King's Lynn Marriott’s Warehouse Trust relaunching display of models of historic buildings on September 28

The trustees at Lynn’s Marriott’s Warehouse are relaunching their display of models of historic Lynn buildings on Wednesday, September 28 at 6pm.

The warehouse is situated on the South Quay, was built in the 1580s to store salt, corn and wine, and is now a grade 2* listed building. It is run by the Marriott’s Warehouse Trust, whose mission is to promote public interest and education in the town’s historic built environment, particularly its merchant houses and warehouses.

Created by retired local carpenter Fred Hall, these 15 models show several of the town’s most beautiful buildings as they would have appeared when new. This includes Red Mount Chapel and the Town Hall (originally Trinity Guildhall). Through careful research Fred has also been able to recreate some buildings which tragically have not survived the passage of time, such as the Market Cross and Walter Coney’s house.

The Trust’s relaunch of the model exhibition sees the addition of two of Fred Hall’s latest creations, the town’s oldest church, All Saints, and the great crane which once stood on the Common Staithe.

The latter, which was operated by men in a treadwheel, can be seen in depictions of the town dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. This includes a prospect of Lynn from the West by Henry Bell, the architect of the Custom House (a model of which is also on display).

The free exhibition is accompanied by interpretation panels providing a brief history of each of the buildings and there is a brochure available for a donation which explores them in more depth. It also includes a piece by the models’ creator revealing the staggering number of hours he has dedicated to creating each model on display. The model of Marriott’s Warehouse itself alone took 200 hours to complete.

Trustee and local historian Dr Paul Richards said: “We believe our display will continue to raise awareness and appreciation of Lynn’s exceptional historic buildings and their significance for today and tomorrow.”

The exhibition is open daily on the first floor and is free to view. A restaurant operating independently on licence can be found on the ground floor.