Dragon Hall, Norwich
Dragon Hall is a Grade-1 listed medieval merchant's trading hall located in King Street, Norwich, Norfolk, close to the River Wensum, and since 2018 home to the National Centre for Writing. It is thought to be unique in being the only such trading hall in Northern Europe to be owned by one man. The building stands on what was the main road through the city in the 15th century, with river transport links via Great Yarmouth to the Low Countries. Dragon Hall is now acknowledged as one of Norwich's medieval architectural gems and an iconic building in the city.
The Great Hall on the first floor was built in the 15th century, but some parts of the site are older. Archaeological research shows evidence of an Anglo-Saxon hut 1000 beneath the Hall. On the northern part of the site, in the late 13th century, the abbey at Woburn, Bedfordshire, had a fish processing operation with various outbuildings and a track to a staithe or quay. There was also a boundary wall with a large brick arch to give access to King Street. In about 1330 an L-shaped domestic 'hall house' owned by John Page was built on the southern part of the site with an undercroft and an entrance on the south side from Old Barge Yard.
In about 1427 Robert Toppes, a Norwich merchant, re-developed the site as a commercial complex. He built his first-floor trading hall on top of part of the 14th-century domestic hall house and on top of the existing boundary wall and brick arch. He retained the 14th-century entrance to the hall house for his customers. From the entrance passage his customers went up a new staircase to the first-floor trading hall. This was a timber construction of seven bays with a crown post roof, decorated with carvings in the spandrels of 14 dragons. The hall was constructed with English oak, using some 1,000 trees. At the rear of the building he created a yard space with access to the river for his imports and exports, a warehouse area under the hall and a new stairway down to the extended undercroft from the yard. Part of the hall house was retained as a ground-floor reception area.
Robert Toppes
Little is known of the origins of Robert Toppes, who during the 1420s bought the land where Dragon Hall now stands. He was an exporter of worsted and an importer of finished textiles, iron goods, wine and spices.He rose to become an important figure in the politics of the city of Norwich, becoming the city's Treasurer before he was 30, and later becoming Sheriff. He became mayor on four separate occasions and represented the city as its member of parliament four times. He was involved in a disputed election which resulted in him being exiled to Bristol. and he was indicted in the aftermath of 'Gladman's Insurrection' in 1443.
Toppes' second wife, Joan Knyvett, was a friend of the Pastons, who are famous for the Paston Letters. He owned numerous properties throughout East Anglia. He paid for a large stained-glass window in the church of St Peter Mancroft, panels of which have survived. When he died in 1467, he provided priests to pray for his soul, paying for this by the sale of Dragon Hall which he referred to a 'Splytt's'.
1467 to 1960s
After being sold in 1467, the hall was gradually divided into smaller and smaller houses; the original bay windows were replaced with sash windows and doors; and windows were inserted into the King Street frontage. The internal structure was redesigned, with the insertion of attics, new floors and cellars. The building became known as The Old Barge Building, named after the pub which occupied the southern end. Poor quality tenements were gradually built up behind the building and in Old Barge Yard, the lane on the southern side. By the 19th century some 150 people were known be living in The Old Barge building and in the tenements behind and at the side.In 1936 a Slum Clearance programme was implemented, which removed most of the slum housing at the back of the site and in Old Barge Yard. By the 1950s the building looking onto King Street had a butcher's shop at the northern end, the rectory for the parish of St Julian and St Peter Parmentergate in the middle, and The Old Barge pub at the southern end. In 1954 the building was awarded Grade I listed building status.