The city of Norwich is a thriving metropolis packed with a prosperous mercantile history dating from the medieval period right through to the 21st century. Retail was and still is central to Norwich and is a reason why it bore the status of England’s ‘second city’ in the medieval period.
This is why the Heritage Open Days running from Thursday September 8 to Sunday September 11 is celebrating its success. What is fascinating about Norwich is that there are still remnants of its medieval mercantile past tucked away in the narrow cobbled streets, lanes and alleys.
One of the most fascinating places to study Norwich’s mercantile history is Dragon Hall. It is one of the best-kept examples of a merchant's trading hall from the medieval period. This magnificent building was discovered in the 1970s and is the only medieval merchant’s trading hall known to exist in western Europe.
Its main function was the sale and display of cloth, as Norwich was central to the textile industry from the early 15th to the 19th century.
Dragon Hall gets its name from the discovery of an intricately carved and painted dragon that can be seen within the timber framing. It is thought each frame had some sort of carving within it, however the Dragon is the only one that survives today.
The building has a number of attractions, but undoubtedly its main allure is the outstanding timber-framed Great Hall. The magnificence of this Great Hall played a vital function for the traders - as one would walk into the building it would stun and impress so much that buyers would be astounded into spending their money.
Amazingly today the Great Hall has retained its power to ‘jaw-drop,’ which is why it is one of the most important examples of a merchant’s house.
It also boasts a superb crown post roof, a living hall and has an intriguing vaulted undercroft; this building is a true monument of medieval craftsmanship. It paints a real picture of what trade was like during the medieval period and gives an idea of how successful merchants earned their money.
Unfortunately Dragon Hall is closed for restoration work but during the Heritage Open Days tours of the site will be happening and once it is finished it will be better and even more magnificent than ever.
A later example of a medieval merchant’s trading house is the Augustine Steward House. Built in 1530, today it is the centre of a tranquil scene, but the building looked upon some of the bloodiest battles during Kett’s Rebellion in 1549.
This is a classic example of a merchant’s house where goods were stored in the undercrofts, with a shop or workshop on street level and the homes of the traders and their families on the upper story.
Augustine Steward (1491-1571) was a central figure in Norwich; he was a common councillor, a sheriff and then later became an MP for Norwich. During the time of the Kett’s rebellion in 1549, Steward was Deputy Mayor and the rebels ransacked his home but he managed to escape. His merchant’s mark and the arms of Mercers Corporation can still be seen on the building.
This is an intriguing building; facing it from the front the uneven settlement in the alleyway to the left of the building makes it appear to lean dramatically over, the beams have bent and twisted over time. Take a look for yourself during the Heritage Open Days.
Inside the building is even more intriguing and the undercroft boasts blocked tunnels that lead to the cathedral across the road. One can only imagine what those tunnels were used for. If only they were open today!
Onto Elm Hill, which hosts some of the oldest Tudor shops in Norwich. Elm Hill is a beautifully quaint cobbled street now full of antiques shops and small art galleries.
Elm Hill is one of the oldest streets in Norfolk and retains all of its Tudor character to the present day. There are in fact, more Tudor houses in Elm Hill than there are in the whole of London.
The street was destroyed in the fire of 1507 and rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries and most of the present merchant houses on Elm Hill date back from that period. The buildings on the street show a good example of both domestic and merchant life of the traders of the Tudor and Stuart periods.
The Heritage Open Days team will be providing guided walks on Elm Hill, but beware, as there are many rumours stating the road is haunted, so make sure you stay close to your group.
It was during the early 19th century that the idea of the shopping centre took off, and Norwich boasts some exquisite Victorian shop fronts. During the Heritage Open Days the public will be given the chance to observe some of these fronts, along with a tour of the late-Victorian Royal Arcade: a covered avenue of shops in the heart of the city, designed by local architect George Skipper in 1899.
The 247 foot long avenue originally contained 24 shops along with a pub and clubroom. Today the arcade is the home of the famous Coleman’s Mustard shop and many other wonderful shops. If you want to explore something other than general high street shops, the Royal Arcade is the place to visit, just remember to look up every now again as it boasts some superb mosaic work along with grand chandeliers.
If you want to encounter the local family shopping experience then visit Jarrold's. This department store can be argued to be the first and foremost store of Norwich. It is a family run store since 1823 and offers a unique and contemporary shopping experience, but still manages to keep its sense of heritage.
More recent developments include The Castle Mall, a shopping centre built underneath the hill on which the castle sits to minimise visual intrusion. Opened in September 1993 it took four years to complete. Not only does it feature shops but also food courts, two car parks, bars, restaurants, a cinema and even a park at the top.
Obviously 21st Century shopping has changed dramatically since the medieval times, however there are still many buildings in Norwich that are still being used for the same purpose and Norwich market still flourished in the centre of the town.
Norwich is perhaps one of the best cities where a blend of the old and new is developed into a harmonious whole; there is of course one thing hasn’t changed and probably never will - the healthy provision of goods in order to make the town and its people prosper.
Jayna Makwana is the 24 Hour Museum/Norwich HEART Student Writer in Norwich. Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust is the groundbreaking initiative to regenerate, manage and promote one of the most remarkable heritage resources in the UK and in Europe.
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