The latest GYPT acquisition will be developed into a visitor centre, showcasing Great Yarmouth's rich culture and heritage.
No. 14 King Street is situated at the junction of two of Great Yarmouth's busiest roads – King Street and Regent Road. This historic building has been dated back to the 1830s, and has a fascinating history. Originally used as a chemist and dentist, the building has a long association with photography in Great Yarmouth – a roaring trade in the town, as holidaymakers sought to capture memories of happy summers spent enjoying the Golden Mile.
The photographers Sawyer and Bird took over the premises in 1877, using the top floor as a north-facing daylight photographic studio. They were followed by Elizabeth Miller, who traded from No. 14 as ‘Miller’s Royal Photographic Studio’. The ‘Royal’ epithet was justified by patronage from the Prince of Wales and Prince Albert Victor, who regularly visited the town, staying at Shadingfield Lodge.
Having operated from a studio in Gorleston from the late 1880s, Alfred W. Yallop acquired Miller’s studio in December 1903, continuing to trade under her name. In the 1920s, Yallop’s son Sydney (who had recently left the RAF) joined his father’s business and they diversified into the development and printing of amateur roll films. Following a fire in the 1930s, both father and son moved their business to the Central Arcade, ending an uninterrupted 60 years of photographic trading from the building.
No. 14 is also fondly remembered by locals as the clothier and hatter ‘Tom Green’s Corner’, which traded from the ground floor of the building from around 1890. In recent years, the building had been used as a Greenwoods clothing store, which closed in 2018.
After two years of vacancy, No. 14 is set to get a new lease of life. With funding from Great Yarmouth Borough Council and other partners, GYPT will be leading on an exciting project to restore the building, and redevelop it into residential accommodation and a Heritage Centre.
"It is a good historic building in a really good location, perfect for linking the town centre and seafront....It’s not going to be a museum, it is going to be more of an interactive hub showcasing all of the town’s rich culture and heritage, folklore and superstition" Darren Barker
The Heritage Centre will serve as a cultural hub in Great Yarmouth's town centre, showcasing the rich history and heritage of the town and serving as the perfect starting point to explore what's on offer. The Centre will focus on interactive technologies to tell the town's story in a dynamic and exciting way, allowing us to engage with new audiences.
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