The Common Staithe, King’s Lynn, Norfolk: an Architectural and Archaeological Assessment
Author(s): J Kewley
King's Lynn was for much of the medieval and early modern period one of the principal ports of England, and it retains an important stock of historic buildings, despite 20th-century losses. It was designated a Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) in 2017, and three particular sites were identified for which research by Historic England could inform possible future regeneration. These were the Common Staithe and Chapel Street Car Park, both in the north of the town, and Southgates in the south. Each is the subject of a Historic England Research Report; the relationship between the three areas is shown on the map opposite. This present one examines the history of the Common Staithe, one of the principal mercantile centres of early modern King's Lynn, and the buildings on it. It analyses the surviving structures, which consists of Georgian warehouse, early Victorian public baths, a mid-Victorian pilot office and what are suggested to be fragmentary remains of the early modern and earlier warehouses or dwellings on the site. It also assesses the archaeological potential of the currently vacant parts of the site. The report is based on site visits and archival and printed sources, together with some secondary background reading on medieval and early modern ports and early public baths.
- Report Number:
- 8/2018
- Series:
- Research Report
- Pages:
- 145
- Keywords:
- Medieval Post Medieval
