The Undercroft

Entering through the front door, the visitor steps into the Undercroft. This has much original Norman work and is the most impressive room in the building. It was likely to have been used for commerce originally and entered directly from the marketplace. It has a stone vault supported by two low circular pillars with simple square capitals. The mock fireplace in this room came from an old house in Hatter Street. It consists of 12th century stone columns with a 16th century oak beam. To the left of the entrance is a medieval doorway, beside which lie the mutilated remains of a late medieval stone spiral staircase built within the thickness of the wall and leading up to the first floor. The shallow brick arches which lead to the other rooms were inserted in the 16th century.

The West Gallery

The room to the left of the Undercroft is also largely Norman work and may originally have been used for domestic storage. It has a stone vault in three bays. This room was part of the Castle Inn for many years: underneath it is a cellar once used for storing beer barrels. In the 1890s it was a parcels office for the Great Eastern Railway Company.