NHER 15866 (Building record) - Rook House, No 8 Vicar Street

December 1950. Listed Grade II.
Listing Description excerpt:
"House. Early 17th century. Timber-framed, rendered and colourwashed. Formerly jettied at first floor to front and rear, but now underbuilt. Seven bays to frame, but only five now apparent as window bays on exterior. Lobby entrance plan. Door right of centre...Carriage entrance to rear at south end of elevation….Interior - Ground Floor: The stack has an arch cut through to form passage, and the fireplaces rebuilt. Plain-stopped chamfered bridging beams. South room with an early 19th-century cupboard in rear wall, probably formerly a window. First Floor: Rear wall retains four-light diamond-mullioned casement with 20th-century glazing. Roof of principals, two tiers butt purlins and collars. Many of the collars are renewed (Margham J: Survey notes deposited at Norfolk Archaeological Unit: 1986-: 15866)".
Information from (S1).
Please consult the National Heritage List for England (S1) for the current listing details.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 21 July 2021.

March 1980.
Long building, timber framed, not jettied but with large beam between floors, visible acting as a string course. Central chimney with four octagonal shafts but with one square top (later alteration?). The interior of the roof is very fine [1]. Late 17th century? South end is much altered externally but there is reused medieval stonework in a garden wall here.

(S2) in file.
Comes to conclusion that house was jettied but wall thickened to uniform size in 18th century. Octagonal mullioned windows, now part revealed. States that stack stands in one of seven structural bays but which is not a stack bay; however suggests that house was built as lobby entrance with stack in early 17th century. Tunnel through stack later alteration.
Compiled by E. Rose (NAU), 3 December 1986.

The 1980 entry above has confused this building with the adjacent Conon House (NHER 30674) and the stable of Abbotsford (NHER 30676). The reused medieval stonework is in the latter.
(S2) states that the 'octagonal' mullions are really diamond mullions.

August 2005.
Carriage arch at south end examined as part of survey of adjacent building. The upper floor rests at the south end on a beam supported on two modern uprights. The beam has a central mortices for a spine beam with tongue stops each side. There is also a tongue stop at its west end, but the east end has a mortise for a midwall rail set back from the façade - level with the front wall of No 10 before its jetty was underbuilt - confirming that No 8 also had a jetty. The rear wall above the carriage arch is of bricks with horizontal skintlings (post-mid 18th century) and stands proud of the main house wall; there are also some late bricks wrapping round from the corner of No 10. The north wall of No 10 is of 16th/17th century brickwork. These finding show that No 8 butted onto the north wall of No 10, that the carriage arch was cut through the domestic rooms at a late date and the wall above to the rear replaced.
E. Rose (NLA), 12 August 2005.