Great Yarmouth Row Houses

About the museum

Row 111 House and the Old Merchant’s House were built in the early 17th century as homes for wealthy merchants close to the quay in Great Yarmouth. Both were altered in the 18th century. By the 19th century the better-off families had left the narrow lanes known as rows, and the houses were divided into cottages and multiple lets.

Great Yarmouth was heavily bombed in the Second World War, and Row 111 House was hit in 1942. The rows between South Quay and Middlegate Street suffered the worst damage. The town council had earlier condemned many of them as slums, and in 1943 a team led by the architectural investigator Bryan O’Neil searched the ruins and salvaged historic fittings dating from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

Both houses were rescued and restored in the 1950s and then opened to the public, and Row 111 House survived post-war demolition because much of its 17th-century structure was still standing. Today English Heritage looks after more than 1,000 salvaged objects, and some of them are displayed in the two houses, including painted panels, ornate wall-ties and door-knockers.

Highlights

• Two early 17th-century merchants’ houses on the South Quay
• Fixtures and fittings rescued from bombed and demolished rows
• Painted panels, decorative wall-ties and door-knockers
• Cobbled Row 111 yard with seating
• Guided visits on selected days

Permanent exhibition

• Row 111 House and the Old Merchant’s House – Two merchants’ houses that hold fixtures and fittings saved from demolished houses in Great Yarmouth, including painted panels, wall-ties and door-knockers.

Operated by

English Heritage

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

English Heritage lists entry as free. Guided visits on selected days can be booked in advance online or by phone.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: not available
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Row 111 House has two steep steps at the front door, with a ramped side entrance if needed. Upper floors are reached by steep stairs and spiral stairwells only, and there is no lift. The Row 111 yard is cobbled and uneven, and stone floors can be slippery when wet. There are no accessible toilets and no adult changing area. There is no designated Blue Badge parking, but visitors can be dropped off in the adjacent car park or at the end of the Row, both with sloped access. A wheelchair can be borrowed, and seating is provided in the Row 111 yard and throughout both houses. Assistance dogs are welcome and a water bowl is provided in each house.

Kids & families

Pushchairs are allowed, but they cannot be taken to the upper floors.

Getting there & parking

Vehicles cannot reach the houses directly. Visitors can be dropped off in the adjacent car park or at the end of the Row.

Amenities & dining

Seating is provided in the Row 111 yard and in both houses.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit