Blakeney Guildhall

The remains of the house of a prosperous Blakeney merchant, with a fine 15th century brick-vaulted undercroft. Later the guildhall of Blakeney’s guild of fish merchants.

The picturesque village of Blakeney was the third most important port in Norfolk when the Guildhall was built in the 15th century, yet few buildings survive from this prosperous period. The Guildhall’s flint and stone construction reflects its own importance and that of Blakeney itself.

In the mid-19th century the undercroft was used for storing coal, which was traded along the coast between Newcastle and London. By the end of the 19th century the haven began to silt up and the port rapidly declined.

In the First World War the Guildhall served as a temporary mortuary for shipwrecked sailors.