Medieval Merchant's House, House museum from 1290 in French Street, Southampton, England
Medieval Merchant's House is a residential building dating to around 1290 with stone walls and wooden beams on French Street in Southampton. It spreads across two floors with rooms showing how merchants lived and conducted business in the same space.
The house was built by wine merchant John Fortin in the late 13th century and kept its original structure through numerous conflicts. It remained central to Southampton's maritime trade for centuries afterward.
The rooms display furnished medieval chambers that show how merchants organized their daily lives between family and commerce. You can see how living and working spaces were naturally intertwined in one building.
The building is accessible to visitors with clear routes through the rooms and straightforward layouts on both floors. Allow enough time to explore all areas thoroughly and notice the architectural and furnishing details throughout the house.
The house retains its original shop front with wide windows and a separate customer entrance, showing how businesses were divided from living quarters. This rare example reveals that merchants were already separating their retail operations from home life even in medieval times.
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