Norwich Guildhall

Norwich Guildhall
Norwich Guildhall

Norwich Guildhall (informally the Guildhall) is an historic listed building on Gaol Hill in the city of Norwich, United Kingdom. It was constructed between 1407 and 1413 and served as the seat of city government from the early 15th century until 1938, when it was replaced by the newly-built City Hall.[1] At the time of the building's construction and for much of its history Norwich was one of the largest and wealthiest cities in England, and today the Guildhall is the largest surviving medieval civic building in the country outside of London.[1]

The Guildhall currently serves as the offices of Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust and also contains a Caley's Cocoa Café.[1] It is one of the 12 historic Norwich buildings in the Norwich 12 initiative, a project to develop an integrated group of heritage attractions in Norwich.[2][3]

Contents

History

The Guildhall was constructed to enable the greater self-governing powers conferred upon Norwich by the Charter of 1404 to be administered more efficiently. Prisoners first occupied the crypts of the building in 1412. Two timber and tile towers on the north and south sides of the building were destroyed when the roof of the Council Chamber collapsed in 1511. In 1534 a new Council Chamber was completed. As part of the works, the exterior wall of the eastern face of the new Chamber was faced with chequered flint work and freestone, and a central panel containing a fragment of the Arms of Henry VIII, flanked by the City Arms and the arms of the St George’s Company. Additions to the south side of the building were constructed in 1861 by Thomas Barry, the City Surveyor.

Civic affairs were conducted in the building until 1938, when the new City Hall was opened. Magistrates' Courts continued to be held in the old Common Council Chamber until 1977 and prisoners were held in the building until 1980.[4] Work to restore and strengthen the Guildhall clock tower began in July 2010.[5][6]

In June 2011, the Guildhalls Counsil Chamber and Sword Room was taken over by the sight specific theatre production, Monsters by Niklas Rådström, a play about the killing of James Bulger.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Guildhall". Norwich 12. http://www.norwich12.co.uk/the-guildhall/. Retrieved 28 September 2010. 
  2. ^ "History by design". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/enjoy-england/visit-norwich-history. Retrieved 28 September 2010. 
  3. ^ "About us". Norwich 12. http://www.norwich12.co.uk/about-us/index.htm. Retrieved 28 September 2010. 
  4. ^ "70: Norwich Guildhall". Eastern Daily Press. http://www.edp24.co.uk/content/edp24/norfolk-life/norfolk-history/content/70NorwichGuildhall.aspx. Retrieved 28 September 2010. 
  5. ^ "Norwich Guildhall to be restored". Evening News. 10 June 2010. http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/eveningnews24/norwich-news/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&tBrand=ENOnline&tCategory=xNews&itemid=NOED09%20Jun%202010%2016%3A04%3A16%3A907. Retrieved 28 September 2010. 
  6. ^ "Guildhall reconstruction work". Norwich City Council. http://www.norwich.gov.uk/site_files/pages/City_Council__Guildhall.html. Retrieved 28 September 2010. 

External links

Coordinates: 52°37′44″N 1°17′33″E / 52.6290°N 1.2924°E / 52.6290; 1.2924


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Norwich Guildhall Court — The Norwich Guildhall Court was, at the time of its abolition, a local court of record which actively exercised a civil jurisdiction comparable to or greater than that of the county court for the district in which it was situated.[1] Contents 1… …   Wikipedia

  • Norwich Market — Norwich Market, 2009. The paved area in front of the market, now known as Gentleman s Walk, was formerly reserved for smallholders selling from temporary stalls. Since 1938 the market square has been dominated by the Art Deco City Hall (centre) …   Wikipedia

  • Norwich — For other places with the same name, see Norwich (disambiguation). City of Norwich Norwich city centre …   Wikipedia

  • Norwich —   [ nɔrɪdʒ], Hauptstadt der County Norfolk, Ostengland, 171 300 Einwohner; anglikanischer Bischofssitz; bedeutendes regionales Kulturzentrum mit University of East Anglia (gegründet 1964), Zentralbibliothek und Museen; Marktzentrum eines… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Norwich — (spr. nórridsch), 1) Stadt (city) und Grafschaft im östlichen England, am Zusammenfluß der schiffbaren Flüsse Wensum und Yare, 32 km oberhalb Yarmouth. Die verschiedenen Stadtteile sind durch zehn Brücken verbunden, von denen die bereits 1295… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Norwich 12 — Coordinates: 52°37′44.4936″N 1°17′32.5854″E / 52.629026°N 1.292384833°E / 52.629026; 1.292384833 …   Wikipedia

  • Norwich — /nawr ich, ij, nor / for 1; /nawr wich/ for 2, n. 1. a city in E Norfolk, in E England: cathedral. 121,800. 2. a city in SE Connecticut, on the Thames River. 38,074. * * * I City (pop., 2001: 121,553), administrative and historic county, Norfolk …   Universalium

  • Norwich Society — The Norwich Society was established in 1923 to help preserve the historical buildings in Norwich, Norfolk. It aims to promote high quality town planning within the city. The Norwich Society The Norwich Society has a set of declared Aims,to: •… …   Wikipedia

  • Diapering — This article is about the decorative motifs. For other uses, see Diaper (disambiguation). Arabesque like diapering on the field of the shield of the See of Worcester: Argent, ten torteaux four three two and one Diaper is any of a wide range of …   Wikipedia

  • Flushwork — In architecture, flushwork is the decorative combination on the same flat plane of flint and ashlar stone. It is characteristic of the external walls of medieval buildings, most of the survivors being churches, in parts of Southern England, but… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”