NHER 449 (Monument record) - Dragon Hall, Nos 115-123 King Street (formerly the Old Barge), Norwich

Dragon Hall, Nos 115 to 123 King Street.

1954. Listed Grade I.
Listing Description excerpt:
"Former merchants' hall under restoration at the time of re-survey. 14th century with 15th-century rebuilding and additions. Late 15th-century onwards alterations. Flint rubble and brick ground floor and timber-framed first floor. Pantile roof. Originally orientated towards the river with south block at right-angles to the street line. Two storeys, jetty at first floor. Seven bays."
Information from (S1).
Please consult the National Heritage List for England (S1) for the current details.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 September 2017. Amended H. Hamilton (HES), 8 November 2019.

July 1980. Building Survey.
Examined as part of Norwich Survey.
See record forms (S2) for notes and photograph of showing roof construction. See also file for various additional notes and plans compiled/collated as part of the Norwich Survey.
Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 29 September 2017.

December 1980. Trial Trench.
Small trial excavation (machine trench) to investigate possibility of medieval canal leading to Old Barge.
Several phases were discerned, but no large-scale work was undertaken.
Series of yard surfaces at rear of Old Barge.
See report (S3) for further details.
B. Ayers (NAU) and M. Atkin (NCM).

1980s. Building Survey.
Various phases of repair work were undertaken between December 1980 and May 1986, allowing a detailed examination of the structure by the City Architect's Department.
See report (S4), which was produced in 1988, following the first phase of archaeological work (see below).
P. Watkins (HES), 29 September 2017.

1987-88. Excavation.
Excavations by NAU with MSC team.
The results of this work are summarised in (S5). As no other report was produced the results were incorporated into the report produced following the completion of two subsequent phases of excavation.

Winter 1997/1998. Excavation.
Excavation conducted on behalf of the Norfolk and Norwich Heritage Trust.

October 1999. Excavation.
Site extended to east for new excavation continuing features seen in 1998 excavation.

The three phases of archaeological excavation undertaken between 1987 and 1999 revealed a complex series of deposits dating from the pre-Conquest to the post medieval period.
Three adjoining properties were established on the site in the period 975-1025. Simple timber posted structures were erected against the street in at least two of these, and the third had a building set back from the street. An oven lay behind one of the buildings, and sand and gravel was extracted to the south, close to the river. The contents of refuse pits from this period indicate an economy based on a local trade in finished metalwork, ceramic goods, querns, antler-working and perishables. Evidence of a freshwater fishery emphasises the importance of the nearby river.
During the late 11th to late 12th centuries a shift in the settlement occurs as new buildings are established nearer to the river. These buildings were accompanied by agricultural activity on the site, coupled with the widening of trade networks, as indicated by changes in the ceramic assemblage. New building techniques are visible, and one building is suggested to have formed part of a larger Norman holding.
The late 12th to late 13th centuries saw the site evolve, with the main changes being the appearance of roads from King Street to the river. This indicates a change in the economic basis of the settlement, and suggests that activity was moving from a semi-agricultural base to one exploiting a developing commercial waterfront.
Changes in ownership of this land during the 1280s triggered extensive redevelopment. The land was divided into holdings belonging to the Abbot of Woburn and John Page, both of whom built stone buildings on their property. Page's L-shaped holding originally included a timber hall house with a partially walled courtyard set behind street frontage development. Woburn's property had a stone building and a long thin structure which may have been used as a kitchen or a fishhouse. By this time, the block was flanked by roads leading to the river. Page's hall house underwent alterations during the 1330s when the stone service block and undercroft seen today were added, and the timber range underpinned with flint rubble.
During the mid-14th to early 15th centuries the Page and Woburn holdings were combined to create a single property. The hall-house was further improved by the provision of a garderobe, and a road was reinstated. Evidence of a timber building beside the street suggests that it may have been at this time that the spine wall in Dragon Hall was erected.
In 1427 a coordinated campaign of renewal and construction began with the construction of the trading hall, at the behest of Robert Toppe. The main changes between then and the middle of the following century were the construction of the hall, alterations to the form and function of the hall house, the demolition and replacement of Woburn's former kitchen or fishhouse and the careful regulation of space and access within the block.
The commercial aspect of this site was almost over by the mid-16th century, and consequently the buildings on the site were either demolished or extensively remodelled by a succession of owners. Dragon Hall was gradually subdivided into a series of separate dwellings over cellars, and a terrace was created behind the building. A rear wing was built over the former road and a metalsmithing shop built on gardens which had formed on the lower terrace.
The subdivision of land and buildings which had marked the start of the post medieval period continued into Georgian times. The block was largely residential although cottage industries might have flourished and several of the buildings acted as inns. The layout of the site after 1750 was to change little until demolition took place in 1937.
See published monograph (S6) and assessment report (S7) for full details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S8) and (S9).
The archive associated with both the 1987-1988 and 1997-1998 phases of work has been deposited with the Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2012.328).
A. Cattermole (NLA), 3 July 2007. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 16 May 2019.

For additional information on the early history of this property see (S10)-(S14). The building itself is also discussed in (S15) and amongst those considered in detail in thesis (S16).

April 2002. Test Pitting.
Two test pits were excavated by NAU to inform the design of new buildings. Contexts 12637-12661.
Both located wall footings.
See report (S17) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S18).
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2024.152).
J. Allen (NLA), 21 August 2002. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 26 August 2024.

March to April 2003. Watching Brief.
Monitoring of test pits within proposed re-development area. Contexts 12662-12687.
Revealed a sequence of Late Saxon to early medieval deposits.
See report (S19) for further details.
J. Allen (NLA), 19 August 2003. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 19 May 2015.

February-May 2005. Excavation and Watching brief.
Excavation of additional areas to rear of Dragon Hall, following the demolition of the modern north wing.
See published article (S20) and NHER 43968 for further details.
K. Ward (NLA) 15 January 2010. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 21 July 2015.

2008.
Norwich HEART:
A magnificent medieval merchant's trading hall, unique in Europe. Dragon Hall is a Grade I listed medieval trading hall. It is the only known surviving building of its type in Western Europe, built by one man for his own use. The centrepiece of Dragon Hall is the impressive 27m long Great Hall which Toppes built as a showroom. The Great Hall has an outstanding timber crown post roof and originally had several beautifully carved and painted dragons along the length of the hall. Today only one dragon survives.
See (S21) and (S22) for further details.
D. Gurney (NLA) 27 January 2009.