Jew's House
- For the building formerly known as Aaron the Jew's House, see the Norman House.
The Jew's House is one of the earliest extant town houses in England. It lies on Steep Hill in Lincoln, immediately below Jew's Court.[1]
Dating from the mid-twelfth century, the building originally consisted of a hall at first floor level, measuring approximately 12 by 6 metres, above service and storage spaces at ground level.
Part of the façade survives; the elaborately carved doorway, the remains of two Romanesque double-arch windows and much of the stonework on the upper storey. A chimney breast rises over the arch above the front door, serving the fireplace on the upper floor. There were once two columns supporting the arch, but these have gone.
The house has traditionally been associated with the thriving Jewish community in Medieval Lincoln. Anti-Semitic hysteria was stoked up by the case of Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln in 1255, and in 1290, the entire Jewish community was expelled from England; the Jew's House supposedly being seized from a Jewish owner.
The building has remained continuously occupied to the present day and is currently in commercial use, part being a restaurant.
See also
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- Jew's Court
- Steep Hill
- Norman House
References
Sources
- 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica
- Romanesque England: Lincoln, Lincolnshire - Norman Houses