Norfolk Heritage Explorer

Location

Full description

The building is in three parts with the centre and left sections being the largely intact remains of the Prioress’ house. This early part of the building is of knapped flint studded with red brick, with a plain tiled roof. The right section is one of the 19th-century additions. The central part was formerly a hall, with the main entrance to the house in the same place as it is today (although the porch is a late 19th century addition). The hall was apparently remodelled in the 1870s (possibly by Boardman), when it was given a gallery (S1). The two storey block to the left would have once faced the priory cloister and was formerly a parlour, with bedrooms above reached by an octagonal oak turret staircase. A range of 16th century features survive, one of the most notable being the rebus of Prioress Wygun, which can be seen above the main entrance and repeated in several other places. According to (S2) there are (or were once) a number of Flemish stained glass roundels of enamelled type at Carrow Abbey, including one showing three stages of the life St. Hubert. Blomefield (S1) also describes a stained armorial glass window inserted that had been inserted by Sir John Shelton.
The late 19th-century wing built by James Stuart to the south of the medieval building is an irregular range set slightly askew, with red brick diaper pattern on knapped flint walls. The completion of this building is 1899 was commemorated by a plaque placed on its eastern wall (S3). The building to the north of the former parlour was constructed in the 1960s, long after Carrow Abbey had ceased to be a residential dwelling.
See (S4), (S5) and (S6) for further information on the history and development of Carrow Abbey.
Norwich Castle Museum holds a number of items from Carrow Abbey, including keys, a light shade and examples of its late 19th- to early 20th-century wall decorations. The museum also holds a table from Carrow Abbey, around which the first Round Table was apparently formed at (Suckling Hall) in 1927.

October 1912
In this year, according to (S5), workmen repairing part of a wall on the east of the house exposed a small plastered recess, “…such as might have held a lamp.” A soldered-up tin containing “…coins, newspapers, one or two books of the day, and a short statement of the circumstance under which it was found” was placed in the recess by a Mr and Mrs Stuart.

May 1954 Carrow Abbey listed
Listed at Grade I (Carrow Abbey: 1205742). The English Heritage Listed Building description (S7) notes the following architectural features:
Former parlour (left): two storeys. Wooden mullioned windows to left; small oriel window to right of first floor. Tudor-style doors to left and right with 19th century moulded brick jambs. 16th century wooden spandrels of right one have Y and a gun (rebus of Elizabeth Wygun, the last Prioress). Traces of 16th century window jambs and moulded bricks on first floor and some original brick details to ground-floor window. Brick kneelers to left gable; central four-shafted ridge chimney. The rear elevation of this range facing the former cloister, has 19th century wooden mullioned windows flanking a round rendered stair turret with brick parapet. Door to right retains its original moulded spandrels.
Former Hall (Centre): Late 19th century porch to right has perpendicular style windows and decorative bargeboards. Large square-fronted bay window to left. 19th century wooden mullioned window above porch has 16th century moulded brick details. Rear façade has tall 19th century wooden mullioned and transomed window to right of massive red brick chimney. Brick kneelers to gables; central three-shafted ridge chimney.
Late 19th century Wing (right): Irregular range set slightly askew has red brick diaper pattern on knapped flint walls. Another wing set back to right with two-storeys and an attic has five first-floor windows and five dormers. Moulded brick finials. The rear façade has gables to right and left, the right one with a hexagonal two-storey bay flanked by a single-storey gable-fronted wing. The interior of the parlour range has 16th century panelling and a fireplace on the ground floor, and moulded ceiling beams to bedrooms above, reached by a 19th century Gothic style staircase with crockets and lion finials. The hall is reputed to have been re-modelled by E. Boardman in the 1870s with a minstrels' gallery; Entrance hall has a massive hooded stone fireplace bearing the date 1900, and the late 19th century wing has elaborately moulded plaster ceilings in the present Director's dining room and in other first-floor rooms.

1997
The Colman’s site was taken over by Robinsons, Britvic and Van den Bergh Foods in 1995, and in 1997 Carrow Abbey was put up for sale (S8). This followed the sale of nearby Carrow House the previous year.

1997 Desk-Based Assessment
Assessment of the Carrow Abbey gardens as part of the Norfolk Gardens Trust Town Gardens Survey (S9). See NHER 296 for further information on the grounds of Carrow Abbey and a summary of the results of this assessment.

P. Watkins (HES) January 2013 (based in part on information previously compiled by NCM and NAU staff).

Monument Types

• HOUSE (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
• BENEDICTINE MONASTERY (12th Century to 16th Century - 1146 AD to 1538 AD)
• BENEDICTINE NUNNERY (12th Century to 16th Century - 1146 AD to 1538 AD)
• PRIORY (12th Century to 16th Century - 1146 AD to 1538 AD)

Associated Finds

• KEY (LOCKING) (Undated)
• TABLE (Post Medieval to 21st Century - 1540 AD to 2050 AD)
• WALLPAPER (19th Century - 1880 AD to 1900 AD)
• WALL HANGING (19th Century to Early 20th Century - 1900 AD to 1910 AD)
• LIGHT FITTING (Early 20th Century - 1910 AD to 1910 AD)

Protected Status

• Listed Building
• Scheduled Monument

Sources and further reading

Related records