Great Yarmouth Rows

Up until the 19th Century, houses in Great Yarmouth were only allowed to be built within the confines of the town wall.  Because of this, the houses were built as close together as possible.  This, in turn, led to the formation of The Rows.  There used to be 145 rows in the town, but this has since reduced in numbers.  People lived very close together.  The rows were that narrow that if people opened their doors at the same time, they would touch each other.

A typical Row

As you can see from the above picture, you can see how narrow the rows were with families living there.  This was led to the doors being made to open inwards to prevent such accidents.  The rows were so narrow that a troll cart was made so goods could be transported down them.

A Troll Cart

There is now a pub in the town which is part of the Weatherspoons franchise called The Troll Cart.  The rows weren't numbered until 1804, and they had names such as Kittywithces Row (no 95) and Bayley's Row (no 97).  There is also Body Snatchers Row named after the body snatching from St Nicholas Church (now Minster).  This is Row 6.

Many of the rows were destroyed in WW2, but there are still quite a few rows that still survive today.  As you walk around the town you will pass many rows, namely Kittywithches Row and Broad Row, which has many shops down it, and Turners Bank Row (no 55).  By the 1950's many of the remaining buildings were knocked down for new housing and shops.  Today you have Gt Yarmouth Row Houses (Row 111).  You will find 2 houses here which have been made into museums.  The merchants house dates back to 1603 and in the neighbouring building you can see how people used to live.