Building record WBG 201 - Flat 3 Kirby Court, Gobbitts Yard

The one-bedroom flat at 3 Kirby Court occupies the first floor of Kirby House at 20 Thoroughfare in Woodbridge, but is reached from Gobbitts Yard to the rear. It was converted in the 1980s when the yard was developed into a small shopping precinct. No. 20 is listed as 18th century in conjunction with no. 18 on the right, but was probably built at the beginning of the 19th century along with no. 20A on the left when Woodbridge was a thriving garrison town. It appears to have been the residence of the Gross family which in 1817 founded a successful grocery and wine-merchants in the impressive Georgian shop front at 20A which may well have been built for the purpose. The business was acquired by Messrs. Gobbitt and Kirby in 1915 and this name was revived in 1989 for the estate agency that currently occupies the ground floor of no. 20. While the brick facade makes a significant contribution to the architectural interest of the street, the flat’s interior lost much of the historic value it might have possessed when it was converted. It retains an ostensibly original wooden fire surround and arched cupboard, although the latter is oddly positioned and may not be in situ, but is otherwise entirely devoid of historic fixtures and fittings. A recent refurbishment has created a modern, minimalist character that replaced the more traditional appearance shown in photographs prior to its sale in 2020, but this was a largely cosmetic process that did not obviously involve the loss of historic fabric (S1).