NHER 62390 (Monument record) - Possible site of medieval undercroft, 3 Bedford Street

Possible site of medieval undercroft.

December 1802. Casual Observation.
According to (S1) a Norwich newspaper for the 4th December 1802 recorded that workmen repairing the pump at the Boy and Cup Public House on Lobster Lane discovered "…at the depth of 27 feet below the surface of the earth…on one side of the well a Gothic entrance to a room, 10ft x 8ft".
Information from notes (S2).

Although the recorded depth seems somewhat fanciful it is nevertheless possible that these workmen had exposed part of a medieval undercroft. This is made more plausible by the fact that undercrofts are known to exist beneath several buildings on this side of Bedford Street, including No 5 (NHER 26182).

The Boy and Cup Public House lay at the junction of Lobster Lane and Crouch Lane. This places it at what is now 3 Bedford Street, Crouch Lane being an earlier name for School Lane and this section of Lobster Lane having been renamed when Exchange was cut through in the mid 19th century. The plan of St John Maddermarket parish in (S1) indicates that an associated stable block lay to the north and that cottages lay to the west, between the pub and where Exchange Street was cut through. It is recorded by (S3) that this Public House lost its licence in 1862, after which it was presumably demolished to make way for the buildings that now occupy the site.

See file for copy of ground floor and basement plans of Nos 1 and 3 Bedford. These were found in the A. Carter archive and most likely date to the late 19th century or early 20th century. At this time a 'Spirit Shop' lay at the corner of Exchange Street and Bedford Street, with the building to the east in use as a warehouse. A large rectangular cellar is shown on the basement plan, occupying the entire footprint of the warehouse building. There is nothing to suggest that this cellar incorporates any elements of an undercroft and it is likely that it was constructed at the same time as the overlying building.
P. Watkins (HES), 13 November 2017.