tower Stores and Clock Tower on the site of the Old Chapel.
In 1899, when Curl Bros (the Dept store kings of Norwich) opened a branch in Harleston the old buildings were changed beyond recognition. This is when the new glass shop front was pushed out to the boundary line, the lower section of the front wall and most of the internal walls were all done away with – spot the cast Iron posts that now hold the building up.
Things did not get off to a good start – a runaway horse promptly kicked in one of the new plate glass windows.
Doubtless there are many secrets we will never know about the old White Horse,but it is alleged to be one of the most haunted buildings in Harleston with a man in working dress of centuries ago, and a young girl and another lady supposedly still in residence but in another plane! Reports of items being moved about, CCTV cameras showing misty clouds that disappeared when an oblivious customer walked through them and other miscellaneous unexplainable technological glitches can only raise more questions than answers regardless of 'own feelings about the supernatural!