The Ancient House is a Grade 1 listed building.
This is a superb example of the historic buildings that there are in Ipswich. It has had many uses of the years, most recently as a bookshop and now a kitchenware shop.
It contains evidence of six earlier structures, three of which date back to the 15th Century. The house was owned by the Sparrowe family for much of its existence. There was a story that Charles II was hidden here after his defeat in the Battle of Worcester in 1651.
The Royal connection is still evident with the 1670s coat of arms included on the decorative plasterwork (or pargeting) on the outside of the building.
It is also worth noting that the four panels represent the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe and America. Australasia is conspicuous by its absence as was it was yet to be discovered by Europeans.