The timber framed and jettied street frontage contained a shop below and a living room above. Behind this street range was the main house or hall, accessed by the passage which still has its original door.
The Tudor Rose was a typical of almost all medieval merchant houses of King's Lynn in being 'L'-shaped. The back bar, which today houses The Acoustic Kitchen open mic nights, is the stem of the 'L' or the main house.
Alternations date from the time of Elizabeth I with the plan to make the house more comfortable and fashionable. Classical columns and a wooden canopy were added to the front door. The building was inherited by Thomas Sneiling in 1623 from Mathew Clark who is believed to have carried out the remodelling work. Though not a public house at that time, there was a small brewery on the site, not uncommon in those days.