Brown&Co: Why not invest in the history of Norwich?

Swan Lane

We are selling the freehold of an attractive, five-storey, Grade II listed Victorian property (leased to a restaurant not affected by the sale).

The original building that stood there was the White Swan pub (hence the street’s name) whose landlord, Jem Mace, was the heavyweight boxing champion of England in the mid-1800s. The current building dates to the mid-late 1800s after the pub was demolished.

The rental income is £90,000 pa, and we are asking £1.2millon for the freehold.

St Benedicts Street

This property dates to the 16th-17th century with later additions and was historically the Queen of Hungary pub.

Records show Thomas Tilyard, a Worstead weaver, was its first landlord in 1760-1764, and it remained a pub until 1912.

This is in the process of being sold to a local owner occupier.

Andrew Haigh, commercial surveyor at Brown&Co (Image: Brown&Co)

Bedford Street

We are also selling the freehold of a three-storey property dating to the 16th century.

Its basement undercroft dates to the 15th century and means the building has a Grade II star listing. The undercroft (used in medieval times for storage) is one of the smallest in Norwich.

The property on Bedford Street offers an investor the security of having a tenant, a travel firm, which is unaffected by the sale of the freehold.

The current rental income is £16,200, and we are asking £250,000 for the freehold.

A benefit to purchasers is that, if vacant, listed properties are not liable for business rates.

Our expert commercial team can advise on investing in historic properties – what impact a listing has, for example, what grants are available for repairs or improvements, and the return when occupied by tenants.

To find out more, please contact Andrew Haigh, commercial surveyor at Brown&Co, on 01603 629871.