Former names | The Church of St. Swithin |
---|---|
Address | St. Benedict’s Street Norwich NR2 4PG |
Location | Norwich |
Coordinates | 52°37′54″N1°17′16″E / 52.63161°N 1.28776°E Coordinates: 52°37′54″N1°17′16″E / 52.63161°N 1.28776°E |
Capacity | 260 standing 120 seated |
Construction | |
Built | 1349 |
Opened | 1977 |
Website | |
Official website |
Norwich Arts Centre is a live music venue, theatre and art gallery located in St. Benedict's Street in Norwich, Norfolk, England. It has a capacity of 260 for standing music concerts and 120 for seated events. In November 2014, it was named "Britain's Best Small Venue" by the NME . [1] [2]
In 1976, a group formed for the purpose of starting an alternative venue for the visual and performing arts in Norwich. With the help of Norwich City Council the venue was opened in 1977 in a former carpet factory on St. Benedicts Street and named "Premises". It moved to its current site, St Swithin's Church, in 1980 and has remained there since. [3] [4] The centre currently operates as a registered charity. [5]
Although a small venue, Norwich Arts Centre has hosted many well known bands and comedians, including Nirvana, Oasis, Muse, The Stone Roses, Manic Street Preachers, The Libertines, Coldplay, Enter Shikari, Biffy Clyro, Foals Kasabian, Mumford & Sons, Bombay Bicycle Club, Jack Dee, Mark Lamarr, Sue Perkins, Steve Harley (as a 3-man electro-acoustic set), Mark Thomas, Noel Fielding, David Baddiel, Ross Noble, Frank Skinner and Josie Long.
Following a gig on 15 May 1991, Richey Edwards of the Manic Street Preachers carved the words "4 Real" into his forearm with a razor blade following an interview with journalist Steve Lamacq. [6] [7]
The church which houses the Norwich Arts Centre is dedicated to Saint Swithun and dates from 1349, [4] although an earlier, Anglo-Saxon church may have existed on the site. [8]
The area was originally a wealthy one, with four medieval churches close to each other. However it had become a slum by the nineteenth century. St. Swithin's became redundant and was closed in 1881. In 1882, the church's tower was demolished as it had become unsafe, [8] this was later replaced by a bell-cot. The building was back in use as a church between 1883 and 1891, after which time it fell into disrepair. [8]
In 1905, a clergyman, John Sawbridge, raised funds for it to be reopened as an Evangelical church, to cater for the poor and deprived surrounding area. [9] There was sufficient money for a large, adjoining parish mission and school room to be constructed in 1908. [8] During the following decades, this building served the local community in a number of ways. During World War 2, it was the headquarters of the local Home Guard. [4]
By 1951 the church was again redundant due to falling numbers of local residents. [8] In 1954, the church was designated a Grade I Listed building. [10] It was used as a furniture warehouse until it was taken over by the Arts Centre in 1980. The church itself became an auditorium, and the schoolroom became an exhibition space and cafe. [9]
Little of the interior of the church remains in place. During the conversion to an auditorium in the early 1980s it was stripped of its church features. [4] Medieval features in the interior, including two choir-stalls that were recorded by Nikolaus Pevsner, no longer exist. [9] An exception are ten monuments, the oldest being to Sibilla Skottowe (died 1657) and Anne Skottowe (died 1662). [11] Another monument is to William Abbott (1754-1818), a veteran of the American War of Independence, who served at the Battle of Bunker Hill. [11]
Norwich is a city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about 100 miles (160 km) north-east of London, 40 miles (64 km) north of Ipswich and 65 miles (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 city in East Anglia.
Manic Street Preachers, also known as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore, plus Nicky Wire. They form a key part of the 1990s Welsh Cool Cymru cultural movement.
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James Dean Bradfield is a Welsh singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. He is known for being the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers.
Nicholas Allen Jones, known as Nicky Wire, is the Welsh lyricist, bassist and occasional vocalist with the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers.
Richard James "Richey" Edwards, also known as Richey James or Richey Manic, was a Welsh musician who was the lyricist and rhythm guitarist of the alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. He was known for his dark, politicised and intellectual songwriting which, combined with an enigmatic and eloquent character, has assured him cult status. He has been cited as a leading lyricist of his generation, leading the Cool Cymru.
Lifeblood is the seventh studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. Recorded in 2003, it was released on 1 November 2004 by record label Sony Music UK.
The Help Album is a 1995 charity album to raise funds for the War Child charity, which provided aid to war-stricken areas, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. All the songs were recorded in a single day. The album features British and Irish artists including Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Radiohead, Oasis, Blur and the Manic Street Preachers. It was followed by 1 Love (2002), Hope (2003), Help!: A Day in the Life (2005) and War Child Presents Heroes (2009).
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Ruby Trax - The NME's Roaring Forty is a compilation album released by the 'rock inkie' (newspaper) NME in 1992 to commemorate 40 years of publication. The album features 40 cover versions of classic Number 1 songs by popular bands of the era, though as the NME based it on the NME's own chart, some songs did not reach number one on the British Market Research Bureau/Gallup chart. It was released in the following formats: three LPs (NME40LP), three CDs (NME40CD) or two cassettes (NME40MC), all having a total of 40 songs.
The Holy Bible is the third studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 30 August 1994 by record label Epic. While the album was being written and recorded, lyricist and rhythm guitarist Richey Edwards was struggling with severe depression, alcohol abuse, self-harm and anorexia nervosa, and its contents are considered by many sources to reflect his mental state. The songs focus on themes relating to politics and human suffering. The Holy Bible was the band's last album released before Edwards' disappearance on 1 February 1995.
St Augustine's Church is a redundant Anglican church building in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church stands to the west of St Augustine's Street, the A1024 road, to the north of the Norwich inner ring road.
St Laurence's Church, or St Lawrence's Church, is a redundant Anglican church in St Benedict's Street, Norwich, Norfolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It stands on a sloping site between Westwick Street and St Benedict's Street.
Salisbury Arts Centre is a venue for theatre, music, dance, comedy, family shows, films, exhibitions, and workshops in Salisbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom. It is run by Wiltshire Creative, a charity which provides opportunities for members of the community to experience the arts.
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St Benedict's Church, Norwich is a Grade I listed Anglican former parish church in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The church is medieval and probably dates from the 11th century. It was badly damaged in an air raid in 1942 and the only part still standing is the round tower.
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Thomas Rawlins (1727–1789) was an English sculptor, architect and architectural author, who specialized in funerary monuments.