Norwich Assembly House snow - pole aerial image
Fresh snow in the forecourt of The Assembly House on Theatre Street, Norwich photographed using an Insta360 X5 held on a 3 m pole.
Norwich locals long referred to this place as the Assembly Rooms.
The present Assembly House was built in the mid-18th century, 1754–1755, as a purpose-made venue for social life in the city: dances, concerts, dinners and formal gatherings. It is closely associated with Norwich architect Thomas Ivory and the refined 18th-century interiors have been linked with James Burrough.
The site itself is older than the Georgian façade. Parts of the structure include material from earlier buildings connected with St Mary-in-the-Fields. Over the centuries the House has had periods of change and reinvention while remaining one of Norwich’s best-known historic interiors. It is Grade I listed which reflects its architectural importance and the survival of key rooms.
Following WW2, after decades of heavy use and wartime requisition the building had suffered neglect, bomb damage and serious fabric problems (the sort of old-building headaches like dry rot and woodworm) and there wasn’t an obvious public pot of money ready to rescue a large Grade I listed venue. Without someone taking control and paying for a proper restoration it risked sliding further into decay and being lost to Norwich as a civic arts and events space.
So Henry J. Sexton joined with Sir George White and Alan Rees Colman to buy the building, stabilise its future then arrange for it to be given to Norwich in 1950 for public benefit.
A major turning point came on 12 April 1995 when a serious fire swept through The Assembly House, bringing down much of the roof and badly damaging parts of the historic interior including decorative plasterwork. The trustees decided the very next day that it would be restored and, under the day-to-day lead of general manager Ben Russell-Fish, a rapid fundraising effort began. Support included a £400,000 contribution from the National Lottery which helped fund modern essentials alongside conservation work such as improved access, new kitchen facilities and upgraded fire detection. The restoration planning was led by Purcell as architects with highly skilled specialist craftspeople brought in for the repairs, with expertise comparable to teams used on major national heritage projects. The work involved careful reconstruction in a Georgian manner where fabric had been lost, then the building was able to reopen on 14 February 1997, slightly ahead of schedule. The building is held for Norwich by The Assembly House Trust which is a registered charity.
Norwich Assembly House snow - pole aerial image
Fresh snow in the forecourt of The Assembly House on Theatre Street, Norwich photographed using an Insta360 X5 held on a 3 m pole.
Norwich locals long referred to this place as the Assembly Rooms.
The present Assembly House was built in the mid-18th century, 1754–1755, as a purpose-made venue for social life in the city: dances, concerts, dinners and formal gatherings. It is closely associated with Norwich architect Thomas Ivory and the refined 18th-century interiors have been linked with James Burrough.
The site itself is older than the Georgian façade. Parts of the structure include material from earlier buildings connected with St Mary-in-the-Fields. Over the centuries the House has had periods of change and reinvention while remaining one of Norwich’s best-known historic interiors. It is Grade I listed which reflects its architectural importance and the survival of key rooms.
Following WW2, after decades of heavy use and wartime requisition the building had suffered neglect, bomb damage and serious fabric problems (the sort of old-building headaches like dry rot and woodworm) and there wasn’t an obvious public pot of money ready to rescue a large Grade I listed venue. Without someone taking control and paying for a proper restoration it risked sliding further into decay and being lost to Norwich as a civic arts and events space.
So Henry J. Sexton joined with Sir George White and Alan Rees Colman to buy the building, stabilise its future then arrange for it to be given to Norwich in 1950 for public benefit.
A major turning point came on 12 April 1995 when a serious fire swept through The Assembly House, bringing down much of the roof and badly damaging parts of the historic interior including decorative plasterwork. The trustees decided the very next day that it would be restored and, under the day-to-day lead of general manager Ben Russell-Fish, a rapid fundraising effort began. Support included a £400,000 contribution from the National Lottery which helped fund modern essentials alongside conservation work such as improved access, new kitchen facilities and upgraded fire detection. The restoration planning was led by Purcell as architects with highly skilled specialist craftspeople brought in for the repairs, with expertise comparable to teams used on major national heritage projects. The work involved careful reconstruction in a Georgian manner where fabric had been lost, then the building was able to reopen on 14 February 1997, slightly ahead of schedule. The building is held for Norwich by The Assembly House Trust which is a registered charity.