93 and 95 Market Place

Summary

House built in the early C19, used as a shop and accommodation by the mid-C19, and subdivided into two units in the late C19.

Reasons for Designation

93 and 95 Market Place, a house built in the early C19, used as a shop and accommodation by the mid-C19, and subdivided into two units in the late C19, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* it retains historic external detailing, notably the late-C19 doorcase, which enhances the varied architectural character of the Market Place.

Historic interest:

* it contributes to the coherent commercial townscape that forms one of the most important historic public spaces in Swaffham, one that continues to reflect the historical development of the town.

Group value:

* it has proximity to, and a strong visual relationship with, many other listed buildings on the Market Place, particularly with the adjoining Greyhound Inn to the south, and Montpellier House and Western House to the north, both listed at Grade II.

History

Swaffham’s significance in the medieval period stemmed from its position on the crossroads of the main routes from London, Norwich and King’s Lynn. The first written record of a market in the town, which was established on a triangular-shaped area formed by the convergence of the aforementioned roads, was in 1215 when King John issued a royal writ to the Sherriff of Norfolk to abolish it should it ‘damage the market in Dunham’. It was never abolished and expanded rapidly. The Market Place was probably open to the church on its east side, but later C17 development closed this off, while the development of The Shambles in the middle in the late C18/early C19, further reduced the size of the open space. From the mid-C18, for a period of just over a hundred years, Swaffham became one of the most populous parishes in Norfolk and one of the most fashionable centres in the county, attracting many leading West Norfolk Families. A racecourse had been established by 1628, the Assembly Rooms were constructed in 1776-1778, subsequently extended and modernised in 1817, and George Walpole, the Third Earl of Orford (1730-1791), founded a coursing club in 1786. During this period of prosperity, much rebuilding took place around the Market Place and the overall character of the town is primarily of mid- to late Georgian in date, although there is evidence for C16-C17 work behind many façades. Further rebuilding also took place after ‘The Great Fire of Swaffham’, which probably started in the vicinity of the Blue Boar Inn (now the White Hart) on the afternoon of 14 November 1775, when it was set ablaze by a spark from a nearby blacksmith’s workshop. Fire soon engulfed the densely packed houses and workshops behind the inn and along London Road, with 22 buildings being completely destroyed and a further two badly damaged. The town continued to expand in the C19 when its population increased from 2,200 in 1800 to 3,350 in 1845. It also became an important local administrative centre during this period and acquired several notable buildings, including a National School (1838), Shire Hall (1839) and Corn Hall (1858).

93 and 95 Market Place was built as a single dwelling house in the early C19. The 1840 Tithe map shows an approximately square building with a range of outbuildings along the southern edge of the property boundary. The Apportionment describes it as a ‘house and yard’ owned by Anne Kirbell, and occupied by Anne Kirbell and another. In around 1857 the premises were occupied by James Wenham, a Watchmaker; and by 1871 William Wharton, a perfumier and hair stylist, his wife Martha (White) and their three daughters, Elizabeth, Charlotte and Ellen were trading and living in the property. On the first edition Ordnance Survey (OS) map of 1883 the building is depicted with two small rear wings (to the east), and by the second edition of 1905, it has been subdivided into two units. Both units have been in use as retail premises with shopfronts dating to the second half of the C20. The 1970 OS maps shows that the rear was extended, and it has since been extended again with a large flat-roofed addition.

Details

House built in the early C19, used as a shop and accommodation since the mid-C19, and subdivided into two units in the late C19.

MATERIALS: rendered and colour washed brick and flint, and a roof covering of black-glazed pantiles.

PLAN: the building faces west over the Market Place. It has an approximately rectangular plan with a large C20 extension to the rear.

EXTERIOR: the two-storey, three-bay building has a pitched roof with an internal gable-end brick chimney stack to the right, and two late-C19 flat-topped dormer windows fitted with casements. The central, late-C19 doorcase consists of square pilasters with single tall recessed panels and a plain architrave. The door with glazed upper panels is not original. On either side are C20 shop fronts: that on the left has a large projecting fifteen-light bay window and a door to the right; and that on the right has a canted bay window without glazing bars and a door to the right, set within a doorcase in the same C19 style as that already described. Above this door is a rectangular cast iron Fire Plug plaque, reading ‘FP’. The first floor is lit by three six-over-six pane sash windows, slightly recessed, and set within plain, painted window surrounds. Above these windows are four circular wall-tie plates.

INTERIOR: the ground floors have been opened out for retail areas.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

460633

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Wilson, B, The Buildings of England: Norfolk 2: North-West and South, (2002)
Swaffham History Group, , The Book of Swaffham: The Story of a Norfolk Market Town, (2021)

Other
Unpublished research – Swaffham Cultural Consortium and Swaffham History Group

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