The delightful Row Houses at Row 111 and the Old Merchant’s House are rare remnants of Great Yarmouth’s original distinctive ‘Rows’ which were a network of narrow alleyways linking Yarmouth’s three main thoroughfares. Many ‘Row Houses’ were damaged by World War II bombing or demolished during post-war clearances, but two surviving properties show what these characteristic dwellings looked like at various stages in their history.
Both houses also display a wonderful collection of fixtures and fittings – including painted panels, elaborate wall-ties and door-knockers – rescued from other now-demolished row dwellings, a treasure trove for lovers of period decoration.
Nearby stands Greyfriars’ Cloisters, the remains of a 13th-century friary of Franciscan ‘grey friars’, later converted into a number of Row dwellings. You can still see traces of their interior features, revealed by the wartime bombing, on the walls of the cloister and church.
