BROAD ROW *1

Broad Row *2

Kingston House Row*2

Records exist and old property deeds relate to the old Kingston House Row, dating back to 1295. Formerly there existed many fine houses there, and today*2 this is a popular shopping centre, containing a variety of shops and proving an invaluable asset. It has easy access to the bridge and Southtown.

In 1858 a riot occurred here between two regiments quartered in the town.

Old Broad Row leads from George Street to Charlotte Street. It was called in ancient writings "Le Broade Row" on account of its comparative width.*1 When a new Broad Row was formed in the south part of the town (now called Queen Street), the row was then called "old". It was also called Kingston House Row, as mentioned in the sessions roll of 1295. In 1341 Robert Mogge of Martham and margaret his wife conveyed to Sir William Grey, chaplain, premises on the south side of a common lane called "Kyngestone House Row".

Thomas Meadowe Esq., father of Sir Thomas Meadowe, had a house in "The Brode Row", which he devised to Thomasyne, his wife. When filling the office of Bailiff in 1638, he entertained Dr.Montague, new Bishop of Norwich.

The houses 2 and 3 on the South side were the property of the Bransby family. In 1669 Thomas Bransby sold his house in Kingston Row to Edmund Smith, mariner.

On the 8th. January 1735 the Old Broad Row was impassable after a rainstorm.

In 1782 the house of Mr.Barker was burned to the ground. On the south side there was a very old house with a cut flint front, which was pulled down in 1867.

In the row in the 18th.Century, lived Samuel Kittridge the printer and bookseller. He was author of "The Theological Quack, or Falsehood Detected". He died in 1780, although his wife had predeceased him in 1764, and there was a tablet to her memory in the Baptist Chapel. The houses at the north‑east corner of the row were in the 17th.century, in possession of a family named Wilcock. They are described then as abutting north upon houses which then and still are (in Palmer's time), the property of the church.

In 1652, John Wilcock was ordered to remove a gallery and post which he had set up at the east end of his house in Broad Row. Several other families are mentioned as living in this row in the earlier centuries by Palmer, and in the 18th.Century, Richard Chichely, stationer had his shop here, as did afterwards, Mr.Keymer, the printer. To the north of, and adjoining the last house on the north side of Broad Row, there are seven houses and shops facing west on Charlotte Street, which belong to the Parish Church. There is here mention of the early English Guilds, and also of the Society of Friends, established in Yarmouth in 1766. (P.P.,Vol.I.p.276.)

The Row survey simply says that the Broad Row was not thought to be threatened. This does however again emphasise that the threat to the rows was very much present before the Luftwaffe ever came on the scene.

Some houses near to the south-west corner of this row have very rare cruck-built rooves, though formerly not to exist in this part of the country.

Cruck Rooves

Cruck construction is an early medieval method of building. There are two timbers used as bent uprights at each gable end, fixed together at the apex of the roof, to which all other timbers are connected. In full cruck framed houses these timbers rise from the ground to the apex of the roof. Such a method of construction was supposed to be confined entirely to the centre and west of England, for unknown reasons. Recently it has been shown that there are cruck-built rooves remaining in Great Yarmouth, previously undiscovered. Some of these remarkable rooves are in Boad Row, and are photographed here. Another two are at the south-west end of George Street, and yet another at no.25 South Quay. There are some eight in all.

Pictures, see printed work.

one of the small crucks is in the roof of the building on the left (George Street).

Plattens Store The most prominent business in the row for many years now has surely been that initially set up by Thomas Platten in 1871, although apparently he had started at first in partnership with Tom Green. In 1874 Platten had a business at 21 King Street, and opened the premises in Broad Row at no.5 by 1896. Two sons, George and Thomas Platten, were in the business in 1900,and the premises by then included no.6 Broad Row. Geoffrey Platten,son of George, born 1901, joined the business in 1916, and his brother Richard in 1920, by then the business had expanded to take in the shops at nos.3,4, and 7. The firm, one of the first with electric lights, and trading in all sorts of goods, furnishings hardware, garden accessories and the like, as well as clothing of all sorts, is these days managed by Richard Platten, great-grandson of the founder.

Pictures of the tower behind Plattens are in the printed version

*1 Palmer

*2 Johnson

The Occupants, Broad Row, 1938

(from 55 George Street to 84 Howard Street North)

North side

1.Middleton's Ltd., booksellers

2. Boots the chemist

3,4,5,6,7, & 8. Plattens Ltd., drapers

9. Lambert, F., and son Ltd., tea dealers

10. Sennitt E.C. (Norwich) Ltd.,provision dealers

11. Home and Colonial Stores Ltd.

11a. Bayne, William, jeweller

12a. Watson, Donald, electrical engineer

12. Bingham, Thomas Frederick, chemist

13. Maypole Dairy Co.Ltd.

14. Lipton, Limited, grocers

15. Stead and Simpson, Ltd., bootmakers

south side

16. Bradleys (Chester) Ltd., clothiers

17. & 18. Blyth R.J., tobacconist

19. Green, Charles, outfitter

20. Dewhurst J.H.Ltd., butchers

21. Wright, J.G., baker

22. Norton Brothers, tobacconists

23. Margaret (Miss M. McQueen, proprietress), ladies hairdresser

24. Fifty Shilling Tailors, (Price's Tailors Ltd.props.)

25. Knapps, outfitters

26. Plattens, ltd., drapers

27. & 28. Allen, Alfred Vernon, toy dealer

29. Middletons Ltd., stationers

30. Rowland, Harry E., greengrocer