The Royal coat of arms depicted is that of King George IV 1746-1830, the lower part displays the five orders inclding the Order of St. George, at the centre of the armorial crest is the House of Hanover which became part of the coat of arms when his great grandfather became King.
The Old Custom House has undergone extensive refurbishment at the turn of the century and is now divided into four apartments, two of which are currently let to private tenants.
The shuttered ground floor apartment is currently under
refurbishmen, the upper other apartments are reached via
an elegant spiral staircase within the gated courtyard.
The first recorded existence
of the building was in 1565
when the rivalry between
Bristol and Gloucester, the
merchants made an attempt
to have their own independent
custom house. This failed to
establish a revenue house so
it was some eleven years
later during the reign of
Queen Elizabeth the First in 1560 that
success was achieved in giving Gloucester
its own Collector of Taxes for the thriving docks.
The Tudor aspect can be seen from the car park at
the rear although extensive renovation has been
carried out during the ensuing 450 years - the
style can be clearly discerned. The front of the
building is distinctly Georgian and is faced
with ashlar stone with pilaster and
cornice embellishments.