East Anglian Children’s Hospice

HOUSE: Now shop. Early C18, converted to shop C20.
EXTERIOR: Two storeys and attic. Single-window range.
Late C20 plate-glass shop front.

In 1845 this building was the workplace and home of John Philo who had previously lived and worked on London Street as a printer and bookseller. In 1845 he was appointed as the town librarian. He emigrated with his family to America in 1854 and after his return a few years later set up a printing firm in London. He died in 1862.

Alfred Farr arrived in Swaffham in the mid 1860s, trading as a bookseller/printer and employing two men, four boys and a female assistant. One of the employees was William John Coe who took over the business from Brown and Gardner in 1885.

The shop also served until 1895 as the second of five post offices in the town and also housed a library and reading room.

If you look closely at the shop itself you can still see the imprint of the scroll that began the Coe sign above the shop.

Coes continued to a lesser extent throughout the 1980s but eventually gave way to Martins – a stationery business which in 1992 also became the fourth post office, replacing the “new” post office at today’s Royal Mail depot.

Martins was followed by estate agents Wilson and Betts in around 2009. After a period of vacancy the East Anglian Children’s Hospice started trading here in 2012.