The Briton'S Arms

The Briton's Arms is a former beguinage that has been converted into a restaurant. It dates from the early 15th century and later. The building features a timber frame with rendered walls and a thatched roof, topped by a brick ridge chimney. It stands three storeys tall with a cellar and has a gable front with bracketed jetties on both the first and second floors. The right side elevation has only a second-floor jetty. There is a high rendered plinth and a step leading up to a 19th-century half-glazed door on the left. The ground floor includes one 19th-century window with large panes, while the first floor has a mullioned casement window with six lights. The side elevation has scattered fenestration, including three mullioned casements, one of which has leaded lights. The building features plain barge-boards. Recent repairs have revealed an arcaded second floor, which will be left exposed on the west and south elevations. Inside, there is a door with a two-centred head and fireplaces on all floors. The Briton's Arms is reputed to be the only house in Elm Hill that escaped destruction by fire in 1507 and is one of the few remaining thatched roofs in Norwich.