Record Details

NHER Number:741
Type of record:Building
Name:Howard's House, No 97 King Street

Summary

Howard's House was built in the mid to late 17th century for Henry Howard, who had laid out the pleasure gardens that extended east from here to the the river on the site of the Austin Friary (NHER 374). It is possible that this building, now converted to offices, contains the remains of the Friary gatehouse. The building itself is of red brick and flint rubble, with a pantile roof and rendered street facades. Although it underwent alteration in the 17th and 18th century, it retains a fine staircase with open-work panels inside.

Images - none

Location

Grid Reference:TG 2346 0830
Map Sheet:TG20NW
Parish:NORWICH, NORWICH, NORFOLK

Full description

Howard's House, No 97 King Street.

February 1954. Listed Grade II*.
Listing Description Excerpt:
"Former house now offices. 17th century with 18th- and 20th-century alterations. Rendered on street facades, red brick on principal elevation. Pantile roof. Two storeys."
Information from (S1).
Please consult the National Heritage List for England (S1) for the current details.
Previously a Scheduled Monument - see (S2).
P. Watkins (HES), 9 October 2018. Amended by H. Hamilton (HES), 8 November 2019.

June 1972. Letterbox Listed Grade II.
Listing Description:
Letterbox set in wall south of Howard's House. Circa 1870. Cast-iron elevation with VR inscription on panel.
Information from (S1).
P. Watkins (HES), 9 October 2018.

1970s or 1980s. Building Survey.
Examined as part of Norwich Survey.
Two-storeyed and L-shaped building, originally of mid 17th-century date but considerably altered in the 18th century and subsequently. Occupies a site scarped to the east, with the south range almost completely below King Street level. The principal façade is now Georgian in character but of mid to late 17th-century origin. On the backside of the south range is the remains of a crowstep gable that is apparently part of a structure once occupying the north-east corner of the property.
Interior details are mostly unremarkable and date to between 1650 and 1750. This include an ornate 17th-century staircase arranged in four flights around a small rectangular well. The upper floor of the south range was remodelled as a saloon during the 18th century and retains some simple but elegant detail.
See record form (S3) for further details, including sketch plan.
P. Watkins (HES), 9 October 2018.

July 1984. Field Observation.
Examination by [1] of a substantial shaft exposed during construction work in the yard to the north-east of Howard House (Context 2).
This shaft was found to be circular, 2.43m in diameter, nearly 6m deep and lined with bricks that appeared to be of late 16th- or 17th-century date. An infilled 'doorway' could be seen on the east side, with a beam across the shaft suggesting some sort of winding gear may have been at that level. The suggested interpretation is that this was a well of some kind, although it has also been suggested that it may have been an early ice house.
See report (S4) for further details, diagrams and photographs.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 9 October 2018.

This building is amongst those listed in thesis (S5), which considers the 13th- to 17th-century buildings of Norwich. It is described as an L-shaped, 17th-century building with flint rubble walls. Its present square plan results from 18th-century additions when the south-facing façade was refaced in brick. Original features are limited to the roof and an open-well staircase, the latter of which is of the highest quality.
P. Watkins (HES), 9 October 2018.

This was the garden house of the gardens laid out by Howard on the site of the Austin Friary (NHER 374) and may incorporate the remains of the gatehouse, according to A. Shelley (NAU).
E. Rose (NLA), 10 November 1999.

1998. Desk-based Assessment.
An archaeological impact assessment emphasizes the historical significance of King Street, the north-south spine of the Late Saxon town and the character of the site, which was occupied from an early date although just outside the line of the defensive circuit. The waterfront area of King Street was of growing importance to institutional 'developers' from the 13th century, with ecclesiastical and commercial interests dominating in the 15th century (resulting in 'Dragon Hall'). After the Dissolution the major ecclesiastical precinct, the Austin Friars, became private gardens to the Duke of Norfolk's townhouse, Howard House. Development here will have a major impact on the remains of the defensive circuit and may provide an opportunity to examine further the Late Saxon remains and the medieval friary and waterfront complexes.
See report (S6) for further details. The results of this assessment are also summarised in (S7).
D. Holburn (HES), 5 December 2011. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 26 January 2017.

See local press articles (S8)-(S14) for reports on the deteriorating condition of this building and information about its subsequent renovation as part of the redevelopment of St Anne's Wharf.
P. Watkins (HES), 26 January 2017.

Monument Types

  • GATEHOUSE (13th Century to 16th Century - 1226 AD? to 1539 AD?)
  • ICEHOUSE (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)
  • GARDEN HOUSE (17th Century to 21st Century - 1650 AD to 2100 AD)
  • HOUSE (17th Century to 21st Century - 1650 AD to 2100 AD)

Associated Finds - none

Protected Status

  • Listed Building
  • Listed Building

Sources and further reading

---Monograph: Page, W. (ed.). 1906. The Victoria History of Norfolk. The Victoria History of the Counties of England. Vol 2.
---Monograph: Pevsner, N. and Wilson, B. 1997. Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. p 304.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2010. Ghostly reminders of the past in city's forgotten buildings. 31 December.
---Record Card: NCM Staff. 1973-1989. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card - Norwich.
---Secondary File: Secondary File.
---Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2016. Letter dating to 19th century is discovered. 8 April.
<S1>Designation: English Heritage. National Heritage List for England. List Entries 1372824 and 1217874.
<S2>Designation: [unknown]. Ancient Monuments Form. SAM Record. DNF14777.
<S3>Recording Form: Norwich Survey building record forms.
<S4>Unpublished Report: Barringer, C., Dent, D. and Livock, J. 1985. A well shaft at Howard House, 97 King Street, Norwich.
<S5>Thesis: Smith, R. 1990. An Architectural History of Norwich Buildings, c. 1200 - 1700. Unpublished Thesis. p 409.
<S6>Unpublished Contractor Report: Shelley, A. 1999. St Anne's Wharf, King Street, Norwich. An Archaeological Impact Assessment. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 388.
<S7>Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 1999. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1998. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIII Pt II pp 369-387. p 380.
<S8>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1998. New lease of life for historic building. 4 July.
<S9>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2010. Concerns over the state of historic city building. 28 July.
<S10>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2010. Administrators make pledge on decaying historic house. 14 August.
<S11>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2015. Work on historic house a priority. 15 May.
<S12>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2016. Historic house is to be revamped. 11 March.
<S13>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2017. Papers from the past uncovered during restoration of historic Norfolk home. 1 September.
<S14>Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2017. Historic city house revealed after nearly two years of renovation work. 22 December.

Related records

37411Parent of: St Anne's Wharf (Monument)
374Part of: Austin Friary Precinct, King Street, Norwich (Monument)
MNO9377Related to: Howard's House 97 King Street NORWICH (Revoked)

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