The History Anorak

The History Anorak

Friday 11 September 2015

One up, one down

This charming little bijou residence stands on the edge of the public car park in Wells-Next-the-Sea in Norfolk. It is the last remaining 'ostler's cottage' and dates from around 1750.  Wells, like many other places on this coast, was once a significant port, and coaches would have stopped here to bring passengers to catch boats to other towns along the coast. (Most notably the Hull-London trade called in here as a half-way stop.) Ostlers were the guys who looked after the coaching horses.

The house is literally one room upstairs and one room downstairs. Facilities such as water pump, wash house and toilet were out in the back yard. A couple of other houses from the row have been knocked together to make a more modern dwelling, but this one remains unchanged. It is now a 'show home' and it's open to view on a few occasions during the summer season. (It was closed when we went, sorry!) It was last occupied in around 1935.

Listed Grade II.

5 comments:

  1. Love that part of the world. We usually visit further south than Blakeney and go to the beach to see the Seals at Horsey.

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  2. We saw this too - but wasn't ope then either.

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  3. What a great place. Apparently my grandfather started his working life as an ostler but when he married my grandmother he went down the pit to look after the pit ponies - more money I expect:)

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  4. Del;ightful to look at but probably not quite so delightful to live in especially if the ostler had a few children:)

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Why not add your two pennyworth?