A stunning Grade II * listed Georgian townhouse, described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as one of the finest houses in King’s Lynn, Bank House was built in the early 18th Century for one of King’s Lynn’s richest merchants. Underneath the house extensive barrel roofed vaults extend down to the river where wine imported from the continent would have been stored before being shipped on to Cambridge, Ely or the North.
In the 1780s Joseph Gurney set up his first bank in Bank House. A dent is visible in the wooden floor of the Counting House, now the front room of the Brasserie, where nervous customers once shuffled their feet as they waited at the cashiers’ desk to make their withdrawals.
In 1809 the bank narrowly avoided being the first British bank to experience a "run" by its investors, with one of the bank’s partners having to ride in haste to Norwich to bring back gold to reassure the customers! Gurneys recovered from this excitement to become, via mergers and acquisitions, what is Barclays Bank today. In 1869 the bank moved to Tuesday Market Place.
Over the front door stands a fine statue of Charles I. The statue is said to have arrived in a wheelbarrow looking for a home when its original home in Tuesday Market Place was demolished.
Captain Samuel Gurney Cresswell, the arctic explorer and one of the first men to sail the North West passage, was born and raised in Bank House and set out on his travels from it, frequently referring to the house in his letters and diaries. We have copies of the set of etchings he did of his travels and later presented to Queen Victoria, spine tingling stuff.
Elizabeth Fry (nee Gurney) the prison reformer, whose formidable profile appears on the back of the £5 note, was his grandmother and stayed in the house on many occasions when visiting her daughter.
In later years the house became offices for tax inspectors, lawyers and shipbrokers. In 1985 it was used as the centre piece of the epic flop "Revolution".
So much more to tell, but no space. You will just have to come and visit us!
King’s Lynn is a little-known gem of immense architectural and historic importance. The town was a major medieval and Georgian trading port, second only to London and Liverpool. Lynn (as it is known locally) retains some of the most beautiful Georgian buildings in Britain, including the world-famous Custom House situated on the quayside opposite Bank House Hotel, designed by Henry Bell (1647–1711) and once described as the most perfect building in Britain.
The town is reputed to have more listed buildings than any other town of its size in Britain, and a very happy day or two can be spent exploring King’s Lynn’s cobbled streets, wonderful buildings and impressive market squares. Excellent town guides are always willing to give a short guided walk around the historical centre of town and are always thrilled to have the opportunity to visit Bank House itself.
The house next door to Bank House is Clifton House, a Grade I listed medieval merchant’s house, said to be the most important house in King’s Lynn. It can be visited by prior arrangement – let us know if you would like us to organise this.
A ferry close to Bank House crosses the River Ouse every 20 minutes, landing visitors at the start of the fabled Peter Scott Walk around the edge of The Wash.
For bird watchers, King’s Lynn is a serious base for some serious twitching! The RSPB reserves of Snettisham and Titchwell are just a short drive away, as are the glorious North Coast beaches.
Bank House makes an ideal base from which to explore the nearby great Norfolk houses of Sandringham House, Houghton Hall, Holkham Hall and Oxborough.