The Tolhouse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Tolhouse |
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The Tolhouse, Great Yarmouth in 2007.
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Great Yarmouth |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | 52°36′14″N 1°43′41″E / 52.604°N 1.728°E |
| Construction started | c. 1150 |
The Tolhouse, sometimes called the Tolhouse Gaol, is a really old building in Great Yarmouth, England. It was built way back in the 1100s! Over the years, it has been used as a jail and a courthouse. Today, it is a fun museum you can visit. The Tolhouse is a special building because it is a Grade I listed building, which means it's very important and protected.
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A Look Back in Time
The Tolhouse was built around the year 1150. People think that merchants, who were like business people, built it. It is the oldest public building in Great Yarmouth. It is also one of the oldest buildings still standing in the town. The Tolhouse is made from strong materials like flint and ashlar stone, and it has a tiled roof. The main hall inside is quite large, about 45 feet by 27 feet (13.7 by 8.2 meters).
From Tolls to Trials
Starting in the 1200s, the Tolhouse was used to collect tolls, which are like fees. These fees were for herring fish caught near the quay. It got its name, The Tolhouse, around 1360.
In 1261, King Henry III said the Tolhouse could be used as a jail, also known as a gaol. The prison was in the basement of the building. Many people held there were smugglers and pirates. Imagine waiting for a trial! In the 1400s, some people in the Tolhouse jail waited for 10 years before their case was heard.
In the 1600s, a person named Matthew Hopkins used the Tolhouse jail during his "witch trials." Sadly, some local women were put on trial there. In the 1700s, prisoners at the Tolhouse had to do hard work, like walking on a treadmill or picking apart old ropes.
Improving Conditions
In the early 1800s, a kind person named Sarah Martin visited the jail. She thought the living conditions were not good. She said the cells were too warm and not clean. She also felt it was wrong that prisoners could not go to church. Until 1823, prisoners even had to pay fees to stay in jail.
Later, in 1864, government inspectors also said the jail conditions needed to be better. They found that five people were sharing just one room! They suggested that women prisoners should go to a different prison. This would make more space and better conditions for everyone else. The underground cells stopped being used in 1836. Later in the 1800s, the old dungeons were used for storage.
A Place for Government and History
The main hall of the Tolhouse was also used as a courthouse. It even served as a police station for a while. The local government bought the Tolhouse in 1552. After that, they did a lot of repair work to fix it up. In 1648, the Tolhouse was used as a "council of war" room. The very last council meeting held in the building was in 1823.
In the 1870s, some people wanted to knock down the Tolhouse. But luckily, that didn't happen! The jail finally closed in 1878. The prisoners were moved to Norwich Prison. For a short time, the building was used as a town hall.
In 1883, the Tolhouse was given to the mayor. Since then, the Tolhouse has been a museum! It was damaged in 1941 during The Blitz, which was a time of bombing during World War II. But it was fixed up between 1960 and 1961. In 1953, the Tolhouse officially became a Grade I listed building, recognizing its important history.
