94 The High Street

This impressive elliptical vault was built in about 1400. The stone ribs supported the wooden planks on which the roof was built, a very economical technique. The window would have allowed air to pass through, with iron bars to keep out thieves. One proud owner carved his merchant mark on the central mullion of the window. This vault was an air-raid shelter during WW2. The people sheltering were trapped beneath the collapse of the buildings above and drowned when a water main burst in the street outside, filling the vault with water.