MUSEUM HOTEL ( ex Crystal Palace Circus ) - St MICHAEL AT THORN

In 1856 & 1857 George Jeffries, gunmaker, gives his address as Golden Ball Street, opposite the CRYSTAL PALACE.

9th February 1861 - The CRYSTAL PALACE CIRCUS continues to be well patronised. The equestrianism is of a high order, the clowns have a fund of wit and humour and the acrobatic feats of the Zeleski family are exceedingly clever. Upwards of 1200 school children attended on Wednesday and their approval was shown by their excitement and continual cheering, which was rather deafening......

On Thursday 9th May 1861, the premises, known as the CRYSTAL PALACE and lately erected by Mr. Emidy as a Circus, on Golden Ball Street, was to be auctioned together with several thousand feet of Oak, Elm, Walnut, Willow, Poplar and Chestnut Planks.

This was a wedge shaped building on the corner of Golden Ball Street and Rising Sun Lane.

Became the MUSEUM CAFE and CASTLE RESTAURANT.
October 1892 - Providing Dinners, Teas and Suppers with Refreshments of the best quality. The cuisine under the First Class Supervision.

The MUSEUM HOTEL by 1894, when the licences
of the GREEN DRAGON and the RED HOUSE were given up on grant of new licence for this house.
Note that a stipulation of the licence granted in 1894 was that no part of the building could be used as a drinking bar.

Became the CRYSTAL HOTEL by 1898 but soon back to the MUSEUM HOTEL.
John Hewson, formerly of Hull, applied for a music and singing licence 22nd August 1898. His neighbour, Mrs Goulder strongly opposed the application. The Bench decided against the application and ruled that the existing licence would apply to Friday evenings only.

The MUSEUM HOTEL AND RESTAURANT offered To Let by YC&Y August 1900 with Spacious Bar, Dining-rooms and excellent Club-room. (Accommodating 200 persons)

On 18th December 1900 an application was made for a licence, which would allow the Museum Quadrille (dancing) Club to operate two days a week. The club events would only be attended by members. A previous application to allow dinner parties and club meetings had bee granted by the magistrates and almost immediately the Bohemian Club had been formed, holding meetings every Monday and Thursday.
Owing to the Chief Constable's concerns about how "these things creep in" the application was refused.

Dancing licence granted to Mr. Robert Hill Bird Thursday 23rd October 1902 on the undertaking that only members could enter the room during dancing classes. Mr. George Bird, of Argyle Street, confirmed that he had a dancing class of about sixty members and he had requested Mr. Robert Bird to apply for the licence.

However the Norwich Mercury of 20th January 1904
carried the To Let notice by Youngs, Crawshay & Youngs Ltd....
`With early possession.... Fitted throughout with every modern convenience,
Banqueting Hall, Dining-rooms, spacious and well equipped bar.
Electric lighting and bells.
Licensed for Music, Singing and Dancing'