| Description | The Black Swann Inn and shops located on Silver Street, Wakefield. The first known mention of the Silver Street building is in 1698 in a deed which details the setting up a Carter’s Charity. Richard Carter was buried in 1700 after he amassed a modest fortune and an estate from the mining of coal (Lockwood 1993, p.8). Wishing to use some of his money for the betterment of his native township Carter granted to trustees a rent charge of 40s a year and issued a messuage in Wakefield Called ‘The Golden Bull and its appurtenances’ to be put along with other endowments towards the maintenance of a minister, a schoolmaster and four alms folk and an apprentice. This is later confirmed in his will dated 22nd July 1699, which referred to a dwelling house in Wakefield then in the occupation of Beatrix Naylor, widow (Lockwood 1993, p.8). Within the next ten years it ceased to be a public house, as it appears in an indenture of 20th February 1710 as ‘formerly known by the name of the sign of the Golden Bull’ and in the possession of Elizabeth Naylor, widow. It is precisely located in a street ‘near the market place called Silver Street alias Westgate adjoining upon the house in the possession of Mrs Sarah Oley and John Landerkin on the east.
Lockwood (1993, p.8) records that in 1726 the house was again identified by its position and it is described as an ‘all that new erected building standing on the north of the said messuage wherein the Billiard Table now stands’. In 1742 the ‘Billiard Table was divided into three dwelling houses or tenement’s. By 1805 the tenement’s were let as one and although the Billard Table was still present the building to the rear was occupied as The Weavers Arms Public House (Lockwood 1993, p.8) In the 19th century the public house continued in use, but, however changed its name to The Black Swan, in which guise it continued to the present day. There was also stabling for horses, a wash houses, and attached shed and a brewhouse and a yard situated to the rear (Lockwood 1993, p.8).
Robert Hook of The Royal Commission for Historical Monuments of England in correspondence with Peter Thornborrow (Senior Archaeologist WYAS) in 1994 records the building on 6 8 Silver Street as below:
‘a timber framed building probably of late 16th century date. It was three storeys with attics and consists of four bays fronted to Silver Street on the south. This elevation which is currently rendered, is jettied at second floor level and may have originally been jettied at the first floor level as well. If so the lower jetty has been underbuilt at a later date and the framing removed. The roof which is currently plain tiled is gabled east to west and incorporates a jettied dormer corresponding to the two central bays which appear to be slightly wider than the end bays. There is a further jetty at the level of the tie beam and the dormer truss.
In the western two bays transverse beams are exposed (but boxed) on the first and second floors, some retaining short straight braces from post to beam. A similar brace is visible to the rear of the second floor in the third bay from the west. The only post visible on the ground floor is the rear post of the third truss from the west.
The building is currently in retail use. Peter Charles Jeweller occupies no. 6, comprising the eastern two bays and the attic, while Tudor Florists occupy no. 8. Shop features and stock may conceal further internal features.
The English Heritage Listed Building record (for UDA 1258693; LBO no. 445505) is as follows: |