The Holt Fire of 1708

Holt is said to have been founded at the crossing point of two major routes in Norfolk. It is thought that the name Holt derives from the Anglo-Saxon word for woodland. It is also said that it was around a similar time that Holt became known as a town. Holt is also mentioned in the Domesday Book, naming it as a market town. Although the town is situated several miles inland, it is recorded as being linked to the port at Cley. The book clearly names Cley as “Holt’s Port” and explains that it brought much of the trade in and out of the market town.

Around 1700 Holt was very similar to the settlement that had grown up since medieval times. The market town was thriving and the settlement had a relatively large population. Most of the buildings in the town were of timber and thatch construction, including the shops and houses around the church.

Where Holt's Fire Started

On Saturday 1st May 1708 a terrible and devastating fire started in the Shirehall Plain, one of the small streets located just off the High Street in the centre of the town. In just three hours the fire had swept through the majority of Holt and destroyed all the buildings in it's path. The church was one of the worst hit. The roof of the chancel of the church was made of thatch and was therefore completely destroyed by the fire. The heat produced was so hot that the lead in the church’s windows also melted. The flames are even said to have climbed up the steeple, scorching the outside of the stone.

The cost of the damage was estimated at £11000, which was clearly a huge amount of money in the 18th Century. This figure was carefully put together and included the destruction of buildings and even the loss of butchers’ meat from their stalls that they didn’t have time to rescue when escaping the flames. To help the reconstruction of the town donations were received from all around the UK.

Rebuilding Holt

The Georgian builders made a start on reconstructing the lost town of Holt centred on the market place, rather than the church as the medieval town had been. The Georgian architecture completely reinvented the town of Holt and can still be seen today.