Norwich has one of the greatest concentrations of historic buildings in the UK. Photo: Richard Moss. © 24 Hour Museum.
Norwich will be opening its historical doors to the public for Heritage Open Days (HODs) 2005. This national celebration of our heritage is being launched in the city and runs from Thursday September 8 to Sunday September 11.
The aim of Heritage Open Days is to celebrate England’s architecture and allow visitors access to fascinating buildings and historical sites that are not usually open to the public.
This event provides people with the opportunity to discover what’s really hidden behind those locked doors. What’s more access to every building and event is completely free of charge.
What is exceptional about this year is that the Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (HEART) Norwich has negotiated with the Civic Trust and English Heritage to secure Norwich as the national launch location for UK Heritage Open Days 2005.
Heritage Open Days will be launched at Norwich Cathedral on September 1 2005. Photo: Jane Finnis. © 24 Hour Museum.
"HEART believes that Norwich has a heritage resource of truly international importance and this year we want to deliver one of the biggest, most diverse and most enjoyable Heritage Open Days in the UK," said HEART Chief Executive Michael Loveday.
"Liverpool, destined to be European Capital of Culture in 2008, headed up the event last year and it would be nice to make a bigger splash than the Capital of Culture, wouldn’t it!"
The launch event will be on September 1 in the Cathedral Refectory, an ideal location as it is one of the major historical landmarks of Norwich. Attending this event will be government figures, the Chief Executives of English Heritage and the Civic Trust and a mystery celebrity presenter.
Photo: Richard Moss. © 24 Hour Museum.
This is the first year Norwich HODs has appointed a manager, Sophie Cabot, to organise the event and make sure it achieves its full potential. This means she can devote her time to providing a jam-packed four days for the people of Norwich.
Sophie said: "HODs is an event essentially for Norwich people to discover and enjoy their heritage. If local people have great ideas, stories or buildings then please make contact and we can work them into the programme".
This year the HODs Management Team will provide a structured set of events tailored around specific themes, offering something to suit every palette. Early ideas include everything from opening up 'The City’s Dozen Best Buildings' to looking at the city's underground historical architecture.
"The Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service will be giving access to some areas of our museum buildings that are not often available to the public, as well as celebrating some of our more special buildings with events and tours," said Vanessa Trevelyan, head of the Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service. "This will be a true celebration of the wealth of history that is Norwich."
Norwich has more churches than any other city in northern Europe. Photo: Richard Moss. © 24 Hour Museum.
Norwich has more than 30 churches making it unique in northern Europe, but not all are open to the public. With 'Heritage and Belief' HODs aims to open up as many as possible, along with access to chapels, meeting houses and the synagogue.
As one explores the city it is obvious that Norwich is filled with history, but not so obvious that there is just as much history underneath the city streets. Beneath the City Streets will provide the public with the opportunity to discover hidden underground treasures such as a Norman house beneath the courts and will reveal some spectacular examples from the largest collection of medieval undercrofts in the UK.
'First and Foremost' will give people the chance to learn weird and wonderful things about Norwich. It aims to raise the profile of some of the city’s ‘firsts and bests’ including events celebrating one of the UK’s best costume collections, the UK’s largest banking hall, its first psychiatric hospital and its first florists’ society.
Cultural Champions will show off and celebrate the achievements of the many great figures from the city of Norwich including Julian of Norwich, the first woman to write a book in English, and the Norwich-based author and physician, Sir Thomas Browne in his 400th anniversary year.
Julian of Norwich, just one of the many cultural characters associated with the city. Photo: Richard Moss. © 24 Hour Museum.
Finally, Time and Space will reveal the fascinating heritage behind some of the City’s hidden public spaces.
This year will definitely be the landmark year for the Norwich Heritage Open Days. The team is full steam ahead to bring a new dimension to the events by not just making the days about exploring old buildings, but by interweaving the historical with the modern by adding an interactive element.
HEART proposes to showcase some stunning virtual reality ‘fly through’ models of historic buildings that are normally difficult to access. These have been developed by the School of Computing at the University of East Anglia and will be viewed on public screens over the four days in venues such as shopping centres and the Forum, which is the exiting new centre for information, learning and entertainment.
Heritage Open Days is about offering public access to all sorts of unusual and intriguing buidlings. Photo: Richard Moss. © 24 Hour Museum.
Michael Loveday added: “We very much want to surprise people with what the City’s heritage is and explode the traditional view. To HEART we see venues like the garage, the football club and the university as just as much as heritage destinations as the Castle or Cathedral and we’ll be looking to work up interesting events in these venues.”
These four days will be packed with entertainment and education for the local people of Norwich. Taking part, whether volunteering or discovering will be a valuable experience for everyone.
Jayna Makwana is the 24 Hour Museum/Norwich HEART Student Writer in Norwich. Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust is the groundbreaking initiative to regenerate, manage and promote one of the most remarkable heritage resources in the UK and in Europe.
