16-18 Old Market Place
Don’t be fooled by the rather lovely late Victorian or Edwardian front to this building. The range you see today fronting on to the Old Market Place is pretty old – the wing extending out the back is even older. If you were to enter Shipps yard and then look back you will get a far better idea of what is going on behind the fairly regular brick frontage you see from the pavement.
Ancient as the front is, the very oldest part is the wing that stretches back along the left hand side of the yard. See below the listing of this building:-
Circa late C16 timber-frame with C18 red brick front, forming crossing to wing at rear which is circa late C14/early C13 raised aisled hall with a cambered tie-beam supporting a crown post with braces to the collar purlin and collar. The roof timbers are heavily smoke blackened. Black glazed pantile roof with gable ends. Two storeys and attic. Three windows. No 16 has first floor sash with glazing bars and projecting late C19 shop front. No 18 has two first floor sashes with cambered heads without glazing bars, and two stall C19 shop windows with pilasters and central pilastered doorway with continuous entablature over, with cornice. Two flat roof dormers. To right of No 16 roof at higher level, one first floor sash, below is carriageway with elliptical arch, inside archway are exposed beams on curved brackets and joists. Catslide roof at rear. The C14/15 rear wing is stuccoed This is said to be the only crown raised aisle hall in Norfolk but there are others in Essex and Suffolk.
Back in 1838, the property and range of buildings behind were part of the estate of James Hayward – he had been running a Common Brewery from the long back section. I suspect it was shortly after the tithe map was prepared that this was converted to housing for the local working classes, complete with a communal pump!