About Us

The Market Cross Cafe Bar is located in the centre of Swaffham in a Grade 2 listed building. Until 1903 the building used to be a coaching Inn called The Maids Head.

The earliest recorded documentation of the building’s existance  was in 1656 when the licensing laws began.

For a number or a number of years before we took it on in 2008 the building had been several different restaurants.

We restored the fabric of the building as best we could back to its natural state from having black woodwork and white walls.

After thinking long and hard we came up with our logo which is the small arched window at the front of the building. We found some old pictures of the front of the cross in the loft when we first took over.

There were no dates on the pictures but they showed a horse and cart out the front on a dirt market place. In the background of the picture is the window so it just seemed right to become our logo.

We have done lots of charity events at The Market Cross including: Hog Roasts; Dryathalon; pancake races; covered the front of cross with poppies in 2018 for the 100th anniversary of WWI.

The Market Cross Cafe Bar is said to be haunted by a little boy sitting on the stairs who has lost his shoe and also a black cat. Although we’ve never seen, or felt anything (and we don’t know anyone who has either) we do get told by customers who know the building that the building has a lovely warm feeling to it so who knows?