42 High Street

Nos. 41-42 High Street, as seen today, are replacement buildings for "The Swan" inn, which once occupied the site and served as one of Lowestoft's premier hostelries during the 16th and 17th centuries. It was where Oliver Cromwell stayed overnight on 14 March 1643/44, when he came to Lowestoft (from Cambridge) with a force of cavalry, having heard tell of a shipment of arms either entering or leaving the town (it has never been established which). He arrested a number of Royalist sympathisers, both local and from out of town - including the Vicar, James Rous - and returned to Cambridge with them. They spent a period of house-arrest there, before being released.

In December 1584, George Phifeld (merchant) conveyed the premises to John Archer of London (fishmonger) - the latter having been identified as the largest exporter, at the time, of red herrings from Great Yarmouth. Part of the deal was for Phifeld to supply Archer with twenty lasts of high-quality "reds" (200,000 fish) - the nature of cure and packaging being itemised in the manorial record of exchange. The Archer family remained as tenants until the 1630s, when the messuage changed hands.

In 1720, it was listed as being in the occupancy of John Hayward (mariner-merchant), who had died in June 1719 - an example, perhaps, of the manorial records not having kept pace with the realities of life (or death). He was responsible for endowing a bread charity in the town for the relief of local poor people.

What is now known as Mariner's Score (the footway linking the High Street with Whapload Road) was once called Swan Score, after the inn itself. CREDIT:David Butcher

No.41 and 42 and we're traveling back to the 1960s and here is  Ronnie Cook's butcher's shop. All of the shops that you see in this photograph the building's date back to the 18th and 19th century.  Most of them were private large dwelling houses rather than shops. The shop fronts were added later as the town prospered  and expanded in the 19/20th century so shop fronts were added. 41, 42 High Street, they are listed because of their  mid-19th century character and there were changes to the facades   as we shall see in a moment to these things. So the shop fronts didn't always look the same   as different businesses took over they  would change the shop fronts to suit their tastes   and the the needs of their business.

There's one other thing here that's quite  interesting, sort of architecturally  worth a comment is if you look on the the gable end,  that's the north end of 41 High Street   You can see X's and... those are not painted on there  they are the ends of long metal beams that have been thrust completely through the building and then the ends stick out and then they have these large cross irons put on with a large bolt which have been  put in years and years ago when it looks as if   the wall is beginning to sag and bow.  So they... they're put in there to strengthen the building.   
And they're still there today and they will as long as that building stands, they will have to be there.    CREDIT: Ivan Bunn from transcript - Poetry People - High Street Histories