William H.Brown Estate Agents

HOUSE: now shop. c1770, converted to shop C20. Red
brick; roof of mixed red and black-glazed pantiles. One C19
and one C20 door. C18 brick cellar. C20 staircase to rear.
Grade II listed.

In 1845 this was a private house occupied by John Jacob Clarke. (The Post Office was built only in 1894, so when the 1851 census mentions William Parson as living next to the Post Office, the first PO on the edge of the Shambles is meant.) William was a postman and also a gunsmith, learning gunsmithing from James Sutton who owned a gun manufactory on the west side of the Marketplace.

In 1861 William was still a postmaster and gunmaker. He had retired and moved to Mangate Street by 1871 and died the next year.

The business was taken over by his erstwhile apprentice Thomas Johnson who also took over the position of postmaster until his death in 1892, two years before the opening of the “new” post office on Lynn Street.

We might imagine, then, that this was when the gunsmith business moved to the edge of Ash Close. The 1901 and 1911 censuses records William Parson Johnson, son of Thomas and godson of William Parson as holding a gun manufactory on the Marketplace and that he works

William P.Johnson was an avid sportsman and owned a large collection of etchings and paintings. This glass etching is still visible on the window of 31, Ash Close.

This 19th century magazine on the Shouldham Lane allotments was probably where the Swaffham gunmakers tested their guns. It may also have been used by the Swaffham Cavalry and Yeomanry.

After W.P’s death in 1917 the gunmaking business was taken over by Lionel George Clough, still under the name of Thomas Johnson and then by Alfred (Bobbie) Brewster, manager in 1940 with partner Benjamin Newdick, and then owner in 1948.

The business closed in 1955 but not before Bobbie had been in touch and worked with the gunsmith George Woods from Ovington who took eventually opened his own gunshop on Norwich Road in 1976.

No.31 was taken over by Noel Abel, estate agent in 1958, later incorporating the Abbey National Building Society in the small building adjoining, and became a confectioner’s shop in early 1980s, about which we have no information as yet.

William H.Brown opened for business here in 1984.