87: Swaffham Market Place
Kingdom, the recent ITV series starring Stephen Fry, put Swaffham firmly on the tourist trail. But this attractive Norfolk town has a long way to go before it matches its 18th century appeal, when life was centred on its large market place.
Swaffham's Butter Cross.
A popular spot?
Today’s market place looks much as it did during the 18th and 19th centuries. Apart from the heavy traffic that afflicts the town centre, the likes of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, John Wesley and Robert Walpole’s sporting grandson would probably feel quite at home. They were just a few of the gentry and leaders of local society who enlivened Swaffham’s social life during the ‘season’. For a while this spa town with a reputation for healthy living became the ‘in’ place for Norfolk’s upper crust. This is reflected in the distinctive Georgian architecture still visible.
A town with a long history?
Founded by Anglo-Saxons, by the time the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086 Swaffham had a population of less than a hundred. A settlement stone to the north of market place, in Lynn Road, is said to have been put there by fifth century pagan settlers. Swaffham’s position at a crossroads on the routes through Norfolk east-west to Yarmouth and north-south to London brought it to prominence. The large triangular area in the centre of town lent itself perfectly to fairs and markets. Henry II granted two charters to the town in the 12th century while, following the granting of a third charter in 1215, the town was allowed to hold a market and three fairs per year there. The fairs were held on May 12, July 21 and November 3, when sheep, cattle and other livestock were brought to be traded. As late as the early 20th century schoolchildren got a half-day holiday on these fair dates.
What about the Georgians?
Swaffham’s golden age came in the 18th century. Many of the outstanding buildings around Market place date from this time. The Assembly Rooms were built in 1775, and became popular locations for balls and other social events. Nelson, on his rare home visits from duties at sea, attended. His wife, Fanny, lived in the town while her husband was at sea, and it is believed she lodged at elegant Montpelier House, in modern Station Street. Another Assembly Rooms regular was Lady Caroline Townshend, a noted society beauty from the renowned Norfolk family. They were not alone. Many influential Norfolk families took houses in the spa town at certain times of the year. A more significant figure in Swaffham’s history was the third Earl Orford. George Walpole was the grandson of Robert, Britain’s first prime minister, whose family seat was at Houghton Hall. Orford was a profligate rake, but also a well-liked county figure as he preferred living in Norfolk to going down to London. His passion was sport. He had long enjoyed the town’s racecourse, and it was in the Greyhound Inn, close to the Assembly Room, that he and his friends created the town’s greyhound Coursing Club.
A real sporting gent...
Orford was also responsible for the town’s iconic market – or butter – cross. A cross had stood on the site from at least the 16th century, marking a place where people would gather for trade. In 1783 Orford paid for the distinctive modern structure. It is an elegant domed structure supported by eight doric columns. In keeping with the Georgian passion for classical allusions, it was topped off by a figure of the Roman goddess Ceres. She was the goddess of fertility and agriculture, and from her name is derived our word ‘cereal’. Appropriate in an area which relies heavily on the production of cereal crops. Originally a butter market was held there (hence the name) which continued until the mid 19th century.
Anyone else of interest?
It wasn’t just aristocrats and gentry who patronised the town. Dotted around market place are references to an important figure in the 18th century Evangelical movement. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, preached at Westgate House from an upstairs window when the congregation from the chapel was too large. The house was owned by a Methodist family, the Goodricks. On the other side of Market place stands the site of the town’s former grammar school. Nicholas Hamond, described on a plaque outside the house as lord of the manor, was the founding father, leaving £1,000 for the school’s creation. Following a destructive fire in 1775 a number of properties had to be rebuilt. The town hall, now a museum, was among those. Today the museum has exhibits depicting the social history of Swaffham and surrounding villages, as well as a display devoted to Howard Carter. Born in Swaffham, he was the Egyptologist who discovered Tutankhamun’s tomb.
How long did the good times last?
Swaffham was still thriving in the 1840s. In William White’s 1845 History, Gazetteer and Directory, it was described as “one of the handsomest and busiest market towns in the country, and the principal place for election of knights of the shire”. Later in the century, the town went into decline. Life had never been easy for the poor agricultural workers who made up most of the population, and a depression in farming hit hard. Emigration and a drift to towns in search of work saw the population drop from 3,858 in 1851 to 2,600 in 1931. The town has recovered since, and new uses have been found for many buildings. The Assembly Rooms, used by American GIs as a canteen during the second world war and later for meals by Hamond’s schoolchildren, has been restored to its former glory as part of the Iceni Partnership Regeneration Project, complete with glittering chandeliers and oil paintings. It is used for conferences and exhibitions. The town’s Victorian Corn Exchange, where corn was sold on market days, is today the Job Centre.
Websites
www.assemblyroomsswaffham.co.uk
www.swaffhamtowncouncil.co.uk/
