Castle Hotel, Downham Market

In 1910, one of the worst fires occurred here in Downham
Market. Two of the adjacent buildings to the Castle namely the
clothing factory which housed an enormous amount of ex army
supplies was burnt to the ground. It was a huge shock to Mr.
Richards who had only recently purchased the Castle Hotel. He
woke his guests by shouting to wake them up, they were
staying at the Castle over the Christmas holiday, they joined in
with most of the townsfolk of Downham where they desperately
tried to put out the fire. They also led the horses out of the
stables (now the car park) and dragged the carriages and
straw away from the vicinity. The fire was intense and although
two fire appliances were on the scene water was very scarce
(nothing ever changes). Buckets and buckets of water were
carried out of the Castle and the houses nearby, but this act in
itself was not much help. The Castle stables suffered extensive
damage in fact the glass roof that covered the stable yard was
cracked. (a photo of the old stable yard and indeed the glass
roof cover can still be seen today in the bar on the ceiling
where else?) The way in which fire was broadcast to the
townsfolk was by the ringing of the church bells, thank
goodness times have changed.

During the Second World War Downham was identical to every
other town within the United Kingdom, especially when the
closeness of the town and the RAF Airfield brought the two
together everyday, the Castle was the preferred hostelry of the
younger air crews.