Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

For details of other building previously recorded under this number see The Gaolhouse (NHER 63556), The Assembly Rooms (NHER 63557) and The Town Hall (NHER 63558).

Guildhall of Holy Trinity, 1421, with Elizabethan addition, flint chequerwork. Also attached are Gaol of 1784 with chains on façade (NHER 63556); Assembly Rooms of 1766 (NHER 63557), and Town Hall of 1895 (NHER 63558). Coat of arms of Queen Elizabeth I over door were brought from St. James's Chapel in 1624.
Information from KLM.
See NHER 5484.

1951. Listed Grade I.
Guildhall (of the Holy and Undivided Trinity), now part of civic accommodation. 1422-28; porch and interior alterations of 1624. Brick with ashlar and flint dressings. Plain tiled roofs. Narrow site, set gable-end to street. Two elements. To right (east) is the gabled guildhall proper, with the Stone Hall forming the upper two floors and lit through a 7-light Perpendicular arched window with panel tracery. Moulded jambs. Stone string course divides this from ground floor. Ground floor is a brick undercroft used, when built, to store the guild's goods. Originally entered through two timber doorways, these removed and replaced with two 2-light, round-arched Y-tracery windows. One small 2-light window flanks right and left. Polygonal corner turrets close elevation and rise to gabled roof. Whole of facade decorated with knapped flint squares alternating with stone squares to produce chequered flushwork. Original entrance to Stone Hall was via a dog-leg staircase against west wall. In 1624 present porch built to protect new staircase; this forms left (west) element in overall design. Of same materials and with same chequered flushwork. Three storeys and gabled roof. Diminishing polygonal corner shafts and string courses at each floor. Central round-headed doorway with pair of engaged Doric columns. Guttae under flat hood. Small subsidiary doors either side under lunettes. First floor lit through 6-light transomed casement. Top floor with a large re-used coat of arms relating to reign of Elizabeth, and inscribed Edward Hargae, Mayor, 1624. This flanked by a small light each side and another in each of returns. When noticed that coat of arms to Elizabeth was re-used, a new achievement relating to Charles II was erected on parapet at Restoration and inscribed William Wharton, Mayor, 1664.
Interior: Porch doorway leads to timber staircase. Fluted Ionic timber columns on high bases right and left. Balustrade with fat turned balusters and moulded handrail. Dog-legs to right to approach entrance to Stone Hall: moulded stone jambs and arch, with double plank and muntin doors. Stone Hall in four bays (originally 6). Chamfered wall arches. Wainscoting from 1895. Roof of crenellated tie beams supported on arched braces with pierced tracery spandrels. Roof above is scissor-braced, but boarded.
Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Listing NGR: TF6171619861
See (S1).

1976. Excavations in undercroft of guildhall.
Wall footings and floor levels found.
During finds processing finds became muddled and so in January 1980 A. Rogerson (NAU) discarded all tile, brick, iron fragments and glass, retaining only clay pipe bowls, medieval and post medieval pottery, and 1 honestone with hole partially drilled into one side. These retained finds are context 0.
Detailed report on A. Rogerson's excavation in file.
A. Rogerson (NAU), January 1980.

(S2) dates building to between 1422 and 1438 after fire destroyed predecessor on different site. But (S3) suggests that in fact the present building is a mix of pre- and post-1421 builds and that the New Hall built after the 1421 fire was on a different site; it became a college of priests until 1510 and then a gaol until 1528. It probably stood adjacent.
E. Rose (NLA).

October 1991. Interior visit.
Original undercroft now restored as regalia rooms; vaulting and pilasters of rendered brick, two doors to street blocked. Main hall chamber on first floor has original roof hidden by 19th century ceiling; tiebeams with traceried braces heavily restored. Complete Georgian court room survives; small, now disused.
E. Rose (NLA), 2 October 1991.

April 1992.
Trial excavation by West Norfolk Borough Engineers in central yard of scheduled building, see plan in file; two trenches 0.6m (2ft) deep, 0.45m (1 1/2feet) wide, 0.6m (2ft) long. Revealed a brick alley with a gulley, predating the building; also animal bones and a wooden beam.
Information from Lindy Brewster (KLM).
Borough Council also note a column base found in situ. Finds covered up again.
E. Rose (NLA), 20 May 1992.

19th century ceiling removed in 1992 to reveal original roof.
E. Rose (NLA), 18 November 1992.

1992. Building and photographic survey.
Includes detailed examination and measurement of medieval roof.
Details and photographs in Historic England Archive.
See also (S4).
A. Cattermole (King's Lynn UAD), 11 February 2020.

March 1997. Descheduled.
Information from (S5).

(S6) notes that the location of this guildhall on Saturday Market Place is indicative of the relatively early development of the Trinity Guild. This part of the town was later to decline in importance as the facilities to the north around Tuesday Market Place drew traders away. According to (S6) the Trinity Guild's first hall, of which nothing survives, stood near the north porch of St Margaret's Church. It was badly burned, along with the adjoining tenement, in 1421. In 1422 work began on the new Guildhall. According to (S6) the old Guildhall was abandoned but was still extant in 1548.
However, (S3) convincingly argues that the current guildhall is in fact much earlier than 1421, and that the New Hall of 1421 to which (S6) and other sources refer was on the adjacent site to the east (now the Gaolhouse, NHER 63556). This argument is made on the basis of a detailed examination of documentary sources. She also argues that it is very unlikely that in such a commercially important area as the Saturday Market Place a fire-damaged building would have remained extant but abandoned for such a lengthy period.
In (S7) the author of (S3) asserts that the surviving medieval fabric, such as the brick vaulted undercroft, dates from around 1300, or just before. She draws a comparison with the undercroft at St Olave's Priory, which has been dated to about 1300. This assertion is supported by documentary evidence detailed in (S6) which shows the storehouse or cellar beneath the hall being let for rent between 1301 to 1320.
A. Cattermole (King's Lynn UAD), 17 February 2020.

Monument Types

• ROAD (Unknown date)
• FLOOR (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• WALL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• GUILDHALL (Medieval to 16th Century - 1300 AD to 1548 AD)
• UNDERCROFT (Medieval to 21st Century - 1300 AD to 2050 AD)
• CIVIC CENTRE (16th Century to 21st Century - 1548 AD to 2050 AD)
• COAT OF ARMS (17th Century to 21st Century - 1624 AD to 2050 AD)

Associated Finds

• ANIMAL REMAINS (Unknown date)
• ANIMAL REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• ARCHITECTURAL FRAGMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• MOLLUSCA REMAINS (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• TILE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• UNIDENTIFIED OBJECT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• WHETSTONE (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• CLAY PIPE (SMOKING) (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• HERALDIC DEVICE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
• POT (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Protected Status

• Listed Building

Sources and further reading

Related records

Find out more...

• Parish Summary: King's Lynn (Parish Summary)