The Forum, Norwich
Encyclopedia
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...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. It stands opposite from the St. Peter Mancroft Church. Designed by Michael Hopkins and Partners
Hopkins Architects
Hopkins Architects Partnership LLP is a prominent British architectural firm established in 1976 by Sir Michael and Lady Patricia Hopkins. The practice has won many awards for its work and has twice been shortlisted for the Stirling Prize, including in 2011 for the 2012 London Velodrome and in...
, the Forum was built as a millennium project for the East of England
East of England
The East of England is one of the nine official regions of England. It was created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics from 1999. It includes the ceremonial counties of Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Essex has the highest population in the region.Its...
and finished in October 2001. Built on the site of the previous Norwich Library which burnt down in 1994, the Forum is visited by more than 2.5 million people every year. The building is home to the Norfolk & Norwich Millennium (NML) library, the local Tourist Information Centre, and the BBC East
BBC East
BBC East is the BBC English Region serving Norfolk, Suffolk, north Essex, Cambridgeshire, northern and central Hertfordshire, most of Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, and parts of Buckinghamshire.-Television:...
offices and studios, where the regional television news bulletin BBC Look East and local radio station BBC Radio Norfolk
BBC Radio Norfolk
BBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Norfolk, broadcasting since 11 September 1980. It broadcasts from the studios of BBC East in The Forum, Norwich on 95.1 FM , 104.4 FM , 95.6 FM , 855 kHz AM/MW , 873 kHz AM/MW BBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC Local...
are based.
Since The Forum opened, the amphitheater-like steps at the front have provided a venue for many different functions such as: amateur theatrical performances, outdoor opera, musical competitions, art exhibitions, processions, celebrations and a real-ice skating rink.
Because the forum is funded partly by lottery grants, they hold certain events which are free of charge for people to attend. For example Retro Arcade 2: Megablast in which Fusion (a digital gallery) is transformed into a vast array of gaming machines.
The Forum is also perfectly placed for people to meet and have certain social events safe in the knowledge that others from the area will know where it is. It is seen as a very social spot and is notorious for attracting skaters and free runners who parade their skills to the crowds surrounding them. In keeping with its image of being a notorious meeting place within the city, gamers have chosen the forum as the place to hold their first 3DS streetpass event within the city.
The Forum is part of 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...
, a collection of notable buildings in Norwich spanning the Norman, medieval, Georgian, Victorian and modern eras.
External links
52°37′39"N 1°17′26"E