Norwich 12

Norwich Castle (1067-1075)

Norwich Castle is a Norman building, originally built as a royal palace for William the Conqueror, at a time when most buildings were small, wooden structures. The huge stone keep was a symbol of the king's power.

The Castle mound (motte) is the largest in the country, and from the 14th to 19th century the keep was used as a county gaol.

The Castle was converted into a museum in 1894.

Norwich Cathedral (1096-1145)

Most of Norwich Cathedral's Norman architecture is still intact and it forms one of the most complete examples of the Romanesque style in Europe. Like the Castle, the Cathedral's scale signified the power and permanence of the Norman invaders.

Caen stone was transported from Normandy and the immense building project required an army of masons, craftsmen, glaziers and laborers. Some of the original Norman wall painting survives in the Cathedral's Jesus Chapel and the presbytery.

Norwich Cathedral has the highest Norman tower (40 metres) and largest monastic cloisters in England, as well as a unique collection of medieval roof carvings.

A new Hostry Visitor and Education Centre, built within the footprint of the medieval Hostry, opened in 2009.

The Great Hospital (1249)

An exceptional set of medieval hospital buildings, in continuous use for more than 750 years. Norwich's Great Hospital has been in continuous use as a caring institution since it was founded for the care of poor chaplains in the 13th century. The six acre complex of buildings and extensive archives provide a living history of the last 750 years.

The Halls - St Andrew's and Blackfriars' (1307-1470)

The most complete medieval friary complex surviving in England. St Andrew's Hall is the centrepiece of several magnificent flint buildings, known as The Halls, which form the most complete friary complex surviving in England. The first Dominican Black Friars' priory was destroyed by fire and St Andrew's Hall formed the nave of the new church, completed in 1449.

The Guildhall (1407-1424)

England's largest and most elaborate provincial medieval city hall The elaborate design and size of Norwich Guildhall reflect Norwich's status as one of the wealthiest provincial cities in England in medieval times.

Dragon Hall (1427-1430)

Dragon Hall is a medieval trading hall, built by Robert Toppes, a wealthy local merchant, for his business. The first floor of the 27 metre timber-framed hall has an crown post roof with a carved dragon, which gives the building its name.

After Toppes' death, the building was converted for domestic use and then, in the 19th century, subdivided into shops, a pub and tenements. The great crown post roof was hidden from view for many years and only rediscovered in the 1980s.

Dragon Hall then became a heritage attraction open to visitors and a venue for weddings, private and corporate functions, and performances.

The Assembly House (1754-1755)

The Assembly House is a Georgian building designed by the architect Thomas Ivory. It incorporates the original layout of a previous building, the medieval college of St Mary in the Fields.

When it opened, the Assembly House was used as a centre for entertainment and assemblies for the local gentry. During its long history it has hosted a waxworks exhibition by Madame Tussaud, a concert by the composer Franz Liszt, and many balls.

Today the rooms appear almost exactly as they did at the height of the Regency period, and are used for exhibitions, concerts, conferences and weddings.

St James Mill (1836-1839)

The quintessential English Industrial Revolution mill St James Mill is the archetypal English Industrial Revolution mill in perhaps an unexpected part of the UK. It was built on a site occupied by the White Friars (Carmelites) in the 13th century, and an original arch and undercroft survive.

The Cathedral of St John the Baptist (1884-1910)

The Cathedral of St John the Baptist is an example of 19th-century Gothic revival architecture. By the 19th century Catholics were once again free to worship in public and the Cathedral was a gift to the city by Henry Fitzalan Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, as part of his personal mission to bring Catholicism into the centre of English life.

It was designed in the Early English style by George Gilbert Scott Junior, has 19th-century stained glass, a wealth of Frosterley marble and stone carving.

The Cathedral also incorporates the Narthex - a new visitor centre.

Surrey House (1900-1912)

One of the most elegant and opulent Edwardian office buildings in Britain. Surrey House, the historic home of Aviva (formerly Norwich Union), is a spectacular piece of Edwardian architecture designed by George Skipper. He was commissioned by The Norwich Union Life Insurance Society's directors to produce a 'splendid yet functional office space', incorporating Greek influences and the themes of insurance, protection and wellbeing, to reassure policyholders of the company's strength and prosperity.

City Hall (1936-1938)

Norwich City Hall was completed in 1938 when the Guildhall and existing municipal offices could no longer accommodate the growth in local government duties.

The city council consulted the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and organized an architectural competition to design a new municipal building.

City Hall has an art deco interior, a top-floor copula, rich mahogany panelling and one of the longest balconies in England.

The Forum (1999-2001)

The landmark Millennium building for East Anglia and examplary of 21st-century design. The Forum was funded by the Millennium Commission with matching support from Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council and the business community.

Exploring the 12

While not all of the Norwich 12 attractions are open to the public, a main focus of the project has been to improve accessibility to each of the sites.

All 12 can be explored by means of guided walks and tours, exhibitions and music/performances at the venues, or via heritage interpretation leaflets, signage, websites and guide books.

Norwich 12 tours

Tours between and around the 12 buildings run from July to September. In 2010 there were 4 tours, with each lasting approximately 3 hours.

Norwich 12 guidebook, film & postcards

A Norwich 12 Guidebook, film and postcard set have been produced in order to give the public an insight into the histories of the buildings. The postcard pack features the winning images from Norwich HEART's first annual photography competition in 2008/9.

Norwich 12 totems

Heritage interpretation totems have been installed beside each of the 12 buildings. These detail the key names and dates associated with the buildings and also contain bluetooth technology capable of delivering additional heritage information to mobile phones.

SHAPING 24

SHAPING 24 - Strategies for Heritage Access Pathways in Norwich and Ghent - is an award-winning cultural heritage tourism initiative, also coordinated by Norwich HEART, in conjunction with Stad Gent, that links together the Norwich 12 buildings, with 12 heritage sites in Ghent in Belgium.

The project seeks to increase awareness of the longstanding historical links between the East of England and the Low Countries.

The SHAPING 24 project was a winner of the 2014 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards for Education, Training and Awareness-Raising.

The SHAPING 24 project was part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund from the European Union's INTERREG IVA 2 Mers Seas Zeeen Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013.

Gent: 12 x erfgoed

The 12 heritage sites in Ghent are:

St Bavo's Abbey

St Peter's Abbey

St Bavo's Cathedral

Castle of the Counts

St Nicolas' Church

Beguinages

Lange Voilettestraat

Sint-Amandsberg

Bijloke Monastery Site

The Belfry

Ghent City Hall|City Hall

Hotels

Hotel Clemmen

Hotel d'Hane-Steenhuyse

Museum of Fine Arts

Book Tower