Great Yarmouth’s higgledy-piggledy roofs tell a rich historical tale

Rooftops across Great Yarmouth. Picture: James Bass (Image: Archant Norfolk © 2015)

How many of us look up when we visit a new town or city? Or even our own town? The truth is, we're more likely to be gazing into shop windows or checking out front gardens.

But we should raise our eyes because it is there we see long-forgotten history in the brickwork, maybe wood lintels or carvings, and in Great Yarmouth it is the magnificent roofs.

I never fail to lose my fascination with the roofs, the higgledy-piggledy network of the high points of homes, large and small, and almost nestling together for warmth in a crowded space.

Yarmouth's roofs scene is in fact unique in the UK – and not a lot of people know that, to coin a phrase.

So the next time you visit, or go along to visit the seafront, just step back and look up, and you will see a town centre moulded in the 11th to 13th centuries and reflecting the wealth or poverty of the inhabitants, and also their occupations.

The street plan of medieval Yarmouth consisted of just three main streets travelling north to south but they were connected by a series of east-west passageways which from the late 13th century were given the name of 'The Rows'.

It was impossible to cross the town east to west or vice versa without using these narrow passageways, some which could accommodate the width of a horse, or others so narrow people had to walk in single file.

And within these rows nearly the whole population existed, from merchant men to fishermen and traders, creating a port which was a vital as a naval base as well as a trading station into the rest of England.

Some of the homes were double-fronted, some one-up, one-down with a stairway so narrow a normal-sized man would struggle to climb the steps.

Many had courtyards at the rear which were only accessible from the 'front' door.

The Rows today have all but disappeared over time but several exist which today's population use to cut across town to get to their destinations without following the layout of modern day roads and pavements. Two of the best remaining are Broad Row and the curiosity Market Row, which leads off the market place.

The second world war almost finished them off with bombs blasting their way through the homes to get to warships and paraphernalia based on the river.

Yarmouth's medieval defensive town wall – magnificent parts of which continue to astonish today – enclosed the town on three sides from the sea, north and south, effectively all roads and rows led to the river for that is where the main business of the town was conducted.

Building outside these walls was forbidden. But the population was growing at a rapid rate and over the next two centuries grew so fast there was little room to manoeuvre to build more homes – and disease was to scythe through the insanitary rows with devastating results over the decades.

Through every setback the town picked itself up and building continued apace. Dutch people arrived in the 17th century, soon building homes to their own designs – look up and around and you will see their architectural influence on the landscape.

Meanwhile, outside the town walls were the sand dunes, a huge area accommodating windmills and fishermen's cottages near the shore, as well as ropemakers.

It is the ropemakers we can thank for creating the network of roads within Great Yarmouth and leading down to seafront with little or no bends or curves, roads which produce an angular look going off in all directions – and, of course, the terraced homes built along these 'ropewalks' followed the same pattern.

There were at least 120 rope-makers in Yarmouth at their height and they needed a long, straight piece of ground to lay out their extremely long ropes which were needed by the boats and ships in port – including Nelson's navy. In fact the only road with a curve in it is Crown Road.

In 1800 the council decided the cramped conditions had to be alleviated and permission was given to build outside the town walls.

It signalled another spurt of industry in home building and the town's growth was rapid.

One house would be built, then someone else would butt their new home against it, almost like a jigsaw effect. But as the houses were built for people rich and poorer, the roofs horizon created the higgledy-piggedly rich man, poor man look. The wealthy were able to afford higher inside rooms – and even stretching to three storeys, next to a two-up, two-down home and a roof falling four to five feet lower.

And so it went on, with house after house built until it became a street containing residential properties as well as shops – the butchers, the bakers and candlestick-makers.

Yarmouth is a seaside resort but it is so much more and it is its fascinating heritage and history which is attracting more and more visitors to see for themselves.

And anyone planning on coming here this summer, and walking around the town centre or the Rows leading from the river to the seafront, just look up and see the history. Then imagine the sights and the smells of town where the rich and the poor built their homes next to each other and were a community.