GREENLAND FISHERIES, BRIDGE STREET

Each year the historic buildings in King’s Lynn throw open their doors to the public. Organised by the town’s very active Civic Society, it is an opportunity to visit some of Lynn’s excellent old buildings, many of which are private dwellings or only partially open to the public. I have visited many of the main ones (who will eventually find their way here!) but there are also lots of little hidden gems like the Greenland Fisheries.

The sign outside refers to its time as a pub frequented by fishermen (Lynn was once a whaling port) but it dates back to 1605 when it was built as a merchants house:

I was drawn here by the promise of some hand painted lettering and wall decoration and was not disappointed:

The King’s Lynn Preservation Trust have been working on the restoration and made an excellent job of revealing this long lost work from beneath the plaster. Check the links at the end of this post for more information on the restoration and the building.

Above the window on the second floor is this phrase on several wooden panels at about 5 feet long. This is a composite image and will enlarge well when clicked:

In the tiny back yard this dedication stone stood forlornly against the wall…

And even the drainpipes got the typographic treatment in cast iron!

LINKS
Kings Lynn Preservation Trust
Kings Lynn Civic Society
Whaling from Kings Lynn

So what’s in your neighbourhood?

I am putting out a request for contributors for the “my type of… place” section of this blog and would like you to put together your own typographic tour. If you are interested, download the contributors information sheet for more details, ideas and specifications here.