15a Market Place

Summary

Building probably dating to the early C18 and in use as an inn by the late C18. Converted into retail premises by the 1880s.

Reasons for Designation

15a Market Place, probably dating to the early C18 and in use as an inn by the late C18, and converted into retail premises by the 1880s, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* it retains historic external detailing, notably the late C19 plate-glass display window, 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 strong historic and functional group value with, many other listed buildings on the Market Place, particularly with the adjoining 14 and 15 Market Place to the east and the Assembly Rooms to the west, all 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).

15a Market Place was for many years part of a public house, forming the western bay that was probably used to house an ostler and to store hay etc. The origins of the building are not known but it probably dates to the early C18 and was certainly part of a public house since at least the late C18 as the official trade licensing records, which start in 1789, originally refer to it as the Queen’s Head until 1836, and then call it the Maid’s Head up to its closure in 1901. From the earliest date it is recorded as being Copyhold to the Manor of Swaffham, and the first tenant named is James Mann who held the licence from 1789 until 1791. On Faden’s Map of Swaffham (1797), the building is shown forming part of the southern range of a U-shaped range of buildings. The outline on the 1840 Tithe Map is faint but appears to follow a similar configuration.

In 1847 the Maid’s Head was included in the sale of various licensed premises owned by the late John Morse. It was advertised as consisting of three parlours, a kitchen, a bar, a cellar and six bedrooms, as well as a stable and hay loft. In the 1880s, 15a Market Place was occupied by William Arthur Miles, a glove maker and hairdresser, with his family. By the beginning of the C20, it was a tobacconist’s shop run by Percy Cross who occupied the adjoining former tavern (number 15) which had been converted into a dwelling house. 15a Market Place has been occupied by various retailers over the years and continues in this use.

On the first three editions of the Ordnance Survey (OS) maps of 1884, 1905 and 1928, the range of buildings which now forms 14, 15 and 15a Market Place is subdivided into two approximately equal units. The OS map of 1970 then shows the range subdivided into two unequal units: a small unit on the eastern end (number 14), and a longer unit on the western end (number 15). All these maps show a rear wing at the western end, behind number 15a. This has since been extended. The current (2024) OS map does not show the subdivision of number 15a on the western end. 14 Market Place and 15 Market Place are both separately listed.

Details

Building probably dating to the early C18 and in use as an inn by the late C18. Converted into retail premises by the 1880s.

MATERIALS: rendered and whitewashed brick. Pantiled roof.

PLAN: 15a Market Place occupies a corner site and has a narrow frontage facing south over the Market Place with a rear wing, extended at some point since 1970.

The current (2024) OS map does not show the subdivision of number 15a on the western end of 15 Market Place.

EXTERIOR: the building has two storeys under a pitched roof which is hipped to the west. It has an internal chimney stack to the east and a dentil eaves cornice. Below the eaves is a painted sign reading ‘THE TOBACCO SHOP’. On the left of the narrow frontage is a C20 half-glazed door, and to the right a late C19 plate-glass display window. Over both is a wide canopy box. The first floor is lit by one late C20 three-light casement. The rear wing is of handmade red brick and has three blocked doorways and modern first-floor windows.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

460604

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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