• Port of Norwich / King Street : Norwich became a port by Act of Parliament in 1827.  King Street with merchants houses and sites sloping down towards the river was the centre of the brewing industry in Norwich.  Also on King Street is Dragon Hall, a Grade I listed mediaeval trading hall which is the only surviving building of its type in Western Europe.  Reads flour mill used river transport for deliveries of grain and at Baltic Wharf timber was imported from Scandinavia.  This covered the reach of the river from Carrow Bridge to Foundry Bridge, which formed the upper limit of navigation. Eventually industry deserted King Street and Riverside Road, the area that supported river traffic and the size of coasting vessels increased so that fewer and fewer vessels were capable of navigating the narrow and winding rivers that led to Norwich. By the end of the 1980s transport by river had almost completely ceased.
• Riverside : A former industrial area south of the railway station was redeveloped in the 1990s providing retail and leisure facilities along with housing to the river frontage and the new Novi Sad bridge creating a further pedestrian link to the city centre.
• Reads Flour Mill & Paper Mill : These former mills have been converted to residential use incorporating some of the older commercial buildings.
• Carrow Bridge / Boom Towers : Carrow Bridge next to Norwich City football stadium was originally built in 1810 as a toll bridge. The current bridge dates from 1923.  The Boom Towers at the southern end of the city defences controlled access along the river
• New Residential development : Further development is continuing along the river front beyond Carrow Bridge and large scale schemes have also been approved on several sites on the fringe of the city.
• Whitlingham : The Outdoor Education Centre is a purpose built activities centre in Whitlingham Country Park on the outskirts of the city.  The Visitor Centre is within a converted flint barn and is part of the network of Broads Information Centres.

Tour Leader David Edleston

David is an architect who has worked in both the public and private sectors including Conservation Teams in Liverpool, Norwich, Chester and Sefton.  He was an associate in a large architectural practice in the north west, where he worked on a range of ecclesiastical projects as an approved inspecting architect and for clients such as the National Trust.

In 1996 he moved to Norfolk following his appointment as Conservation, Design & Landscape Manager at South Norfolk Council with responsibility for the historic built environment, design, trees & landscape, ecology and biodiversity.  In 2001 he established the annual South Norfolk Design Awards Scheme.  He was the project manager for the preparation of the South Norfolk Place Making Guide, which was a finalist in the public sector category of the 2013 National Urban Design Awards. He also acted as expert witness on cultural heritage at a number of public inquiries.

He was a member of the IHBC East Anglia Branch Committee for 12 years and was chair of the committee responsible for organising the IHBC Annual School at the University of East Anglia in Norwich in 2003.  Following a short break he rejoined the committee and has contributed to the organisation of the 2015 Annual School.  He was also involved with organising the RIBA Norfolk Association of Architects Festival of Architecture in Norwich and Norfolk in 2013.

David set up his own practice in 2014 as a Conservation Architect & Historic Built Environment Consultant and is working on a range of projects including a consultant on statutory casework for English Heritage, consultant architect for the Townscape Heritage Initiative in Kings Lynn and work for private clients and architectural practices on historic buildings.  He is also a keen photographer specialising in architectural and landscape photography.

Tour Sponsor

Leaves at 9.30 am Pick up point the Maids Head Hotel, Tombland, Norwich

Return from 4.00pm Drop off at Maids Head Hotel, Premier Inn and Norwich railway station

Lead: David Eve   Branch assist: Boyd Nicholas

St Andrew and St Patrick Elvedon.

St Andrew and St Patrick lie at the centre of the Elveden Estate, a large country estate now the seat of the Earl of Iveagh and the Guinness family. Previously, it was the family home of Maharajah Duleep Singh, last ruler of the Sikh Empire who was sent to exile in Britain in 1854. The Maharajah is buried in the churchyard of St Andrew and St Patrick which in itself has its own story to tell.

Both St Andrew and St Patrick reflect the intriguing history of their construction in their fascinating architecture and appearance. The original church in the village, dedicated to St Andrew, was medieval, it has a 12th century nave to which a tower was added around 1421 and a south porch was also built in the 15th century.

The Maharajah carried out some considerable renovations to this church around 1869, to make it more in keeping ‘with the splendour of his estate’. The new church, dedicated to St Patrick, was constructed between 1904 and 1906 and was described as ‘Art Nouveau Gothic’ by Nikolaus Pevsner.

Today, the nave of St Andrew’s forms the south aisle of the conjoined churches of St Andrew and St Patrick and the old chancel has been screened off into a chapel. The two churches are collectively Grade II* listed and some of the features of interest include a Sicilian-Norman font, 14th century piscina and sedilia, and a superb alabaster reredos depicting the supper of Emmaus.

Thetford Warren Lodge

Thetford Warren Lodge is an intriguing Grade II* building thought to have been built around 1400 by the Prior of Thetford. This defensible lodge protected warreners and hunting parties against armed poachers. Much later used by the local gamekeepers who harvested rabbits here.

The prior had the right of free warren – a licence from the king to hunt small game – and the area would have been an obvious target for armed poachers. The many defensive features incorporated into his lodge show that the prior took this threat seriously.

It is known that the warreners who managed and culled the stock occupied Thetford Warren Lodge from at least the 18th century onwards. They made alterations to the building and used the rooms on the ground floor for drying rabbit skins and storing their traps, nets and lanterns.

Thetford Warren Lodge retains many original features and is a rare example of its kind. It is a rectangular tower-house built of mortared flint rubble and reused stones, some of which are reddened and were probably removed from the nearby priory after a fire. The walls were substantial – up to 1 metre thick at floor level – and stand for the most part to almost their original height. The limestone dressings also include many reused 12th century architectural fragments.

The lodge had numerous defensive features, including a parapet from which the gamekeeper could look out over what was then open country. The lower windows are narrow loops and the single entrance has a meutrière or murder-hole – a chute over the porch down which missiles and boiling liquids could be delivered onto unwelcome visitors.

St Mary’s, West Tofts

St Marys is located in the grounds of the Stanford Battle Area which has been used by the British Army for the last sixty years as a battle training area.

In July 1942 around a thousand occupants of six villages and surrounding farmland were compulsorily evacuated from their homes, the villages of Buckenham Tofts, Langford, Stanford, Tottington, West Tofts and Sturston. The villagers gave up their homes at a time of great national significance, because the zone was needed for training for the Battle of Normandy.

The Stanford Battle Area has played a vital role in preparing soldiers for major British military deployments. The sites of the original villages and farms no longer exist, having been raised to the ground by troops using tanks, live rounds, mortars and artillery whilst training for a wars that could take place anywhere around the globe. All that remains are concrete pillars with plaques marking the locations of formerly significant buildings: the pubs, the schools, the post offices, the village halls. Very little remains, with the singular exception of the churches.

All six villages had active churches when the zone was evacuated in 1944, however only St Marys at West Tofts has been returned to use in recent years but is still only permitted two services per year.

St Mary's was extensively restored and remodelled by the architect Pugin (1812-1852) who rebuilt the chancel and added a richly decorated south transept. The rural medieval church was turned into a Gothic fantasy thanks to the fabulous wealth of the Sutton family of Lynford Hall.

As this site involves the firing of live ammunition, nobody lives in the zone, some of the former buildings have been demolished, others adapted for training purposes. Especially for the training of troops deployed to Afghanistan a new village - including houses, a market and a mosque as well as a system that pumps out smells like rotten meat and sewage for authenticity - was constructed in 2009. This new village replicates an Afghan village and is manned by ex-Gurkha soldiers and amputees from the charity Amputees for Action to simulate locals and wounded soldiers.

Access to the churches is only possible for a severely limited time slot each year and under special circumstances, we are therefore extremely fortunate to get this opportunity to visit.

Wymondham Abbey and the Abbey Experience Project

The Abbey Church of St Mary and St Thomas of Canterbury, Wymondham was founded as a Priory for a community of Benedictine Monks in 1107 and is listed Grade I.  It was built on an ambitious scale using stone shipped from Caen in Normandy.  Internally it has a late fifteenth century hammerbeam roof with winged angels and a magnificent reredos designed by Sir Ninian Comper in 1935.

The Abbey Experience is a project to enhance Wymondham Abbey and strengthen its relationship with the town and includes both building works and new activities.  It is costing in the region of £2.7 million which includes £1.7 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  The scheme has been designed  by Freeland Rees Roberts Architects of Cambridge and includes :-

• Internal re-ordering including the restoration of the south aisle; re-opening of the grand West Doors to enable the spectacular processional route to be used on special occasions; new links between different spaces so that the ruined monastic tower and St Margaret's Chapel can be accessed from the church.
• The creation of a new meeting space within the ruins of St Margaret's Chapel which will also provide space for items from the archive and a vestry for the choir.
• An extension to the south aisle to provide toilets, kitchen facilities, an activity area for school visits and space to display items from the archive and tell the Abbey's story.
• A mediaeval herb garden like that maintained by the monks of Wymondham Priory re-created in the churchyard.

At the time of our visit the works should be nearing completion and it will be an opportunity to explore this magnificent building and see the contemporary extension which has been sensitively designed as a twentyfirst century addition in this historic context.  Further information can be found at www.wymondhamabbey.org.uk

Tour sponsor

Tour Leads Paul Richards Kings Lynn  Branch assists:  Paul Rhymes/Pam Lynn

Leaves at 9.00 am Pick up point the Maids Head Hotel, Tombland, Norwich

Return from 4.30pm Drop off at Maids

Head Hotel, Premier Inn and Norwich

railway station

Pentey Priory

Pentney Priory was founded around 1130 by Robert De Vaux, and was one of the wealthier monastic communities in Norfolk. It was built on low-lying land in the Nar Valley and the site was linked to the river by a canal. The gatehouse was built in the 14th century as the main entrance to the priory complex. The external walls stand to their full height and retain important architectural detail.

Pentney was one of three Augustinian houses in the Nar Valley, with the smaller Wormegay Priory being absorbed by Pentney in 1468. The priory was dissolved in 1537 by Henry VIII as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and sold to the Earl of Rutland. Stone from the priory was used in the building of Abbey Farm and on a number of the nearby outbuildings.

Restoration work at Pentney Priory, was one of English Heritage’s most ambitious restoration projects in the East of England, the four-year project, was funded by a £200,000 grant from English Heritage and £55,000 from the owners.

The three-storey gatehouse is the only surviving monastic building from the once powerful priory, which would once have included several monastic buildings including a grand church. The Grade I listed gatehouse and scheduled monument had been on the English Heritage “at risk” register since it was first published in 1998 and it was found to be in danger of imminent collapse, with falling masonry and significant water ingress.

It was identified as the number one priority site in the East of England and thankfully has been brought back from the brink and transformed into a multipurpose wedding, party and accommodation venue. The restoration has involved traditional craft building skills and materials, and mixes new and historic construction.

The video tour below provides a flavor of the building and the restoration works undertaken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztp7MQWKF6c

Kings Lynn Tour Introduction

To explore Lynn’s historic built environment spanning the 15th to 18th centuries.  Overseas and coastal trade generated the wealth for domestic and commercial and civic building/rebuilding.  Such urban development placed Lynn in the mainstream of fashionable national design around 1700.  Henry Bell’s two classical masterpieces were the Merchants’ Exchange/Custom House (1684) and the Market Cross (1710); the latter sadly demolished in 1830.  Lynn’s medieval buildings remain exceptional and arresting.  Two large guildhalls, two huge churches, the tower of the Franciscan Church and merchant houses/complexes are heritage assets of national importance.  Anglo-Hanseatic commerce (1300-1500) was the engine of Lynn’s economic success and allowed significant investment in constructing the Medieval Town.

Proposed Tour Route

To discover Lynn’s remarkable architectural legacy as a port in England’s premier urban league for centuries, the Saturday Market Place is a good starting point, with its surrounding grade 1 listed buildings.  Then to walk to Nelson Street and along the South Quay before accessing King’s Staithe Square via Queen Street.  To complete the town tour on Purfleet Quay and the Custom House.

Town Hall

The Medieval Guildhall and 18th century Assembly Rooms would provide excellent insights into the world of Lynn’s merchant rulers.

The Minster

The brasses and standard chest with their Hanseatic associations as well as 14th century wood carving/furniture of great interest, but time may not be sufficient to enter the Church – it is a huge place and tends to consume time I find!.

Hanse House

Courtyard and selected rooms can be visited.  The Marriage Room/Hanseatic Suite can seat 30 for a short talk on this sole surviving Kontor of the German Hanse in England.

Marriott’s Warehouse

The building known today as Marriott's Warehouse dates from the 1580s and is Listed Grade II*. It was an important warehouse for the trade in salt, beer, wine and building materials. Ships would dock inside to unload cargo, its stone lower storey protecting against the tides as it stood out in the Wash, long before the quayside was built up around it.

Today, the ground floor is a successful café and restaurant while the first floor is a relaxed seating area with an exhibition of some of the town's historic buildings. The second floor is used as a venue for meetings, lectures and functions.

Clifton House

Clifton House is the most important house in the historic town of King’s Lynn. A merchant’s house in the heart of the town, it retains an amazing series of historic interiors dating from the 13th to the 18th centuries and is Grade I listed. Features of interest include two tiled floors from the later 13th century (the largest in-situ tiled floors in any secular building in Britain); the 14th-century vaulted undercroft; the five-storey Elizabethan tower and a series of rooms created by the architect Henry Bell in 1700.

Custom House

Lynn’s most famous and iconic building, and “the first to use the grammar of classical architecture correctly”.  As well as Bell’s 1684 masterpiece itself, plenty of maritime heritage upstairs, including original rooms of the 18th century customs officers and ship models.

Tour Leader Paul Richards

Born and bred in King’s Lynn, Paul Richards studied for both BA and PhD degrees in History at Birmingham University. He taught in further and higher education at the College of West Anglia and part-time for several university extra-mural departments as well as The Open University.  Paul was a borough councillor (King’s Lynn) and Mayor (1998-2000) before becoming an Honorary Alderman. In 2013 he was commissioned as a Deputy Lieutenant of Norfolk.  Paul is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (London) and of the Royal Society of Arts.  His History of King’s Lynn was published in 1990 and King’s Lynn Through Time in 2014.  Amongst other interest, he is trust chairman at True’s Yard Fisherfolk Museum, a King’s Lynn Festival director and town guide 1983.

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