A Brief History of Bishop Bonners Museum,
the building and museum. By Susan Walker
The three cottages, which house the Dereham Town Museum make up, the oldest surviving domestic building in Dereham. The row of cottages survived the great town fire of 1581 then again in 1679 and later the bombs dropped during the Zeppelin raid of 1915.
The three cottages have a complicated history since they were built at different times. Experts differ about the date of the southern cottage. With its projecting, jettied east wall and north chimney stack, it is certainly the oldest, dating from sometime between 1500 and 1620. The northern cottage came next with a later flint gable wall and brick chimney stack and fireplace, built in the mid to late 1600s. The central cottage was the last in the row, bridging the gap. It had no fireplace and its door once opened into the churchyard. So, the whole row was built over a period of perhaps 100 years.
The Dereham Heritage Trust is in the process of getting the building's timbers tree-ring dated, which should help establish a closer dating of the structures.
The three cottages have a complicated history since they were built at different times. Experts differ about the date of the southern cottage. With its projecting, jettied east wall and north chimney stack, it is certainly the oldest, dating from sometime between 1500 and 1620. The northern cottage came next with a later flint gable wall and brick chimney stack and fireplace, built in the mid to late 1600s. The central cottage was the last in the row, bridging the gap. It had no fireplace and its door once opened into the churchyard. So, the whole row was built over a period of perhaps 100 years.
The Dereham Heritage Trust is in the process of getting the building's timbers tree-ring dated, which should help establish a closer dating of the structures.
© David Yaxley worked with Alan Carter on a survey of the building in 1977
The earliest known image of the cottages. Dated from the costumes c1860s-70s © Sue Walker Collection
Painting of Paternoster Row by Major John E. Bale A.R.L.R.A - c1890s
Cottage before the restoration of 1905 © Sue Walker Collection
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The cottages were saved from demolition by a Norfolk Antiquarian, Walter Rye. who restored them in 1904/5. The builder employed to do the work published an account of the work in 1906 you can download a PDF copy here.
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On the death of Walter Rye in 1929 he left the cottages to the Norfolk Archaeological Trust.
The freshly restored and painted cottages 1906
The cottages have a single elaborate plasterwork frieze, or “pargetting” decoration, thought to be one of the earliest provincial examples in the UK. The date of 1502 in Roman numerals (MDII) in the plasterwork on the front reflects a date earlier than the actual date of the plasterwork. It was added when the owner decided to decorate all the cottages in the 1600s.
In the detailed description of the restoration of the plaster work in 1905 by William Argent it is interesting to note that he does not mention finding any colour on the decorative plaster. Photographs before the restoration also show the plaster work a uniform white. The only colour he mentions is when he says "The fresco which is in three colours runs along the whole length of the building". What this referred to has been a puzzle, but during restoration work in 2020, under years of built up layers of lime wash, small areas of colour and horizontal marking out lines in the plaster were detected by a Dereham Heritage Trust volunteer. This gave a clue as to what to look for on photographs taken shortly after the restoration what had been taken as a linear shadow under the plaster panels was on closer inspection a 100mm (4 inch) wide striped band of three different tones/colours. The top band is a green/blue, the centre band black and the bottom band red. There is also a trace of a green paint overlying the red.
In the detailed description of the restoration of the plaster work in 1905 by William Argent it is interesting to note that he does not mention finding any colour on the decorative plaster. Photographs before the restoration also show the plaster work a uniform white. The only colour he mentions is when he says "The fresco which is in three colours runs along the whole length of the building". What this referred to has been a puzzle, but during restoration work in 2020, under years of built up layers of lime wash, small areas of colour and horizontal marking out lines in the plaster were detected by a Dereham Heritage Trust volunteer. This gave a clue as to what to look for on photographs taken shortly after the restoration what had been taken as a linear shadow under the plaster panels was on closer inspection a 100mm (4 inch) wide striped band of three different tones/colours. The top band is a green/blue, the centre band black and the bottom band red. There is also a trace of a green paint overlying the red.
A new research paper by Susan Walker on the history of the colouring of the plasterwork on the cottages can be downloaded below.
| the_colouring_on_the_pargeting_of_bishop_bonner’s_cottages_2021.pdf |
1910 postcard © Sue Walker
reconstruction of fresco band
Photographs from 1906 clearly show that the decorative plasterwork was painted for the first time during the restoration of 1905.
1909 postcard showing coloured painting of decorative pargetting with the three colour striped band beneath. © Sue Walker Collection
Photograph taken shortly after the restoration of 1905 by the Dereham photographer Herbert T Cave. © Dereham Heritage Trust
The date on the south gable is now in Roman numerals MDII but before the restoration in 1904/5 it appeared as Arabic numerals 1502. We know this from a Victorian photograph of c1860s-1870s and a painting of c1890 showing the south gable of building.
One theory is that the pargetting was added to these cottages near the church to commemorate what was believed to have been Bishop Bonner’s birth date and possibly even his birthplace. Although neither need be true, it was probably the quality of the plasterwork which almost certainly saved these cottages from demolition.
One theory is that the pargetting was added to these cottages near the church to commemorate what was believed to have been Bishop Bonner’s birth date and possibly even his birthplace. Although neither need be true, it was probably the quality of the plasterwork which almost certainly saved these cottages from demolition.
1954 © Archant
The northern cottage had its roof timbers replaced in 1954 and the whole building was then given a re-thatch. During this work the southern dormer window was thatched for the first time, replacing the earlier red pin clay tiles. This 1954 thatch lasted 60 years to 2014 with only the ridge needing renewing in between.
In the late 1950s the brick washhouse at the north end of the building was demolished.
In the late 1950s the brick washhouse at the north end of the building was demolished.
When the two room southern cottage became empty in 1962 the Trust suggested that the Dereham Antiquarian Society (now the Dereham Heritage Trust) should convert the cottage into a museum. It was opened to the public in 1963.
1963 © Archant
1966 Mr Eric Head blocking up the northern doorway, which was replaced with a window. © Archant
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In 1966 a public appeal was launched for the Bishop Bonner's Restoration Fund to further restore the cottages and expand the museum into the other two cottages.
Internal openings were made to link the three cottages together. As you explore the building today you still encounter the three sets of stairs. Some of the earth floors were replaced with donated red pamment tiles and electric light was installed. By 1968 the final room was added to the museum and all three cottages were open to the public. |
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Between 1977 and 1979 an idea was developed to improve the landscape around the museum to provide a place where people could relax and enjoy the quiet amenity of a garden area. A walkway was proposed behind the museum. At this time the graveyard came right up to the back wall of the cottages to the height of around a metre and caused a server damp problem. The earth was dug away from the wall to create the path. Another improvement this scheme brought was the narrowing of the highway and widening of the pavement to give more protection to the fabric of the cottages.
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Work on narrowing the highway outside of the museum in 1978/9
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In 1981 Dereham Town Council bought the cottages from the Norfolk Archaeological Trust.
section through east wall prior to the restoration when the ground/sill beam was replaced and underpinned with brick plinth foundation.
During the 1990s the cottages underwent major renovation. The pargetting was repaired and repainted. Steel ties were inserted to hold the north gable in place and it was repointed on the outside. The timber sole/sill plate was replaced on the south wall and east wall around to the northern door on the east wall; the repair work to the east wall involved the removal of a rotten sole/sill beam and underpinning work.
The central section of the wall above was found to be of wattle and daub between widely spaced timber studwork. The south chimney was rebuilt and north chimney was repaired and a "time capsule" was inserted in it by Terry Davy in 1993. New red clay pin tiles were attached to replaced those that were missing and broken on the southern gable. All the window frames were either repaired or replaced. Repairs to the inside of the building exposed an area of wattle and daub, which was left exposed to demonstrate the materials and the building methods used.
In 1994 a capped well was discovered a foot away from the base of the south wall, it would have been within the Victorian washhouse that was demolished in late 1950s. It was filled in before it could be explored.
The central section of the wall above was found to be of wattle and daub between widely spaced timber studwork. The south chimney was rebuilt and north chimney was repaired and a "time capsule" was inserted in it by Terry Davy in 1993. New red clay pin tiles were attached to replaced those that were missing and broken on the southern gable. All the window frames were either repaired or replaced. Repairs to the inside of the building exposed an area of wattle and daub, which was left exposed to demonstrate the materials and the building methods used.
In 1994 a capped well was discovered a foot away from the base of the south wall, it would have been within the Victorian washhouse that was demolished in late 1950s. It was filled in before it could be explored.
On the 25th September 1998 the cottage was saved from destruction by a young couple (Nick Mouland and Emma Varns) who spotted smoke rising from the thatched roof of the cottages at about 1.30am and raised the alarm. Due to the quick actions of the Dereham Fire Service only 10% of the roof was damaged.
2004 The newly rethatched roof ridge © Dereham Heritage Trust
The ridge of the roof was rethatched in 2004 to extend the life of the thatch for another 10 years.
In 2014 the cottage had its roof completely stripped of thatch and a fire proof and water proof membrane applied before it was rethatched. This was the first opportunity to record the roof timbers exposed for 60 years. We will soon be putting more information on the website about what was uncovered.
2014 the newly thatched cottages © Sue Walker Collection
