Elizabeth House Museum is a historic 16th-century house on Great Yarmouth's Quayside. The house has been transformed into a treasure trove of Elizabethan domestic history, with displays of daily life in the 16th century.

The Elizabethan House was built as a larger house, occupying land purchased on current nos. 1-4 South Quay, sometime around 1596 by a wealthy merchant named Benjamin Cowper.

The original mansion is thought to include what is now part of no.3 South Quay. Cowper purchased the land with a derelict building on the site (possibly an outbuilding of the former monastery) – this was pulled down, and parts of it were used to construct the new house.

There have been several alterations to the house over the years,

Benjamin Cowper was a wealthy merchant who became a prominent resident of Great Yarmouth. He was appointed as town bailiff (1609, 1618 & 1628) and a Member of Parliament (1620 & 1623). Benjamin married Hannah Harrys on 24 September 1593.

Benjamin bought the land and built the original house sometime around 1596. As wealthier, he showed off his increased wealth by extending the home twice in 1603 and 1610. Yarmouth Assembly Notes for 1603 record this. It is thought that the house was expanded south along the Quay to include the areas currently occupied by our reception/shop on the ground floor and conspiracy room above – the ceiling in the latter was constructed around 1603.

John Carter was a prominent local merchant and town bailiff (1641 & 1651) who bought the house in 1635 and his brother-in-law Thomas Manthorpe. John became leader of the Yarmouth Presbyterians and was a good friend of Oliver Cromwell, a frequent visitor to the house.

The house became a regular meeting place for Parliamentarians before the Civil War. In 1644, the Earl of Manchester gave a commission to John Carter to be joint Commander-in-Chief of the militia in the town and responsible for executing Martial Law. Carter died in 1667 and was buried in the parish church of St Nicholas.

During this period of ownership, a meeting was reportedly held in 1648 in what is known now as the Conspiracy Room, at which the fate of King Charles I was decided.

The elder son, John Carter (born 1627), inherited the house in 1667 when his father died. He lived in the house until he died in 1700, and the house was passed to his brother Nathaniel.

Nathaniel Carter (born 1637) married Mary Fleetwood and lived in the house until he died in 1722, aged 88.

The house was then bequeathed to his cousin, Captain John Davall. In about 1722, he divided the house into two buildings, which today are nos. 3 and 4 South Quay.

In 1752 no.4 was purchased by Susannah Neech, widow of Joseph.

In 1753, David Mason and his wife, Mary, owned the house. David installed a water pump in the scullery as a wedding present for his wife, only a few properties in Yarmouth with an indoor supply. David died soon after his marriage, and Mary only lived until 1757. The property then passed to Thomas Adkin, Mary Mason’s brother-in-law.

In 1771 the house was sold to Samuel Tover, who died. His youngest son, Thomas Tover, lived in the house until 1774, when he sold it to William Taylor (Mayor in 1775, 1783, and 1794).

The house was then sold again in 1780 to John Ives (father of John, the ancient, who will feature in a new costume display at the museum when it reopens). John Ives (Senior) died in 1793. His widow married Thomas Fowler, who inherited the house but did not live there. He left the house to William Steward, who reduced the southern end of the drawing (conspiracy) room by 10 feet and removed the panels and carvings. The house then passed to Thomas Penrice, the town surgeon.

The Aldred family owned the house from 1870. Samuel Aldred (an auctioneer) converted the front breakfast room (current reception/shop) into offices. When Samuel died, the house was passed to Edward Robert Aldred, who lived in it, then gave it to his eldest sister, Mary Aldred.

Mary died in 1943, and the house was bequeathed to the National Trust. Mary’s sister, Blanche Aldred, lived in the house until she died in 1949.