Guidebook: Medieval Merchant's House
French Street in the 12th and 13th centuries was Southampton's high street. The Medieval Merchant's House, which dates from this period, has been painstakingly restored to its original form by English Heritage. Both a business and a residence, the house was fronted by a shop. Behind this was a two-storeyed hall, the principal living room, which led to a first-floor gallery and bedrooms. A cellar for storing wines and merchandise ran under the length of the house. One of the earliest surviving merchants' houses in England, the house has been authentically refurbished with replicated medieval furnishings.