The Assembly House is a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

located in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Today, the Assembly House is used for conferences, exhibitions, visual and performing arts activities, and weddings, and is owned by a registered arts charity. It is one of the twelve historic Norwich buildings in the

Norwich 12 Norwich 12 was an initiative by Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (HEART) 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 a ...

initiative, a project to develop an integrated group of heritage attractions in the city.

History

The origins of the Assembly House date back to 1248 when John Le Brun founded The Chapel and Hospice of St Mary's in the Field, a hospital dedicated to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, on the site. In 1278 the hospital became a college for

secular priests In Christianity, the term secular clergy refers to deacons and priests who are not monastics or otherwise members of religious life. A secular priest (sometimes known as a diocesan priest) is a priest who commits themselves to a certain geogra ...

, The College of St Mary in the Fields. From 1404, when Norwich was granted the right to govern itself in the form of a corporation, assemblies were held at the college in which citizens chose bailiffs (the officials who were to govern the city for the following year). The college was also the base for the

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, an important annual festival in which the

trade guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...

s marched in procession. In 1544 the college was closed as a result of Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries and in 1548 the buildings were surrendered to the crown. The chapel, cloisters and choir were all demolished and the remainder of the building was sold to the Dean to serve as a private house. In 1569 the site came into the hands of the Cornwallis family when it was acquired by Sir Thomas Cornwallis as a townhouse. In 1609 the site was acquired by Sir Henry Hobart, and became known as "Chapel of the Field House". In 1753,

John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire, (11 October 169322 September 1756) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 to 1728, when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Hobart. Early life Hobart was the son of Si ...

, granted a 500-year lease of Chapel Field House estate (as it was then known) to a number of aldermen of the city for the sum of £1,800 plus an annual rent of £5. The aldermen subsequently unveiled plans for its conversion into "public places of entertainment for the county and the city", appointing architect

Thomas Ivory Thomas Ivory (1709–1779) was an English builder and architect, active in Norwich. Life Ivory was born in 1709. His early years and education remain obscure. His earliest recorded large commission was in his capacity as a builder and timber m ...

, who also built the Octagon Chapel in the city, to oversee the works, assisted by Sir James Burrough. Ivory decided to demolish the central section of the building and designed a new house for the site, which became a 'House of Assemblies' where events were held for the gentry of Norwich. From 1876 to 1939 the building was used by the Girls Public Day School (now the

Norwich High School for Girls Norwich High School for Girls is an independent day school for girls aged 3 to 18 in Norwich, England. The school was founded in 1875 by the Girls’ Public Day School Company (now the Girls' Day School Trust), which aimed to establish schools ...

). During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the building was converted for use as a camouflage school. In 1950 the building underwent a major restoration at a cost of £70,000 and re-opened in May 1950 as a centre for entertainment and the Arts called "The Assembly House". The restoration had been encouraged by

Oliver Messel Oliver Hilary Sambourne Messel (13 January 1904 – 13 July 1978) was an English artist and one of the foremost stage designers of the 20th century. Early life Messel was born in London, the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard Messel an ...

and funded by the Norwich-based shoe manufacturer H. J. Sexton. In 1995 the roof and the ceilings of the entrance hall, restaurant and Music Room were destroyed in a major fire, although much of the wooden panelling and Georgian plasterwork remained intact and many of the paintings and pieces of furniture were saved. The Assembly House was restored with the support of local businesses and re-opened in February 1997.

References

External links

The Assembly House Norwich

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assembly House, The Buildings and structures in Norwich Grade I listed buildings in Norfolk

History

See also

References

External links