Sadly, several factors have led to the closure of many high street stores, leaving the unique historical structures that they occupied empty and neglected.

Salvaging these properties not only helps to preserve tangible links to our county’s history, it also supports local communities by generating renewed interest in the area.

Mark and Helen Littlewood are passionate about renovating historic Norfolk buildings (Image: Compendia Studio)

Local couple Mark and Helen Littlewood understand this and have set up Slow Norfolk to salvage and restore characterful period properties throughout the county.

By day, the husband-and-wife team run award-winning marketing and design company One Agency, but they launched Slow Norfolk as a side business where they could combine their love of architecture, renovation and interior design.

Slow Norfolk purchased a former antiques shop in Wymondham in 2021 and has fully renovated it to create a private home (Image: Slow Norfolk)

“Slow Norfolk specialises in saving old buildings, bringing them back to contemporary condition, often with a design-led aesthetic and vision, mixing period details with modern interior design and finishes,” said Mark.

The business has renovated multiple period properties in Norfolk, including an old chapel in New Buckenham and a former gallery space in Holt, but for their most recently completed project, Mark and Helen took on a former antiques shop in the centre of Wymondham.

The Grade II listed, three-storey townhouse on Damgate Street dates back to the 1500s, and Mark said that he and Helen “jumped at the chance to........

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