The Covid Diaries 25: Hanseatic King’s Lynn

A visit to King’s Lynn to explore its Hanseatic history. In which a good Hanseatic time is had by all.

King’s Lynn (or Lynn as it’s known locally) is a historic gem on the Great Ouse, just below the Wash in Norfolk. I had not visited Norfolk before so didn’t really know what to expect. What drew me to King’s Lynn was its Hanseatic connection. Lynn was one of a handful of towns/cities which traded with the Hanseatic League in medieval times. This early commerce has left its mark on the city with a wealth of old buildings along the waterfront. It’s not just about the Hansa though, so below are the Salterton Arts Review’s recommendations for things to enjoy in historic King’s Lynn during semi-lockdown.

Walking Tour of Hanseatic King’s Lynn

Can I go?
Yes of course, there are various resources for self-guided walking tours of the historic part of town. Which means you can do this whenever you would like to! There are several notable buildings including one genuinely Hanseatic warehouse on the river, some old guildhalls (one now the town hall) and so on. Plus if you wander the streets there are loads of great half-timbered houses to admire.

The local travel board has a PDF map and guide to download here. Or the Stories of Lynn app (more info below) has several trails to follow with audio clips for key buildings.

What I really enjoyed about exploring King’s Lynn in this way is how connected it felt to European history. It’s a connection which is very welcome at this time of relative isolation. The buildings reminded me of similar early maritime trade hubs in Germany or the Hanseatic buildings in Bergen. It was nice to think about wool, salt, timber and other merchants trading around the continent all those years ago, and to think that as much as times change, something of that history remains.

Fred Hall’s Model Lynn Trail

Can I go?
Yes! For the most part this is another walking tour so you can complete it at your leisure. There’s a key component to start with, however. It’s something that we came across at random during our King’s Lynn weekend but were very pleased we did!

First of all, you should have lunch or dinner during your visit at Marriott’s Warehouse. Next door to the Hanse House (England’s only surviving Hanseatic trading post), this is a 16th Century warehouse on the river front. It happens to have great food, friendly staff, and temporary art exhibitions. On the first floor it also displays Fred Hall’s models of important King’s Lynn buildings, which are wonderful.

Who is Fred Hall, you ask? He is a retired local carpenter. After making a few historic models for True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum (which you will recall from my last post), he got a taste for them. He has made models of many current and former sites in King’s Lynn at different scales and in different periods. A free map available at Marriott’s Warehouse directs you to their present day sites. It’s a fun way to visualise the town in previous centuries and then go exploring in the real world. Definitely do it if you get the chance!

St. Nicholas Chapel

Can I go?
Not yet unfortunately, it’s still closed. You can look at the outside, but ‘England’s largest chapel’ looks pretty much like a standard historic church. You will have to wait a bit longer to be able to get inside and see the wooden ceiling, sculptures, artworks and so on.

Stories of Lynn

Can I go?
Yes! Although I didn’t, so this section is a little bit of a cheat. I did download their app though. It has multiple options for walking tours around the town (with images to guide you and audio clips to listen to) as well as around the Stories of Lynn exhibition itself.

Apart from the app, Stories of Lynn is a display on the town’s history through an 800 year object timeline. The focus seems to be on interactive elements (games, dressing up etc.) so it seems like quite a family affair. On Tuesdays and Sundays you can also do a free tour of the town hall, which is one of the really great historic buildings near the river front and has 15th Century elements. So perhaps worth checking out if you have longer in King’s Lynn than we did.

Non-Hanseatic King’s Lynn: Honorable Mentions

• There’s a lot of maritime and industrial history to explore. You can wander around the port (or at least nobody will stop you if you do it on a weekend morning) and see the fishing fleet. The tourist board provides a maritime walking trail guide here
• You can also take a little ferry across to West Lynn, and either walk down towards the Wash or do a loop up to a bridge and back. There are more historic sights along the way, including some ruined boats and an arch from a carmelite monastery
• And of course, the Salterton Arts Review recommends trying plenty of fresh local seafood and/or Norfolk ales!