The town dates back to Roman times and Peacock Lane iformed part of a Roman Road from Salthouse. Roman remains have been found primarilt to the north of the town. Holt is mentioned in the Domesday Book.of 1086 and is described as a settlement with 60 adult males, 90 sheep, 60 pigs, 1 carthorse, 5 mills, a nearby port (at Cley) and a market. In early maps it often appears as 'Holt Market' and was a thriving community one thousand years ago. This has been attributed to it’s geographical position, importance of trading terms and proximity to natural springs.
On 1st May 1708 a terrible fire broke out amongst the market stalls. It swept through the town and its wooden buildings. Even the Church was reduced to a ruin. Over the next 100 years it was rebuilt using brick, stone and flint. This is why the Market Place and High Street are predominantly Georgian and the back lanes, streets and yards are predominantly Victorian. Evidence of earlier dwellings were discovered when these areas were rebuilt.
The town has many flint stone ‘yards’, originally small Victorians homes. These have now been put to other uses, as shops and offices. They provide a labyrinth of surprises for shoppers and visitors. One such example can be found in the 'Chapel' area of the town where some of these buildings date from the 16th century.
The Church was described as being a “a well-built Fabrick, kept in very good Repair and consisted of three large isles covered with lead.” According to Tom Martin’s Church Notes of 1734 the fire took hold of the Chancel first as this was thatched, and spread to the whole roof, The lead melted and fell on the stones and cracked them into pieces. There were two bells which fell down, the frames being burnt in the Steeple.
The Town was rebuilt, at an estimated cost of £11,258, with the help of a royal brief. The parishioners raised money enough to repair and seat the chancel, but it would not hold a quarter of the congregation. In 1723 the new rector, Dr. Briggs, obtained a second royal brief for the rebuilding of the Church, which was estimated at £1,229 or more. The brief produced £1,178, of which nearly half went in fees and agents’ commission, but the work was done in two years. Among the chief benefactors of the church were Sir Robert Walpole, then Prime Minister as well as a Norfolk Squire, who gave £50 and a silver plate.
With the rebuilding of the town went a desire for better fire protection, and the original local fire station is now a shop. A tall three storey House was built in 1744 in Bull Street and over the front of the door is an early fire insurance plaque. In the 18th century displaying such a plaque was the only way of ensuring assistance from the local fire wagon in case of disaster. The church was restored in 1864 by the church Architect William Butterfield.
At the listed coordinates you will find an information board which was erected in 2008 to commemorate the 300th aniversary of the fire. The information you need to answer the questions below can be found on this display.
The live stock market operated behind the public house/hotel until 19AB
The department store in Market Street dates back to the 1CD0s
Royal Brief EFGH
A merchant house next to the Georgian Shire Hall and opposite the commemorative board was constructed in the 1J century
Thomas Jekyll designed the Methodist church in 186K
The cache can be found at N52 54. N52 (J-H)(B)(A+G) E001 05.(D-E)(C)(F+K)
As at 30th June 2025
The sign has recently been damaged and has been taken away to be repaired. In the meantime, please use the following link. Scroll down through the article, and you will find a photo of the board, which is readable.
https://www.klmagazine.co.uk/articles/holt-fire
You are looking for a small vial (inside a metal object) so will need to bring your pen. Please do not remove the vial from the metal. It is possible to park in some of the side streets in Holt free for a limited period of time. Alternatively, there are pay-and-display car parks at the supermarket and next to Chapel Yard.