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.
The Norwich 12 Buildings
Norwich Castle (1067–1075)
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.
Norwich Cathedral (1096–1145) 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.
A new Hostry Visitor and Education Centre, built within the footprint of the medieval Hostry, opened in 2009.
The Great Hospital (1249)
A set of medieval hospital buildings, in continuous use for more than 750 years. 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.
The Halls: St Andrew's and Blackfriars' (1307–1470)
The most complete medieval friary complex surviving in England. 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.
The Guildhall (1407–1424)
England's largest and most elaborate provincial medieval city hall. 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.
Dragon Hall (1427–1430)
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.