Norwich 12 was an initiative by the Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (HERT) to develop 12 of Norwich's most iconic buildings into an integrated family of heritage attractions to act as an international showcase of English urban and cultural development over the last 1,000 years.
Norwich HERT initially secured £1 million from HM Treasury's 'Invest to Save' budget to run the program.
The 12 buildings are a collection of architectural styles that span across the Norman, medieval, Georgian, Victorian, and modern eras.
The program was launched in the summer of 2008.[1]
The Norwich 12 Buildings
Norwich Castle (1067–1075)
Norwich Castle
Norwich Castle is a Norman building, originally built as a royal palace for William the Conqueror at a time when most buildings were small, wooden structures. The huge stone keep was a symbol of the king's power.
The castle mound (motte) is the largest in the country, and from the 14th to the 19th century, the keep was used as a county gaol.
The castle was converted into a museum in 1894.[2][3]
Norwich Cathedral (1096–1145)
Norwich Cathedral
Most of Norwich Cathedral's Norman architecture is still intact, and it forms one of the most complete examples of the Romanesque style in Europe. Like the castle, the cathedral's scale signified the power and permanence of the Norman invaders.
Caen stone was transported from Normandy, and the immense building project required an army of masons, craftsmen, glaziers, and labourers. Some of the original Norman wall painting survives in the Cathedral's Jesus Chapel and the presbytery.
Norwich Cathedral has the highest Norman tower (40 meters) and the largest monastic cloisters in England, as well as a unique collection of medieval roof carvings.
Norwich's Great Hospital has been in continuous use as a caring institution since it was founded for the care of poor chaplains in the 13th century. The six-acre complex of buildings and extensive archives provide a living history of the last 750 years.
The site includes the ancient parish church of St Helen and Eagle Ward with its lavishly decorated 'eagle ceiling', originally the chancel of the church. There is also a refectory, cloisters, 15th and 16th-century wings, 19th-century almshouses, the Birkbeck Hall, an example of Victorian and Edwardian Gothic revival architecture, and St Helen's House, built by Thomas Ivory in the 18th century.
Today, the hospital provides sheltered housing and a residential care home.[2][3]
The Halls: St Andrew's and Blackfriars' (1307–1470)
St Andrew's Hall is the centrepiece of several flint buildings known as The Halls, which form the most complete friary complex surviving in England. The first Dominican Black Friars' priory was destroyed by fire, and St Andrew's Hall formed the nave of the new church, completed in 1449.
During the Reformation, the site was saved by the City Corporation, which bought it from the king for use as a 'common hall.' Since then, the complex has been used for worship, as a mint, and as a workhouse.
Today the two halls, crypt, chapel, and cloisters host conferences, fairs, weddings, and concerts.[2][3]
The Guildhall (1407–1424)
Norwich Guildhall
The design and size of Norwich Guildhall were significant features that reflected the city's economic status in medieval times as one of the wealthiest provincial cities in England.
The building represents the growing economic and political power of the new ruling elite that was emerging—wealthy freemen who were merchants and traders.
In 1404 Norwich was given more self-governing powers, and the Guildhall was built to house the various civic assemblies, councils, and courts that regulated its citizens' lives.
Evidence of these historic functions, which continued until the 20th century, can still be seen. Other parts of the building are in commercial use.[2][3]
Dragon Hall (1427–1430)
Dragon Hall
Dragon Hall is a medieval trading hall built by Robert Toppes, a wealthy local merchant, for his business. The first floor of the 27-metre-tall timber-framed hall has a crown-post roof with a carved dragon, which gives the building its name.
After Toppes' death, the building was converted for domestic use and then, in the 19th century, subdivided into shops, a pub, and tenements. The great crown-post roof was hidden from view for many years and only rediscovered in the 1980s.
Dragon Hall then became a heritage attraction open to visitors and a venue for weddings, private and corporate functions, and performances.[2][3]
The Assembly House (1754–1755)
The Assembly House is a Georgian building designed by the architect Thomas Ivory. It incorporates the original layout of a previous building, the medieval college of St Mary in the Fields.
When it opened, the Assembly House was used as a centre for entertainment and assemblies for the local gentry. During its long history, it has hosted a waxworks exhibition by Madame Tussaud, a concert by the composer Franz Liszt, and many balls.
Today the rooms appear almost exactly as they did at the height of the Regency period and are used for exhibitions, concerts, conferences, and weddings.[2][3]
St James Mill (1836–1839)
St James Mill
St James Mill is a notable example of an English industrial mill, located in an area that may not be typically associated with this type of industry. It was built on a site occupied by the White Friars (Carmelites) in the 13th century, and an original arch and undercroft survive.
When the local textile trade went into decline, St James Mill was bought by Jarrold & Sons Ltd. for use by its printing department in 1902. The building was subsequently leased to Caley's, the chocolate manufacturer, and sold to the government as a training factory for war veterans in 1920.
Jarrolds bought back the mill in 1933, and today it is a private office complex. The John Jarrold Printing Museum, which is open most Wednesdays, is situated behind the mill.[2][3]
The Cathedral of St John the Baptist (1884–1910)
The Cathedral of St John the Baptist is an example of 19th-century Gothic revival architecture. In the 19th century, Catholicism was once again allowed to be practiced publicly, and the Cathedral of St John the Baptist was built as a gift to the city by Henry Fitzalan Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk.
The cathedral also incorporates the Narthex, a new visitor centre.[2][3]
Surrey House (1900–1912)
Surrey House
Surrey House, the historic home of Aviva (formerly Norwich Union), is a spectacular piece of Edwardian architecture designed by George Skipper. He was commissioned by The Norwich Union Life Insurance Society's directors to produce a 'splendid yet functional office space', incorporating Greek influences and the themes of insurance, protection, and wellbeing, to reassure policyholders of the company's strength and prosperity.
The building has a commanding Palladian exterior and an interior adorned with 15 varieties of marble, classically inspired frescos, and a glass atrium. It also contains unusual items such as an 'air fountain' and a chiming skeleton clock made for the Great Exhibition of 1851.[2][3]
City Hall (1936–1938)
City Hall
Norwich City Hall was completed in 1938 when the Guildhall and existing municipal offices could no longer accommodate the growth in local government duties.
An example of post-war architecture, the building houses the Norfolk & Norwich Millennium Library and 2nd Air Division Memorial Library, Norwich Tourist Information Centre, a café and PizzaExpress restaurant and is home to BBC East's headquarters.
In 2009 it opened a series of community facilities, including Fusion, Europe's largest permanent digital gallery with free public access and a state-of-the-art auditorium. Different every day, The Forum also hosts a year-round line-up of free and ticketed events, exhibitions and entertainment.[2][3]
Exploring the 12
While not all of the Norwich 12 attractions are open to the public, a main focus of the project was to improve accessibility to each of the sites.
All 12 can be explored by means of guided walks and tours, exhibitions and music/performances at the venues, or via heritage interpretation leaflets, signage, websites and guidebooks.
Norwich 12 totems
Heritage interpretation totems were installed beside each of the 12 buildings. These detail the key names and dates associated with the buildings and also contain bluetooth technology capable of delivering additional heritage information to mobile phones.
SHAPING 24
SHAPING 24Ghent 12 Logo
SHAPING 24 – Strategies for Heritage Access Pathways in Norwich and Ghent – was an award-winning cultural heritage tourism initiative, also coordinated by Norwich HEART, in conjunction with Stad Gent, that links together the Norwich 12 buildings, with 12 heritage sites in Ghent in Belgium.
The project sought to increase awareness of the longstanding historical links between the East of England and the Low Countries.
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Romanesque is characterized by semicircular arches, while the Gothic is marked by the pointed arches. The Romanesque emerged nearly simultaneously in multiple countries ; its examples can be found across the continent, making it the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman architecture. Similarly to Gothic, the name of the style was transferred onto the contemporary Romanesque art.
Blakeney is a coastal village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Blakeney lies within the Norfolk Coast AONB and the North Norfolk Heritage Coast. The North Norfolk Coastal Path travels along its quayside. The village is 21.1 mi (34 km) north west of Norwich, 4.6 mi (7.4 km) NNW of the larger settlement of Holt, 11.5 mi (18.5 km) west of Cromer and 112 mi (180 km) NNE of London.
Loddon is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England, about 12 miles (19 km) south-east of Norwich. The town lies on the River Chet, a tributary of the River Yare within The Broads. The name "Loddon" is thought to mean muddy river in Celtic in reference to the Chet.
Norwich is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about 100 mi (160 km) north-east of London, 40 mi (64 km) north of Ipswich and 65 mi (105 km) east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with one of the country's largest medieval cathedrals, it is the largest settlement and has the largest urban area in East Anglia. The population of the Norwich City Council local authority area was estimated to be 144,000 in 2021, which was an increase from 143,135 in 2019. The wider built-up area had a population of 213,166 in 2019.
Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster, Gloucester Abbey, dedicated to Saint Peter and founded by Osric, King of the Hwicce, in around 679. The subsequent history of the church is complex; Osric's foundation came under the control of the Benedictine Order at the beginning of the 11th century and in around 1058, Ealdred, Bishop of Worcester, established a new abbey "a little further from the place where it had stood". The abbey appears not to have been an initial success, by 1072, the number of attendant monks had reduced to two. The present building was begun by Abbott Serlo in about 1089, following a major fire the previous year.
Norwich Castle is a medieval royal fortification in the city of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk. William the Conqueror (1066–1087) ordered its construction in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of England. The castle was used as a gaol from 1220 to 1887. In 1894 the Norwich Museum moved to Norwich Castle. The museum and art gallery holds significant objects from the region, especially works of art, archaeological finds and natural history specimens.
Norwich Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Norwich and the mother church of the diocese of Norwich. It is administered by its dean and chapter, and there are daily Church of England services. It is a Grade I listed building.
Norfolk is a rural county in the East of England. Knowledge of prehistoric Norfolk is limited by a lack of evidence — although the earliest finds are from the end of the Lower Paleolithic period. Communities have existed in Norfolk since the last Ice Age and tools, coins and hoards such as those found at Snettisham indicate the presence of an extensive and industrious population.
The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture in England and Wales, during the Tudor period (1485–1603) and even beyond, and also the tentative introduction of Renaissance architecture to Britain. It followed the Late Gothic Perpendicular style and, gradually, it evolved into an aesthetic more consistent with trends already in motion on the continent, evidenced by other nations already having the Northern Renaissance underway Italy, and especially France already well into its revolution in art, architecture, and thought. A subtype of Tudor architecture is Elizabethan architecture, from about 1560 to 1600, which has continuity with the subsequent Jacobean architecture in the early Stuart period.
Mileham is a village approximately midway between East Dereham and Fakenham in Mid Norfolk with a population of 563 people in 2011. The village sits astride the B1145 Kings Lynn to Mundesley road that dissects Mid Norfolk west to east. It is the old coaching road from Kings Lynn to Norwich and then on to Great Yarmouth.
Dragon Hall is a Grade-1 listed medieval merchant's trading hall located in King Street, Norwich, Norfolk, close to the River Wensum, and since 2018 home to the National Centre for Writing. It is thought to be unique in being the only such trading hall in Northern Europe to be owned by one man. The building stands on what was the main road through the city in the 15th century, with river transport links via Great Yarmouth to the Low Countries. Dragon Hall is now acknowledged as one of Norwich's medieval architectural gems and an iconic building in the city.
English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed arches, rib vaults, buttresses, and extensive use of stained glass. Combined, these features allowed the creation of buildings of unprecedented height and grandeur, filled with light from large stained glass windows. Important examples include Westminster Abbey, Canterbury Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral. The Gothic style endured in England much longer than in Continental Europe.
The medieval cathedrals of England, which date from between approximately 1040 and 1540, are a group of twenty-six buildings that constitute a major aspect of the country's artistic heritage and are among the most significant material symbols of Christianity. Though diverse in style, they are united by a common function. As cathedrals, each of these buildings serves as central church for an administrative region and houses the throne of a bishop. Each cathedral also serves as a regional centre and a focus of regional pride and affection.
The architecture of the United Kingdom, or British architecture, consists of a combination of architectural styles, dating as far back to Roman architecture, to the present day 21st century contemporary. England has seen the most influential developments, though Ireland, Scotland, and Wales have each fostered unique styles and played leading roles in the international history of architecture. Although there are prehistoric and classical structures in the United Kingdom, British architectural history effectively begins with the first Anglo-Saxon Christian churches, built soon after Augustine of Canterbury arrived in Great Britain in 597. Norman architecture was built on a vast scale throughout Great Britain and Ireland from the 11th century onwards in the form of castles and churches to help impose Norman authority upon their dominions. English Gothic architecture, which flourished between 1180 until around 1520, was initially imported from France, but quickly developed its own unique qualities.
Norwich Market is an outdoor market consisting of around 200 stalls in central Norwich, England. Founded in the latter part of the 11th century to supply Norman merchants and settlers moving to the area following the Norman conquest of England, it replaced an earlier market a short distance away. It has been in operation on the present site for over 900 years.
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. The term "Romanesque" is usually used for the period from the 10th to the 12th century with "Pre-Romanesque" and "First Romanesque" being applied to earlier buildings with Romanesque characteristics. Romanesque architecture can be found across the continent, diversified by regional materials and characteristics, but with an overall consistency that makes it the first pan-European architectural style since Imperial Roman Architecture. The Romanesque style in England is traditionally referred to as Norman architecture.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England.
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture.
Hallam Ashley FRPS was a British professional photographer who, amongst other things, photographed buildings for the National Buildings Record for nearly 40 years. A book of his photographs of East Anglia was published in 2010.
Thetford Guildhall is a municipal structure in the Market Place in Thetford, Norfolk, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Thetford Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
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