St Swithin, St Benedict's Street, Norwich
Now Norwich Arts Centre.
In fact it has been a concert venue since the mid-80s, I can remember coming here several times, last time to see The Primitives do their thang, and supported by a local band, who did Wild Thing as an encore. I found out that the leader of that local band died recently, which is a shame.
It was also here that Richie James carved the word's "4 REAL" into his forearm during an interview with the NME, which brought him and his band, the Manic Street Preachers to national attention.
For me, it is good to see the venue still in use some 20 years after I first attended a gig here, and I was waved through when I explained I wanted to have a look at the old church, disturbing a small piano recital in the lobby, where a small group of people listened as a man played piano. They gently applauded him as one song finished, and I took the chance to nip past.
Very little of the church seems to remain, though there are memorials, and above the roof is still in place.
--------------------------------------------
St Benedict Street has four medieval churches within 250 metres of each other, and there are three more on adjacent Pottergate, so it is no surprise that some of them are surplus to requirements; in fact, all seven are now redundant. St Swithin is one of the smallest, but it was already derelict in the 19th century. The tall, elegant tower, with the porch built directly into its south side, was taken down as unsafe in the 1880s, and the church was closed shortly afterwards. You can see the church before the tower was demolished in the image on the left.
There obviously was a 19th century interior, because above the large west gallery the west window had been filled in, and scriptural texts painted in ribbons, suggesting an evangelical temper to the worship here. It can only have fallen into disuse because of the proximity of so many other churches - there are four others in St Benedict's Street alone.
However, this area was the toughest and grimiest part of industrial Norwich, and in 1905, a young clergyman, John Sawbridge, saw a need for an evangelical presence, probably because of the high Anglo-catholic character of nearby St Lawrence, and he raised the funds for St Swithin to be repaired and restored to use.
Diocesan architect Herbert Green did the job, and built parish mission and school rooms at the east end that still survive today, as we shall see. The ornate bell turret in the 15th century style is also his. He took out the large gallery, replacing it with a smaller one, and opened up the west window. The benches were replaced with modern chairs, a screen being put in to contain the tiny chancel.
However, it couldn't last, and by the Second World War St Swithin was redundant again. It escaped the blitz, despite St Benedict, 200m away, being destroyed. After the war, as with many Norwich churches, St Swithin was left to rot, being used as a furniture warehouse, until it was born again in the 1980s as the Norwich Arts Centre.
A new entrance hall was built in the south-east corner, and the parish rooms have become an exhibition space and restaurant. The church itself is the auditorium. It is all done so well that from the inside that it is hard to tell you are not in a modern building. Inside, very little survives of the Reverend Sawbridge's incarnation, and obviously hardly anything medieval. There are pictures of the modern interior at the bottom of this page.
Unfortunately, the revised edition of Pevsner uses the notes of the first edition to record the screen and a pair of medieval stalls, but in fact nothing remains at all of the internal furnishings.
Norwich Arts Centre is a pleasure to visit, and it is open every day. The staff here are very friendly, and you will be able to step into the auditorium. There is an illusion, as you look towards the stage, that you are facing east, as in the conversion of St Mary-at-the-Wall in Colchester as the Colchester Arts Centre; but here in St Swithin you enter the auditorium through what would have been the sanctuary, and look towards the site of the demolished tower. Looking up above the lighting rig, a Victorian roof survives, a reminder with a scattering of memorials that this was once a church.
In church explorer terms, it is not as well done as Colchester Arts Centre, in the sense that there is little regard for the former incarnation of the building, but this is a good venue for seeing smaller bands (I had been to see The Wedding Present a few days before I took these photos) and in any case, the plaque on the wall at Colchester applies here as well:
This building was intended as a church.
Deconsecrated, it is a church no longer.
One day it will become a ruin.
When it does, it will be the ruin of a church.
When you leave, it is worth wandering down the lane to the west of the church, where the tower used to be. Amazingly, here is a totally rural 16th century cottage, for all the world as if we were in deepest Norfolk, and the ancient street sign Hampshire Hog Yard.
Simon Knott, November 2005
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/norwichswithin/norwichswithin.htm
----------------------------------------------
This is one of four churches in St Benedict’s Street, and its dedication to St Swithin (the famous rain-making Bishop of Winchester!) indicates it may well have an Anglo-Saxon foundation date. The original church was probably no longer than the one we see today, and its development has been restricted by its site. Rich enough to rebuild the church as it stands in the fifteenth century, and still containing some well-to-do parishioners in the eighteenth, by the nineteenth the parish had become a slum.
The church appears very odd from outside, as there is no tower, and no obvious entrance. The tower became unsafe, and was demolished in 1882, and replaced by the turret. There were porches either side of it, as at St Gregory. Entrance was through the west door.
The windows are of the Decorated style, though those in the clerestorey are square-headed Perpendicular. They show that it is a building of four bays, with no separate chancel. The rood-stair turret on the north side shows the original screen crossed half-way along, giving a chancel and nave of two bays each.
Also on the north side is the Mission Hall, built in 1908, and as large as the church itself. This was the result of a generous benefaction.
Very little remains to be seen. Entry from the Arts Centre is now through the east wall, where the altar once stood.
Of special note are the arcades. That on the north (left as you enter) is a standard Perpendicular structure, with Gothic columns and arches; that on the south was remodelled around 1700 in the Classical style, with square piers and round arches.
All the fittings have been removed. These included an East Anglian ‘lion’ font; a screen which separated off the altar of 1905. This included a projection screen which could be raised and lowered for magic lantern lectures; and an organ, which is now at Heckingham.
The monuments include one to Anne Scottowe, who died in 1650; William Willcocks (died 1770) and Abraham Robertson (died 1777).
Nineteenth century. Closed in 1881, it reopened in 1883, then closed again in 1891, and fell into disrepair. It was thoroughly restored in 1905.
Twentieth century. Although the Hall had enabled it to become the social centre of its parish, falling numbers of residents forced its final closure in 1951. After many years’ use as a furniture store, it became the Norwich Arts Centre in 1980. The church is used as a concert hall, and the Mission Hall contains the restaurant, galleries, and offices.
www.norwich-churches.org/St Swithins/home.shtm
St Swithin, St Benedict's Street, Norwich
Now Norwich Arts Centre.
In fact it has been a concert venue since the mid-80s, I can remember coming here several times, last time to see The Primitives do their thang, and supported by a local band, who did Wild Thing as an encore. I found out that the leader of that local band died recently, which is a shame.
It was also here that Richie James carved the word's "4 REAL" into his forearm during an interview with the NME, which brought him and his band, the Manic Street Preachers to national attention.
For me, it is good to see the venue still in use some 20 years after I first attended a gig here, and I was waved through when I explained I wanted to have a look at the old church, disturbing a small piano recital in the lobby, where a small group of people listened as a man played piano. They gently applauded him as one song finished, and I took the chance to nip past.
Very little of the church seems to remain, though there are memorials, and above the roof is still in place.
--------------------------------------------
St Benedict Street has four medieval churches within 250 metres of each other, and there are three more on adjacent Pottergate, so it is no surprise that some of them are surplus to requirements; in fact, all seven are now redundant. St Swithin is one of the smallest, but it was already derelict in the 19th century. The tall, elegant tower, with the porch built directly into its south side, was taken down as unsafe in the 1880s, and the church was closed shortly afterwards. You can see the church before the tower was demolished in the image on the left.
There obviously was a 19th century interior, because above the large west gallery the west window had been filled in, and scriptural texts painted in ribbons, suggesting an evangelical temper to the worship here. It can only have fallen into disuse because of the proximity of so many other churches - there are four others in St Benedict's Street alone.
However, this area was the toughest and grimiest part of industrial Norwich, and in 1905, a young clergyman, John Sawbridge, saw a need for an evangelical presence, probably because of the high Anglo-catholic character of nearby St Lawrence, and he raised the funds for St Swithin to be repaired and restored to use.
Diocesan architect Herbert Green did the job, and built parish mission and school rooms at the east end that still survive today, as we shall see. The ornate bell turret in the 15th century style is also his. He took out the large gallery, replacing it with a smaller one, and opened up the west window. The benches were replaced with modern chairs, a screen being put in to contain the tiny chancel.
However, it couldn't last, and by the Second World War St Swithin was redundant again. It escaped the blitz, despite St Benedict, 200m away, being destroyed. After the war, as with many Norwich churches, St Swithin was left to rot, being used as a furniture warehouse, until it was born again in the 1980s as the Norwich Arts Centre.
A new entrance hall was built in the south-east corner, and the parish rooms have become an exhibition space and restaurant. The church itself is the auditorium. It is all done so well that from the inside that it is hard to tell you are not in a modern building. Inside, very little survives of the Reverend Sawbridge's incarnation, and obviously hardly anything medieval. There are pictures of the modern interior at the bottom of this page.
Unfortunately, the revised edition of Pevsner uses the notes of the first edition to record the screen and a pair of medieval stalls, but in fact nothing remains at all of the internal furnishings.
Norwich Arts Centre is a pleasure to visit, and it is open every day. The staff here are very friendly, and you will be able to step into the auditorium. There is an illusion, as you look towards the stage, that you are facing east, as in the conversion of St Mary-at-the-Wall in Colchester as the Colchester Arts Centre; but here in St Swithin you enter the auditorium through what would have been the sanctuary, and look towards the site of the demolished tower. Looking up above the lighting rig, a Victorian roof survives, a reminder with a scattering of memorials that this was once a church.
In church explorer terms, it is not as well done as Colchester Arts Centre, in the sense that there is little regard for the former incarnation of the building, but this is a good venue for seeing smaller bands (I had been to see The Wedding Present a few days before I took these photos) and in any case, the plaque on the wall at Colchester applies here as well:
This building was intended as a church.
Deconsecrated, it is a church no longer.
One day it will become a ruin.
When it does, it will be the ruin of a church.
When you leave, it is worth wandering down the lane to the west of the church, where the tower used to be. Amazingly, here is a totally rural 16th century cottage, for all the world as if we were in deepest Norfolk, and the ancient street sign Hampshire Hog Yard.
Simon Knott, November 2005
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/norwichswithin/norwichswithin.htm
----------------------------------------------
This is one of four churches in St Benedict’s Street, and its dedication to St Swithin (the famous rain-making Bishop of Winchester!) indicates it may well have an Anglo-Saxon foundation date. The original church was probably no longer than the one we see today, and its development has been restricted by its site. Rich enough to rebuild the church as it stands in the fifteenth century, and still containing some well-to-do parishioners in the eighteenth, by the nineteenth the parish had become a slum.
The church appears very odd from outside, as there is no tower, and no obvious entrance. The tower became unsafe, and was demolished in 1882, and replaced by the turret. There were porches either side of it, as at St Gregory. Entrance was through the west door.
The windows are of the Decorated style, though those in the clerestorey are square-headed Perpendicular. They show that it is a building of four bays, with no separate chancel. The rood-stair turret on the north side shows the original screen crossed half-way along, giving a chancel and nave of two bays each.
Also on the north side is the Mission Hall, built in 1908, and as large as the church itself. This was the result of a generous benefaction.
Very little remains to be seen. Entry from the Arts Centre is now through the east wall, where the altar once stood.
Of special note are the arcades. That on the north (left as you enter) is a standard Perpendicular structure, with Gothic columns and arches; that on the south was remodelled around 1700 in the Classical style, with square piers and round arches.
All the fittings have been removed. These included an East Anglian ‘lion’ font; a screen which separated off the altar of 1905. This included a projection screen which could be raised and lowered for magic lantern lectures; and an organ, which is now at Heckingham.
The monuments include one to Anne Scottowe, who died in 1650; William Willcocks (died 1770) and Abraham Robertson (died 1777).
Nineteenth century. Closed in 1881, it reopened in 1883, then closed again in 1891, and fell into disrepair. It was thoroughly restored in 1905.
Twentieth century. Although the Hall had enabled it to become the social centre of its parish, falling numbers of residents forced its final closure in 1951. After many years’ use as a furniture store, it became the Norwich Arts Centre in 1980. The church is used as a concert hall, and the Mission Hall contains the restaurant, galleries, and offices.
www.norwich-churches.org/St Swithins/home.shtm