The merchant's trading hall is unusual in that it was built for one man, rather than a guild. © Norwich City Council

Work on Norwich’s Dragon Hall is due to begin this February, with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund in the form of a £1,362,000 grant. Most of the remaining money needed has been raised, bringing the cost of the works to more than £1.8m.

The merchant’s trading hall, with its magnificent crown-post roof and intricately carved dragon ornaments, was built for the sale of cloth in the 15th century. Now in need of better visitor facilities, the historical building will undergo work until 2006, thanks to the HLF and fundraising events.

“We had a car boot sale in December,” General Manager Stephanie Potts told the 24 Hour Museum, “that opened up Dragon Hall to a lot of people who might not have been here before. We had a medieval day in December, too – it was cold!”

Originally, the beams and timber would have been stained with red ochre. © Norwich City Council.

Improvements will include restoration of the existing buildings and the installation of a heating system, plus new displays and interpretive media to tell visitors the story of the building and its place in the history of Norfolk.

Some of the work on the hall will be quite drastic, Stephanie explained: “There are two wings, one of which is a Victorian extension. That’s going to be completely demolished and we’re going to carry out archaeology on the site, which has never been done before. Hopefully, that will reveal things we didn’t know about before.”

Service and meeting rooms will be built on the north side of the building, while modern facilities will improve the experience of visitors. A lift and a glass extension will improve access to parts of the hall and allow people to look out onto an architecturally important wall behind the building.

In the 19th century, the hall was divided up and became home to two public houses. © Norwich City Council

“It’s difficult to put a date on when the wall was built, but the hall itself was constructed in 1430,” said Stephanie, adding that the work will add up to a great experience for future visitors.

The hall should remain open until the summer, but building work will restrict access come the autumn, so it is recommended to call the hall prior to visiting. The Norfolk and Norwich Heritage Trust, who manage the building, are now seeking an education officer for Dragon Hall.