102 High Street
History
No. 102 High Street. The northern section of a triply-subdivided former merchant’s house of c. 1530-50. The jettied first-floor is one of two only surviving in the old part of town - the other being No. 36 High Street. At least three other buildings show evidence of having once been jettied, with supporting posts in place to help strengthen the ground-floor being brought forward.
'101 to 104 The High Street' An interesting section of the High Street here, at its lower end, with the building nearest the camera (No 101) being the former “Albion Stores” public house - the second word of the name once being used in other Lowestoft hostelries. The first structure on this plot was placed there during the mid-17th century on land belonging to Nos. 102-104, the row of shops next door.
This line of retail units is, in fact, a former merchant’s house, dating from the earlier decades of the 16th century, and it is possible to walk along the internal roof-space, from end to end - there being no partitioning of it, as has occurred beneath. It is hard to say whether the off-centre chimney-stack is integral or introduced - but, either way, it is a sign of wealth and status, with the ground-floor and first-floor rooms on either side of it able to be heated.
The jettied (overhanging) upper level is further evidence of the building’s antiquity and its middle section (No. 103) has particularly fine, moulded beams and joists in the ground-floor room and an eye-catching cambered ceiling, with jowelled vertical wall-posts, in the space above. Many years ago, when this shop was undergoing replacement of its first-floor outer cladding, vertical wooden studs were revealed, with herringbone brick-nogging in between: further evidence of its quality.
All of Lowestoft’s late medieval dwellings were half-timbered. In other words, the ground-floor (usually, with a cellar beneath) was a constructed of masonry, with the upper level and roof being timber-framed. Full timber-framing started at ground-level on an oak sole-plate, placed on a layer of rubble, and used a lot more trees. The house here - one of the town’s important survivors - may well have been built by members of the Scarlett family, merchants during the first half of the 16th century. At this time, and for many decades afterwards, most of Lowestoft’s houses would have been thatched. But all that changed after the disastrous town fire of March 1645 and tiles became increasingly used thereafter. During the mid-1980s, the writer and two UEA associates spent a day studying Nos. 27 (the “Royal Falcon” ), 36 & 102-4 High Street. One of them, the late Alan Carter (at the time, Director of the Norwich Survey), remarked that these three houses’ timber-framing was as good as any to be found in the City - if not better, in some cases. He said that its superiority rested not in its decorative appearance, but in the quality of the timber used. CREDIT: David Butcher
No102 in 1865 and right through to 1876 it was John Porters Boot and Shoemakers shop but recorded in 1900 it was the offices of Alfred Kent and Son a firm of Solicitors and one of the partners a Mr George B Wigg was recorded as collector of poor rates (number 2 district). Recorded in the Kelly's directory in 1932 the shop had become Mrs M Smith Confectioner's but in 1967 it had been taken by her son, Mr Guy Merrington Smith. In the 1970's the shop became Pandora's Home Boutique, but moving forward a few years, Studio 161 had moved in, relocating from No161 the High Street. Today the shop has become the Merchant House Gallery. CREDIT: Lowestoft High Street, The Butcher, The Baker and The Candlestick Maker by Crispin Hook
Architecture
In 1722, the plot where the composite building comprising Nos. 102, 103 & 104 now stands was in the tenancy of George Wooden (fisherman). It is described simply as one messuage abutting onto the High Street to west and Whaplond Way (Whapload Road) to the east. Just over a century earlier, the Manor Roll of 1618 records Elizabeth Howard as occupant, she having acceded to it via the will of her grandfather, Edward Sparrow (yeoman). The document named her as Elizabeth Hayward, which means that variant spelling of the surname is in evidence.
In April 1638, Christopher and Elizabeth Mason (formerly Howard/Hayward) released the property to Thomas and Elizabeth Buckle, and it passed to a relative John Buckle(boatwright) in December 1652 - exact relationship not known. Prior to this, in March 1650, Thomas Buckle and his son (also Thomas) had sold a parcel of land to the north of the dwelling, on which Thomas Pacy (yeoman and brewer) built a house - the site now occupied by the later No. 101 High Street.
The messuage forming Nos. 102, 103 & 104 remained in the hands of the Buckle family until December 1673, when it passed to John Wooden via his uncle John Buckle Jnr., who was the brother of his mother Elizabeth. George Wooden entered the property, following the death of his parents (John and Margaret) in August 1722.
The earliest mentioned tenants of the messuage to be found in the manorial records relate to the sixteenth century (exact point not known) and name members of the Scarlett and Holland families. CREDIT:David Butcher
Surviving internal timber framing
Merchant’s house, probably dating from the first half of the 16th century, c. 1520-30. Middle section (No. 103) has the most elaborate timber-framing in the building. Richly roll-moulded beams and joists on ground floor, with cambered ceiling in the room above complete with jowelled wall-posts. When its first-floor cladding was removed and replaced during the 1980s, studwork was revealed, with herringbone-pattern brickwork between. CREDIT:David Butcher
TM5593SW HIGH STREET 914-1/9/41 (East side) 03/10/77 Nos.102, 103 AND 104
GV II
Extensive town house and shop, now 3 shops and flats. Mid C16, much altered. Timber-framed. Rendered and colourwashed; No.102 with C20 tile-hanging to the first floor and C19 machine tile roof at the front, otherwise all red pantiles. 2 storeys. Three C20 shop fronts. Jettied first floor, the jetty itself coved. Under the jetty in the centre (No.103) are floral consoles. First floor fenestration is mixed: No.102 has one late C19 three-light timber cross-casement; No.103 one late C20 casement; No.104 two C20 horned 2/2 sashes. Gabled roof with a reduced ridge stack set to the north end and a ridge stack right of centre. The rear has a large 2-storey C19 brick extension to Nos.103-104, with a gabled roof, reduced internal gable-end stacks and C20 fenestration. No.104 has a rendered outshut. INTERIOR. The main room of the C16 house occupied the centre of the range and extended 2 metres into the present No.102 to the north. No.103 has multiple roll-moulded bridging beams and joists to the ground floor. No.104 continues the roll-moulded joists as far as a plain bridging beam with mortice holes for a former partition, north of which are chamfered and tongue-stopped joists. The ground floor of No.104 has roll-edged bridging beams with tongue stops. CREDIT: Historic England
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