Remains Of The Church Of The Greyfriars

The remains of the Church of the Greyfriars in Great Yarmouth are the ruins of a monastic church built for the Franciscans. Founded around 1226, it was enlarged in 1285 and 1290 before being dissolved in 1538. The current fragments of the cloister date to the early 14th century and are constructed of brick with ashlar dressings and some flint.

Four bays of the west walk of the cloister remain, two of which have full vaulting featuring quadripartite rib vaults with longitudinal and transverse ribs, as well as subsidiary tierceron ribs that meet at head bosses. The ribs descend to triple clustered colonnettes with mushroom capitals. The internal windows of the cloister are arched and separated by stepped side buttresses.

There are three doorways leading from the cloister to the west: the northern doorway is blocked and robbed, the middle doorway features a double wave-moulded arch added after 1320-30, and the southern doorway has a hollow chamfered arch. Adjacent to the west of the cloister are fragments of a two-storey apartment, including remains of the springers of brick tierceron vaults at the upper level. Further west are remnants of a house added after 1538.

The south wall of the church displays a prominent 16th-century fireplace on the first floor with an ashlar surround. West of this fireplace is a two plus four-light mullioned window with an acanthus console on the king mullion, overlooking a small yard. A door in the south wall of the church leads to an excavated room containing two mid-14th-century wall tombs with cusped and sub-cusped ogee heads, featuring remains of painting depicting standing and kneeling female figures under painted tracery. A third tomb is located to the east. This site is also designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.