Summary
A late-C17 or early-C18 house, extended in around 1780 and refronted.
Reasons for Designation
Ventnor House, 11 London Street, Swaffham, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* as a historic commercial building, which contributes strongly to the architectural character and diversity of London Street;
* for the architectural quality of its principal elevation, which is enriched by a finely detailed dentil cornice and classical doorcase.
Historic interest:
* for the contribution it makes to the evolution of London Street and the development of the town.
Group value:
* for its physical attachment to the neighbouring Grade II-listed building at 9 London Street, which shares the same proportions, Classical detailing, and historic domestic function.
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).
Ventnor House was constructed as a single-storey dwelling in the late C17 or early C18. Its original scale can be seen on the south elevation where the earlier brickwork of its first tumbled gable can be seen. It was extended upwards and to the rear in the later C18, perhaps around 1780. A uniform brick frontage was added so that these alterations are not visible from the street.
In 1840 the site was described in the tithe apportionment as ‘house, shop, cottages, yards, gardens &c.’ It was then owned and occupied by Elizabeth Gooderick. Gooderick was still described as the head of the household in 1861, then aged 72 and termed a ‘proprietor of houses’.
The 1884 Ordnance Survey (25" scale) shows the building with a separation between the front and rear parts, suggesting multiple occupancy or a division of functions.
The building’s appearance from London Street has remained largely unchanged since it was photographed in 1948 (Historic England archive). Its function has altered, however, so that it is now (2024) used as offices rather than as a domestic building.
Details
A late-C17 or early-C18 house, extended in around 1780 and refronted.
MATERIALS: The building is built of flint and red brick, and the roof is covered in pantiles.
EXTERIOR: The principal elevation faces west on to London Street. It is four bays wide and two storeys high with an attic. The pitched roof is covered in pantiles and the bellcast eaves are supported by a canted dentil cornice. The windows are all six-over-six unhorned sashed with concealed boxes; at ground-floor level they have skewback gauged brick arches, and at first-floor level simple lintels. The brickwork is laid in Flemish bond. Slightly off-centre at ground floor is a wooden doorcase with console brackets, a six-panelled door, and a slim over-light.
The south elevation faces onto The Pightle (formerly ‘Cobb’s Pightle’). It is one-and-a-half bays wide and is principally built of flint rubble. Brick tumbling and quoins show the original extent of the house and reveal how it has been extended upwards and outwards. A former window and doorway have been blocked. There are tie-plates at the upper levels and a single window opening in the attic. The apex of the gable terminates in a chimney stack, rebuilt in the C20.
The rear (east) elevation faces a yard. The east wall has been covered in render. A late-C20 fire escape connects an extruded attic dormer and a first-floor doorway with the yard. The fenestration is all irregular and includes two casements, one small sash, and a small canted bay.
