149 High Street

Together with "Berfield House" (No. 148 High Street), this building once formed part of the former 17th-18th century "Bell Inn" - though it is not known when subdivision into two parts took place. In 1721, the property was held by John Frary, member of a Lowestoft family mainly engaged in blacksmithing. Prior to that, it had been in the hands of William Arnold, a man whose family had been resident in Lowestoft since at least the early 16th century and were mainly connected with maritime activity and brewing. The description of the property is phrased as "one messuage called The Bell".

The Manor Roll of 1618 names Thomas Mewse as tenant, with an earlier manorial record revealing that he and his wife Philippa had acquired it from Thomas Goddard (merchant). It remained in the hands of the Mewses until October 1627, when it was transferred to Simon Hammond - and he held it until August 1652 when it passed to William Arnold (brewer). It is possible that this is when the building became an inn.

At one time, what is now known as Crown Street East (Crown Street only, before the road was cut into two by the construction of Jubilee Way, during the late 1970s) was called Bell Lane. This lasted towards the end the 18th century, when the inn probably went out of use and the name changed to Crown Lane (followed by Crown Street), after the larger inn on the other side of the road's junction with the High Street.

The building forming Nos. 149 & 149A High Street contains two particularly interesting, original, internal features, probably dating from the late 16th-early 17th century. 

The first is a single-framed roof, with oak common rafters fixed to a central ridge-piece. 

The second is to be found at the other extremity - below ground level. The northern bay, on the corner of the High Street with Crown Street East, has what is possibly a late medieval cellar (surviving from an earlier building) with a circular well inside, built of excellent "basket-weave" brickwork. 

This is not primarily for use as a source of water for domestic use (though it may have served that purpose), so much as a drainage sump for the cellar itself, to cope with water penetrating the floor from periodic rises in the local water-table - a feature not unknown in parts of the High Street. And when this writer last went down it, some years ago, there was a 19th century iron hand-pump in place to move water out of the well into the High Street's drainage system. This was no longer in use, having been replaced by a small electric pump. CREDIT:David Butcher

Surviving internal timber framing

once formed the northern part of The Bell inn. Has a late 16th/early 17th century single-framed roof, with common rafters fixed to a central ridge-piece. The cellar below the northern bay has an interesting drainage sump, or well, with elaborate “basket-weave” brickwork. CREDIT:David Butcher