NHER 63529 (Monument record) - Site of The Black Goose public house, St Nicholas' Street

This is the site of a two storey timber-framed building with close studding and brick infill, built on stone footings and demolished in 1937. A drawing dating from around 1850 and reproduced in (S1) depicts The Black Goose public house, which was probably built in the late 16th or earlier 17th century but may have earlier origins. At ground floor level the wall posts and studs have brackets which carry the bressumer beam for the jetty. The doorway was located in the westernmost of five bays. A mid-rail in two of the inner bays suggests the former location of a shop front. It is possible that the empty bay between the shop window and the entrance may have served as a separate entry to the shop, with the entrance which survived in the drawing of 1850 giving access to domestic accommodation at the rear. A ground floor window appears to be a later insertion. At first floor level, two timber mullioned windows may be original; both are of three lights and the one to the east has window tracery with cinquefoil heads. A late 19th century photograph (probably before 1883) seen by the author of (S1) suggests that the drawing is very accurate. It also shows the ground floor of this building encased in brick by that date and the first floor rendered over. Another photograph taken around 1904 and seen by the author of (S1) shows a niche described as 'a holy water stoup' in the front room of a house 'on the east side of Bennett's Yard'. This may refer to The Black Goose, or to one of the later cottages in the Yard.
See (S1) for further information.
(S2) reports licencing information from 1822 until the public house was referred for compensation and the licence removed in 1909. The public house gave its name to the street, which was known as Black Goose Street prior to becoming St Nicholas Street.
A. Cattermole (King's Lynn UAD), 25 July 2019.