This watercolour, painted by Norwich artist William Frederick Austen in 1873, shows Wymondham Market Place very different from what it is today.

Austen (1833-1899), who once resided in Somerleyton Street off Unthank Road in Norwich, painted many scenes of the city and the county.

Perhaps Austen was interested in the King's Head, which stood on the site where the Co-Op now is, as it seems he was interested in pubs. It was said that he liked his liquor and, after running up quite a bill on the slate, he would offer to paint a picture for the landlord in lieu of payment.

At the time, with no community halls, the King's Head was Wymondham's social centre and landlord Aaron Mobbs, who was also the town's postmaster, ran it between 1865-1877.