Norwich Cathedral
Founded in 1096 and built using Normandy stone shipped over from Caen, the Cathedral is set within 44 tranquil acres in the heart of Norwich. It is the most complete Norman Cathedral in the UK. Its spire, which is the second tallest in the UK, can be seen from miles around dominating the Norwich skyline. As well as being a place of worship, the Cathedral, it follows the other Benedictine principles of learning and hospitality. The Hostry Visitor and Education Centre is an open building where visitors can be introduced to the life, work and beauty of the Cathedral itself, where students can learn about its history, purpose and value, and where people from the whole community can come together socially or to engage with issues of common concern. The Refectory offers visitors and people working or living nearby a welcoming place to enjoy tea or coffee, eat a hot lunch or just grab a quick sandwich.
Did you know..?
that the musicians of Norwich Cathedral uphold a tradition of choral worship that stretches back almost unbroken to 1096?
The Great Hospital
Located North East of the Cathedral, The Great Hospital at Bishopgate is an Almshouse founded in 1249 by Bishop Walter de Suffield that has cared for the citizens of Norwich for over 750 years and it is part of the Norwich 12. The group of buildings includes a church, cloister, medieval refectory, and a Victorian hall. It is the only surviving medieval hospital to have its entire records in tact since its foundation in 1249. In the middle ages the Great Hospital was one of about 300 such hospitals in England in the middle ages.
Did you know...?
• The former chancel of the Church has a ceiling painted with 252 panels each depicting an Eagle. The ceiling was painted in 1383 in honour of Anne of Bohemia who visited the Great Hospital with her husband King Richard II. The upper part of the chancel is known as Eagle Ward and was used to accommodate women inmates until 1980.
• Did you know that the great Hospital has a
swan pit where swans were bred for the table from medieval times up until the second world war when grain was in short supply.
• Did you know that you can book tours of the Great Hospital (including Eagle Ward) for groups and also visit the Great Hospital on Heritage and other open days.
Churches in the Cathedral Quarter
St Simon & St Jude
The twin dedication of St Simon and St Jude is to two Apostles who, according to some accounts, preached the gospel in Persia and were martyred. A church stood on the site before the Norman Conquest of 1066, although the present building is mainly 14th century . This church houses the famous Pettus family monuments.
St Peter Hungate
Now home to Hungate Medieval Art, St Peter Hungate was completely rebuilt by the famous Paston family in 1431. There are Norfolk made tiles on the floor and Norwich made glass in the windows.
St Michael at Plea
Now home to the Norwich Christian Resource Centre, it was in St Michael at Plea that medieval church courts were held. The Forget Me Not Café takes it name from the plaintive inscription on the clock on the church’s tower.
St Andrews and Blackfriars Halls
Built over 600 years ago, the Halls are the most complete medieval friary complex surviving in England. Ever since the dissolution of the monasteries, when they were bought by the City, they have been the main public hall for civic events in the city.
St Mary in the Marsh
The remains of this church are now invisible, but they are still there built into the back wall of Georgian houses along Lower Close Green. The parish still exists but now meets in one of the side chapels of the Cathedral.
St Mary the Less
This is a hidden church which many people miss when they walk past. Known as the ‘French Church’ it was once a cloth hall where Dutch and Walloon ‘Strangers’ arriving in Norwich sold their cloth. It became the church of the French Protestant community in 1637, and services were held in French until 1832.
St Martin at Palace
One of the oldest churches in Norwich, it is referred to in Domesday Book (1086). It is now home to Move On East, a charitable organisation working towards resettling and re-integrating ex-offenders into the community and reducing crime.
St Helen
Part of the Great Hospital, it was founded by Bishop Suffield to care for elderly homeless people including ‘decrepit’ priests. It boasts some of the smallest cloisters in the UK.
St George Tombland
This is one of two medieval churches dedicated to St George in Norwich, the other is located in Colegate. It contains some fine examples of Victorian glass.
Princes St United Reformed Church
A listed building and fine example of a non-conformist Victorian church.