The Maister House is a splendid Georgian house on High Street which belonged to a wealthy merchant family. In the care of the National Trust, it is now an architects office. Only the entrance hall and staircase are open to the public. It is open office hours and visitors need to ring the bell to gain admittance.
The Maisters were a wealthy merchant family who traded with ports around the North Sea and Baltic. The plain Palladian style brick house was built in 1743 after a fire had destroyed the previous house killing Mrs Henry Maister, her youngest child and two servants.
It is a tall brick building on three floors. Steps lead up to the doorway framed in pale stone pillars with carved capitals. The entrance hall has two doorways off with carved plaster architraves above and a simple plaster ceiling.
There is a splendid stone staircase running round a central square the full height of the building. At the top is a glass cupola which makes the staircase feel light and airy feel.There is a beautifully crafted wrought iron banister.
On the half landing is a statue of Ceres , goddess of the harvest with a smaller bust on either side. The ceiling has plaster panels with a central flower motif.
The family used the ground floor for business and lived on the upper floors.
Entry is free and it is worth popping in to see the staircase if on High Street.
