Custom House (Kings Lynn)
The Custom House is probably the best known building in the old Norfolk seaport of Kings Lynn.
A handsome building standing proudly on Purleet Quay, the Custom House was designed in 1683 by an accomplished local architect named Henry Bell, who was also twice mayor.
Classical in design, with a tall lantern on the top, it has a niche containing a statue of King Charles II.
Kings Lynn had need of a Custom House because of its trading links. Situated where the River Great Ouse flows into the Wash, the town traded particularly with the Baltic and with the Hanseatic League, one of whose warehouses survives to this day.
The Custom House now contains the Tourist Information Centre.
Nearby is a monument to George Vancouver, the famous navigator who was born in Kings Lynn. He served with Captain Cook and surveyed British Columbia.