NHER 46390 (Building record) - The Old Gaol, Old Market Street

THIS BUILDING WAS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED UNDER NHER 5747 (CONTEXT 4).

April 1951. Listed Grade II.
Gaol. Re-built 1796, enlarged 1816. Converted to flats late 20th century. Flint with gault brick dressings. Roof of black-glazed pantiles. Southeast gable wall rebuilt 20th century in yellow brick. Three storeys in four bays. All windows under segmental heads. Two heavy plank doors set in round-headed recesses, between which are a 10/10 and an 8/8 unhorned sash windows. Similar 8/8 sash window right of right-hand door; blind window left of left-hand door. First floor lit through four 4/4 sash windows. Over doors are panels with carved shackles and in centre is a plaque: 'This Gaol was enlarged in the year 1816'. Four barred cell windows to 2nd floor. Dentil eaves cornice under a gabled roof. Internal gable-end chimneystacks and a central ridge chimneystack. Northwest return has two two-light casements each floor with shouldered lights. Interior not inspected.
See (S1) and (S2) for further details.

June 1983. Building Survey.
Thetford Gaol, corner of Old Market Street and Ford Street [1].
Enlarged 1816. Flint façade to Old Market Street: three storeys, brick trimming. Ground floor of five bays - doorway in second bay from southeast and attached to window in northwestern bay, plaque above. First floor only four bays, with plaques between two of the windows. One of the plaques has a date and some chains. Top floor of four bays, small arched windows with bars. Southwest façade to Ford Street has identical top floor and three windows on the first floor. The remainder is hidden by extensions. Paired windows on ground and first floors in northwest gable. Interior of top floor retains three cells (the partition wall between two cutting in half one of the southwest windows) with corridor to northwest and large room at northwest end.
The interior of the ground and first floors has been modernised and converted to two houses. However, the first floor retains a large studded door in the corridor and a similar door provides access to the stairs to the second floor. The second floor retains many of its original features. Almost all of the windows are barred. The northwestern end of the second floor is occupied by one large room and fallen plaster has revealed a kingpost roof here. The room retains a bench with much graffiti and additional graffiti is visible on the floor. This has been recorded (see S3). The other end of the building is divided into several small cells arranged along a corridor.
See (S3) and (S4) for further details.
E. Rose (NAU), 1983.

1983.
Plans are in place to conver the second floor is to be converted into two flats. As many original features are to be retained as possible.
See (S5), (S6) and (S7) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 19 December 2008.

October 1988.
Research is being conducted on the history of the dungeon below the Gaol referenced in documentary sources.
See (S8) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 19 December 2008.

The building was last used as a gaol in the 19th century, but the ground floor continued to be used as the Thetford police station until 1936. From this time it has been used for private accommodation, becoming Nos 4 and 6 Old Market Street. The upper floor was converted to flats in the mid-1980's.
See (S9) for further details.
H. Hamilton (NLA), 09 July 2008.