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guildhall [2020/03/01 15:51]
richard created
guildhall [2021/01/16 18:09] (current)
richard [1647 to 1653]
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 ====== The Guildhall ====== ====== The Guildhall ======
 +
 +{{:​guildhall.jpg?​200 |}}
  
 The Guildhall is a Grade I listed building in Church Street, Harwich. The Guildhall is a Grade I listed building in Church Street, Harwich.
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 ==== Pre-1603 ==== ==== Pre-1603 ====
  
-Prior to 1603 there was a house on the site which was owned by Roger and Susan Cowper (or Cooper) and it was occupied by the vicar, Hugh Branham. ​When Roger died in 1603 he left the house to Susan for life and then to be divided between his children Thomas, William, Roger and Elizabeth.+Prior to 1603 there was a house on the site which was owned by Roger and Susan Cowper (Cooper) and it was occupied by the vicar, Hugh Branham. Roger Cowper was a noted Harwich mariner and when he died in 1603 he left the house to Susan for life and then to be divided between his children Thomas, William, Roger and Elizabeth.
  
 ==== 1603 to 1623 ==== ==== 1603 to 1623 ====
  
-We know that Robert Russell ​acquires ​the house at some stage from Susan Cowper and then sells the house on to Thomas Cowper in 1623.+Robert Russell, another Harwich mariner, acquired ​the house at some stage from Susan Cowper and  sold it back to Thomas Cowper, the son of Roger Cowper, ​in 1623 for £100. Thomas Cowper had married Christian Barker in Harwich in 1611 before moving to Wapping.
  
 ==== 1623 to 1647 ==== ==== 1623 to 1647 ====
  
-At some point after 1623 Peter Cooper acquires ​the house before selling ​it on in 1647 to Anthony Myeris.+Thomas Cowper died in 1624 and the house was inherited by Peter Cooper (Cowper) of Rotherhithe who then sold it to Anthony Myeris ​in 1647 for £50.
  
 ==== 1647 to 1653 ==== ==== 1647 to 1653 ====
  
-Anthony Myeris bought the building in 1647 and sold it to John Lambert in 1653.+Anthony Myeris, a joiner from Harwich, ​bought the building in 1647 and sold it to John and Josian ​Lambert ​of Wapping. Around this time the house seems to have been completely rebuilt with a new softwood timber frame, probably on the existing cellars. At the same time as selling the house for £88 in 1653 to John Lambert, Anthony Myeris is also bound to him in the sum of £160.
  
 ==== 1653 to 1665 ==== ==== 1653 to 1665 ====
  
-John Lambert ​bought ​the property in 1653, it passed to David Lambert and he then sold it to John and Christian Browne in 1665.+John and Josian ​Lambert ​acquired ​the property in 1653, it passed to David Lambert and he then sold it to John and Christian Browne in 1665.
  
 ==== 1665 to 1673 ==== ==== 1665 to 1673 ====
  
-John and Christian Browne bought the building in 1665 and sold it to the Corporation of Harwich in 1673.+John and Christian Browne bought the building in 1665 and sold it to the Corporation of Harwich in 1673 for £200. This is first point at which the house is noted as being called “The Bear”.
  
 ==== 1673 to 1769 ==== ==== 1673 to 1769 ====
  
-This period represents the early days of the Town Hall. Before that time the mayor and burgesses met in various inns in the town – eventually purchasing one of them. The town gaol was probably located in part of the cellar – a heavy-duty door frame is still in place today and a piece of panelling now fixed to the floor carries French graffiti from early C18. +This period represents the early days of the Town Hall. Before that time the mayor and burgesses met in various inns in the town – eventually purchasing one of them. The town [[guildhall_gaol|gaol]] was probably located in part of the cellar – a heavy-duty door frame is still in place today and a piece of panelling now fixed to the floor carries French graffiti from early C18. The [[guildhall_gaol|gaol]] was later moved to a rear extension and exposed panelling, discovered during refurbishment work in the 1970s carries more prisoner graffiti. 
-1769 to Present Day+ 
 +==== 1769 to Present Day ====
  
 The building underwent a major upgrade in 1769, creating, broadly the building we see today. The building was re-fronted, extended to the rear and internally reapportioned to create the large council chamber on the first floor with Mayor'​s parlour and a sweeping staircase. The second floor now houses the town archive but was once accommodation – lately the caretaker'​s flat. The building underwent a major upgrade in 1769, creating, broadly the building we see today. The building was re-fronted, extended to the rear and internally reapportioned to create the large council chamber on the first floor with Mayor'​s parlour and a sweeping staircase. The second floor now houses the town archive but was once accommodation – lately the caretaker'​s flat.
 +
 +===== Harwich Architectural Survey =====
 +
 +The Guildhall was surveyed and interpreted as part of the Harwich Architectural Survey Project which was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
 +
 +An interpretation of the building by Brenda and Elphin Watkin is available for {{ :​guildhall_building_survey.pdf |download here}}.
 +{{:​hf_english-logo.png?​nolink&​200|}}
guildhall.1583077919.txt.gz · Last modified: 2020/03/01 15:51 by richard