The Bedingfield Cottages

The Bedingfield Charity. These cottages were given to the town by William and Susanna Bedingfield in 1686 at a rent of £27 11sh. a year, all of which was for the use of the poor.

The money was vested in the churchwardens and the Twelve (12 annually elected members of the town who had responsibility for various charities and other activities). (Clark Norfolk Charities p.232).

In 1839 the property consisted of three dwellings- house, shop, barn- and yard but in 1869 it was sold under order of the charity commissioners to Henry Plowright to develop an extensive engineering works which would become one of the largest and best-known in East Anglia.

It was also the largest employer in Swaffham for many years.

It was bought by Eric Wigg in 1940 but kept the Plowright name until the late 1970s. The company finally closed in the early 1980s and the area converted to a shopping arcade with a mix of small businesses in 1982.

The Bedingfield cottages is shown in this picture. The house to the right already belonged to the Plowrights.

Foundry, now shopping arcade. c1860.
4 former carriage entrances
blocked in 1982 with doorways or
shop display windows Grade II listed

Part of the sale deal in 1869 was that Secker’s entry be moved 42 feet to the south.