I had to pop to the Post Office at lunch to collect a package and was delighted to stumble across an interestingly named Row in Great Yarmouth.
So what's a Row I hear you scream?
Great Yarmouth's Rows are first mentioned in 1198 and then developed in between 1200 and 1300. They were narrow cobbled alleyways 90 to 150cm wide which effectively acted as the towns streets. The formation of the rows lead to special carts, troll carts, being developed to transport goods down these narrow alleyways and also a law being passed, stating that doors could only open inwards to prevent clobbering those passing by. In total there were 145 Rows within the medieval city walls; until the 19th Century building was only permitted within these walls. Unfortunately the town was heavily bombed in WW2 which very few exist these days.
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) said of them: "A Row is a long, narrow lane or alley quite straight, or as nearly as maybe, with houses on each side, both of which you can sometimes touch at once with the finger tips of each hand, by stretching out your arms to their full extent."
Source
The rows were apparently named after local characters of prominent buildings so I can't help but imagine the story behind Body Snatchers Row.
