The Assembly House
Encyclopedia
The Assembly House is a Georgian Grade I listed building located in Norwich
, United Kingdom
.
Today, the Assembly House is used for weddings, conferences and exhibitions and is owned by a registered arts charity which supports a range of visual and performing arts activities. It is one of the twelve historic Norwich buildings in the Norwich 12
initiative, a project to develop an integrated group of heritage attractions in the City.
, granted a 500-year lease of Chapel Field House estate (as it was then known) to some aldermen of Norwich for £1800 plus an annual rent of £5. Now the site began to take on its modern appearance.
The city fathers unveiled plans for “public places of entertainment for the county and the city”. They set architect Thomas Ivory
, who also built the Octagon Chapel
, to work. Helped by enthusiastic amateur Sir James Burrough, Ivory demolished the central section.
The house was designed by Ivory, and was originally used as a 'House of Assemblies' where events were held for the gentry of Norwich. The building was later used by Norwich High School for Girls
. During the Second World War the building was converted for use as a camouflage school. He went on to become a famous costume and theatrical set designer.
After the war the house underwent considerable restoration programme, encouraged by Messel and funded by leading Norwich shoe manufacturer, H. J. Sexton. The house was reopened once again as a centre for entertainment and the arts.
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Today, the Assembly House is used for weddings, conferences and exhibitions and is owned by a registered arts charity which supports a range of visual and performing arts activities. It is one of the twelve historic Norwich buildings in the Norwich 12
Norwich 12
Norwich 12 is an initiative by Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust to develop 12 of Norwich's most iconic buildings into an integrated family of heritage attractions which act as an internationally important showcase of English urban and cultural development over the last 1,000...
initiative, a project to develop an integrated group of heritage attractions in the City.
History
In 1278 a college for secular priests, The College of St Mary in the Fields, was established on the site. 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 Feast of Corpus Christi, an important annual festival in which the trade guilds would march in procession. In 1544 the site was surrendered to the king at the Dissolution. Although the great chapel was destroyed during the Reformation, the college buildings survived. The brickvaulted cellar remains, and behind the present Georgian facade, the core of the medieval edifice remains. In 1569 the site came into the hands of the Cornwallis family, before being left to the Hobarts early in the following century. The Hobarts leased the site to tenants, who maintained the tradition of public assemblies. In 1753 John Hobart, the Duke of BuckinghamDuke of Buckingham
The titles Marquess and Duke of Buckingham, referring to Buckingham, have been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been Earls of Buckingham.-1444 creation:...
, granted a 500-year lease of Chapel Field House estate (as it was then known) to some aldermen of Norwich for £1800 plus an annual rent of £5. Now the site began to take on its modern appearance.
The city fathers unveiled plans for “public places of entertainment for the county and the city”. They set architect Thomas Ivory
Thomas Ivory
-Life:He was admitted a freeman of Norwich as a carpenter 21 September 1745, and lived in the parish of St. Helen.He obtained a license for his company of actors, the Norwich Company of Comedians, to perform in Norwich in 1768, and in the same year sent competition drawings for the erection of the...
, who also built the Octagon Chapel
Octagon Chapel, Norwich
The Octagon Chapel is a Unitarian Chapel located in Colegate in Norwich, Norfolk, England. It is home to a growing liberal religious community, welcoming people of all religious faiths and none. The congregation is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches.The chapel...
, to work. Helped by enthusiastic amateur Sir James Burrough, Ivory demolished the central section.
The house was designed by Ivory, and was originally used as a 'House of Assemblies' where events were held for the gentry of Norwich. The building was later used by Norwich High School for Girls
Norwich High School for Girls
Norwich High School for Girls is an independent fee-charging school with selective entry in Norwich, Norfolk, England. It was founded in 1875 and is now one of the twenty-nine schools of the Girls' Day School Trust. The school has one of the best academic records in Norfolk...
. During the Second World War the building was converted for use as a camouflage school. He went on to become a famous costume and theatrical set designer.
After the war the house underwent considerable restoration programme, encouraged by Messel and funded by leading Norwich shoe manufacturer, H. J. Sexton. The house was reopened once again as a centre for entertainment and the arts.