82 83 High Street

Nos. 82 & 83 High Street are the southern part of a mid-late 16th century house once belonging to the Pacy family (mariners and merchants), who seem to have come into Lowestoft during the later part of the 16th century, possibly from Dunwich. They do not feature in the Lay Subsidy of 1568. In 1720, William Pacy and his wife Elizabeth are named as tenants, while 100 years earlier in the Manor Roll of 1618 Elizabeth Pacy (widow of Mark) was occupant - with John Cook (merchant) named as a previous holder of the messuage. It is described in 1720 as having yards and fish-houses and as abutting onto the High Street to the west and Whaplond Way (Whapload Road) to the east.

By the time that Samuel Pacy (merchant) - grandson of Mark and Elizabeth - acceded to the property in 1647, the family's fortunes were on the rise. Pacy expanded the family activity in both fishing and maritime trade (the latter including traffic to both the Mediterranean and the Baltic) and, at the time of his death in September 1680 - his will having been made only a week or so before - was probably the richest man in Lowestoft.

His wife, Elizabeth, died two years later in August 1682 - and not only has her will survived, but the probate inventory accompanying it. This is, effectively, the same as that of her husband - which has not survived. The document shows a high level of wealth, in the way that the house was appointed and furnished, and also in the extent of the family's involvement in fishing, fish-curing and maritime trade. It may have been the case that the adoption of Dissenting, Nonconformist, religious practice (with its emphasis on hard work and its rewards) was one of the contributing factors in Samuel Pacy's rise in both wealth and social standing.

Nos. 82 & 83 High Street contain more evidence of mid-late 16th origins than the other half of the house (Nos. 81 & 81A) does. The ground floor interior has ceiling beams (largely boxed-in), with ovolo and cavetto moulding abutting the ceiling itself, and there is also the suggestion that the building may once have had a jettied first floor. This takes the form of two, slender, iron, supporting pillars in each part of the ground floor shop space (these can be seen in the photograph, one on either side of the doorways) which might well have been inserted while the jetty was being removed, to support the timber framing above. They appear to be of late 18th to early 19th century origin and are comparable with the ones present in Nos. 31-32 High Street.

The probate inventory of Elizabeth Pacy (widow of Samuel, merchant), drawn up on 18 August 1682, following her death, shows that the whole house had a downstairs floor-plan of hall, parlour, buttery and kitchen, with four chambers above, and with one or two garret rooms (probably for servants) up in the roof-space. There was also a cellar below ground level, with a room above it, as well as a separate pantry and wash-house - all of them probably out in the yard to the back of the house. The dwelling would have been one of the largest and best furnished in town, at the time - if not the best of all. CREDIT:David Butcher

Surviving internal timber framing

Once formed one dwelling with Nos. 81 & 81A. Ground floor axial beams largely boxed in, but of mid-late 16th century origins - with some ovolo and cavetto moulding abutting the ceiling. Cast-iron stanchions placed near the shop windows suggest that the first floor was once jettied in the manner noted in No. 31. CREDIT:David Butcher