Dream dozen: a walking tour of Norwich's architectural highlights

Norwich has all the metropolitan trappings –culture, shopping, Nightlife – of a big city, without the sprawling suburbs that often make them so overwhelming. But for me, the best thing about it is the city’s unique architecture. And now there’s a walking tour you can do which takes you round its 12 finest buildings.

Until about 200 years ago, Norwich was England’s second city– but although it prospered during the 19th century, it was never overrun by heavy industry. While other British cities were buried beneath an avalanche of factories and terraced houses, Norwich retained its medieval core and the Jacobean and Georgian buildings that surround it. Consequently it’s one of the most architecturally diverse cities in the UK, and the best way to see this rich mish-mash is to take a stroll around a dozen buildings known as the Norwich 12.

My guide on this architectural trek is Michael Loveday, chief executive of Norwich’s Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (or HEART for short). The Norwich 12 is his brainchild, straddling a thousand years of history. We meet outside the Forum, by far the newest of the 12. Designed by Sir Michael Hopkins and opened by the Queen in 2003, it’s a vast glass atrium that houses the BBC, the tourist office and the public library. “This is emblematic of what Norwich is about,” says Michael, emphatically. “Norwich isn’t a twee medieval city. It’s a city that’s innovated during every century.” Once upon a time, each building in the Norwich 12 must have looked equally avant-garde.

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Michael comes from Norwich and he’s passionate about his hometown. “People think it’s a small market town up the longest cul-de-sac in England, but actually it’s a heritage destination of universal stature,” he says, as we set off on our walkabout. “It’s got the biggest collection of medieval churches in Northern Europe. It’s the biggest walled medieval city in England , twice the size of the City of London. But people don’t know it’s here.” Michael hopes the Norwich 12 will change all that. I wouldn’t bet against it.

Our next stop is the Assembly House, one of architecture guru Nikolaus Pevsner’s favourite local buildings. From the outside it looks like something straight out of Jane Austen, but its Regency appearance is deceptive. Like a lot of buildings in Norwich it’s built around a medieval core. A seminary until the Reformation, it’s been a ballroom, off and on, for several hundred years. Paganini and Liszt both played here. It’s also been a school and a cinema, but it’s now resumed its historic role as a palatial venue for recitals and exhibitions. “We have some glorious Georgian architecture here,” says the venue’s marketing manager, Sarah Baker, as she shows me round.

Pevsner was also mightily impressed by Norwich City Hall. He reckoned this was the finest municipal building built in Britain between the wars, and you can see why he was so fond of it. A monumental slab of art deco, it’s reminiscent of Tate Modern. Its tall bronze doors are embossed with intricate reliefs, depicting Norwich’s lively history, right back to Sven Forkbeard, who sacked the city a thousand years ago.

Next door is the Guildhall, the largest and most elaborate medieval guildhall outside London, which celebrated its 600th birthday last year. Until City Hall was built in 1938 the town council used to meet here, but like so many local buildings it’s had all sorts of uses, from court house to fire station. Now the courtroom is a cosy café, but the history of the place is all around you. The coat of arms of King George II is still on the wall, above the door. It was a court right up until the Eighties. Today Michael’s office is upstairs.

Our next stop is the largest and most celebrated of the Norwich 12 – Norwich Cathedral, with the biggest cloister (and the tallest church tower) in England. Standing beneath its ancient arches, you realise why 750,000 people come here every year. “This is one of the most complete Romanesque buildings in the country,” says the cathedral’s head of education, Saul Penfold, as we make our way inside. Inside, we meet the Dean of Norwich, the Very Reverend Graham Smith. “That’s one of the striking things about Norwich,” he says, as we gaze towards the altar. “With one or two exceptions, more or less what you’re looking at is what you’d have seen 900 years ago.”

So how many people come here as pilgrims and how many come as tourists? Well, most visitors are probably a bit of both. As the Dean tells me, “A lot of people are uncertain about the nature of the institutionalised church but have a very conscious sense of values, of personal morality, and of the spiritual domain. Cathedrals have that function, of keeping that kind of thinking and curiosity alive, when people aren’t quite sure about belonging.

“It’s as though people are opening a window on their soul when they come to a place like this,” he adds, with quiet confidence. “I’m absolutely determined that we should not put turnstiles into the cathedral, because that immediately conveys a different kind of message. This is an open place.’

From the largest cloister in England , Michael takes me to the smallest. It’s part of the Great Hospital, founded in 1249 as a home for retired priests. Over 700 years on, it still performs a similar function. “No one knows it’s here,” says Michael, as he leads me through the gates. “People who’ve lived in Norwich for donkey’s years won’t know about the Great Hospital, because it’s tucked away and it’s an old people’s home.” But this is no ordinary old folks’ home. The ceiling is decorated with 252 eagles, painted in 1383 to mark the visit of Queen Anne of Bohemia, sister of King Wenceslas, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor. “It’s the most surprising thing in Norwich,” says Michael.

On our way back into town, we pass St James’ Mill, beside the river. Today it’s an office block, but the architectural critic Ian Nairn called it “the noblest building of the English industrial revolution.” You can see his point. With its elegant tower, it looks more like a medieval castle than a Victorian factory. You’d never guess it was only 170 years old.

Number eight on our list is St Andrew’s & Blackfriars’ Halls, England’s only surviving medieval friary. It was bought from Henry VIII for £52. HEART has big plans for this place, and I can understand why Michael is so excited about it. With a bit of work, it would make a great regional concert hall.

“Historically, Norwich has looked to Europe,” Michael tells me as we walk towards the castle. “It was easier to get to the Low Countries than it was to get to London in the medieval period, so it’s got a big European connection over a thousand years. In the 16th century, 40 per cent of the population were Dutch, Flemish or Walloons, who came over to reinvigorate the textile industry. It was a normal thing to do to oscillate between Flanders and the East of England.”

Norwich’s continental links began with the Norman Conquest, and Norwich Castle is a relic of that time. From 1345 to 1887 it was a prison. Since then it’s been an art gallery and museum. Its permanent collection contains treasures by English greats such as Gainsborough, plus European masters including Magritte.

Norwich Castle attracts lots of visitors, but not so many find their way to the Dragon Hall. This medieval building has been a pub and a butcher’s shop, but in the Seventies, in the attic, archaeologists uncovered a 550-year-old trading hall. Now open to the public as a stylish new museum, it’s one of the city’s many hidden gems.

Surrey House isn’t exactly hidden, but lots of people walk past it every day without ever thinking of going in. To most passers by it’s simply the head office of Norwich Union, but its flamboyant marble foyer is a magnificent example of Edwardian pomp.

“It’s got a wow factor about it,” says assistant archivist Sheree Leeds. She’s been showing visitors around for 30 years, but her sense of wonder remains undimmed. “The first time I came into this room, I was literally speechless,” she says, showing me the flamboyant boardroom. With its exquisite fresco ceiling, it’s more of a palace than an office block.

Our final stop is St John’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, built by George Gilbert Scott Junior in 1894. Its interior is a wonderful refuge, but the highlight is the view from the tower, back across Norwich and everything we’ve seen today. After walking through a thousand years of history, from the Norman Conquest to the 21st century, it’s the perfect place to end our day.

For more information, call 01603 727927, or see www.heritagecity.org .

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