Dragon Hall is situated in King Street, though it was originally entered from the south in Old Barge Yard. Beginning life in the 14th century as a hall house, this land was bought by one of the city's greatest merchants, Robert Toppes, in 1450. The 15th century rebuilding and alterations are thought to be his, creating a massive hall space. Although the space was predominantly unheated, light would have flooded into the impressive interior of carved and painted timbers, including the fine surviving dragon spandrel from which the Hall derives its current name, suggesting Toppes used the building as an opulent showroom.
The hall itself is largely of flint rubble with a brick ground floor and timber-framed first floor, and was originally orientated towards the river. Unfortunately the hall's heyday was over in 1467, when Toppes died and the building was sold and divided up. By the 19th century the area had fallen far from fashion, and the river front surrounding the hall was crammed with low-quality housing and minor industry, and the building itself split into shops, flats, and pubs. By the 20th century it had become a public house, remaining so until 1969, when it closed. In 1979 it was sold to Norwich City Council, and in 2006 was completely restored and is now open to the public. Extensive excavations since the 1980s are continuing to reveal more of the history of this area, including the pre-Conquest and early medieval occupation of this site.
--- | Drawing: Various. Various. Architectural plans. |
--- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2000-2006. [Articles on the £1.8million restoration and refurbishment of Dragon Hall]. |
--- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1997-1998. [Articles on the work undertaken at Dragon Hall in 1997-1998]. |
--- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1992. [Articles on the 1992 restoration work at Dragon Hall]. |
--- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1997. Secrets in the walls of the Hall. 21 November. |
--- | Newspaper Article: Evening News. 1997. It was them! Historic hall and watermill scoop windfalls. 1 October. |
--- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1992. A dragon that makes you draw breath. 31 January. |
--- | Unpublished Contractor Report: Moss, N. 2003. Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at Anne's Wharf, Mountergate, Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 828. |
--- | Monograph: Pevsner, N. and Wilson, B. 1997. Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. pp 271-272; Pl 42. |
--- | Unpublished Document: Carter, A.. Building Survey. |
--- | Unpublished Document: 2006. Dragon Hall. Discover 1,000 years of history in the heart of Norwich. Newly restored and reopened for 2006.. |
--- | Unpublished Document: Smith, R.. Dragon Hall (The Old Barge).. |
--- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2010. The Norwich 12. 2 February. |
--- | Photograph: 1987. ECB-ECK, ECM-ECN. |
--- | Photograph: 1988. EJC-EJJ. |
--- | Photograph: 1997. HWA-HWP, HWR-HXK. |
--- | Unpublished Document: Heywood, S. Dragon Hall, King Street, Norwich [fragment of larger document]. |
--- | Leaflet: Dragon Hall. 2006. Discover 1,000 years of history in the heart of Norwich. 2006. |
--- | Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2011. Norwich: A city of Heritage. 1 September. |
--- | Record Card: NCM Staff. 1973-1989. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card - Norwich. |
--- | Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Norwich - Post Roman. |
--- | Secondary File: Secondary File. |
--- | Slide: Various. Slide. |
--- | Fiche: Exists. |
--- | Illustration: Smith, R. pre 1990. Reconstructed ground floor plan of The Old Barge. Publication illustration. Film. |
--- | Illustration: Smith, R. pre 1990. The Old Barge. Plan of undercrofts. Publication illustration. Film. |
--- | Article in Serial: Knights, S. 1989. Dragon Hall: The Discovery, restoration and rebirth of a medieval merchant's hall. Norfolk Research Committee Bulletin. Series 3 No 2 pp 13-16. |
<S1> | Designation: Historic England. National Heritage List for England. List Entry 1051236. |
<S2> | Recording Form: Norwich Survey building record forms. |
<S3> | Unpublished Report: Ayers, B. 1980. Trial Excavation at Rear of Old Barge, King Street, Norwich. 17th-18th December, 1980. Norfolk Archaeological Unit Report. |
<S4> | Unpublished Contractor Report: Doonan, R. 1999. An Assessment of Metallurgical Debris from Dragon Hall, Norfolk. Ancient Monuments Laboratory. 65/1999. |
<S4> | Unpublished Report: City Architect's Department. 1988. 115-123 King Street, Norwich. Dragon Hall/The Old Barge. Report for the Historic Buildings & Monuments Commission for England of work carried out and interpretation of the building. Building Report. |
<S5> | Publication: Ayers, B. 1987. Digging Deeper: Recent Archaeology in Norwich. pp 27-28. |
<S6> | Monograph: Shelley, A. 2005. Dragon Hall, King Street, Norwich: Excavation and Survey of a late Medieval Merchant's Trading Complex. East Anglian Archaeology. No 112. |
<S7> | Unpublished Contractor Report: Shelley, A. 1998. An assessment of excavations and surveys at Dragon Hall, Norwich. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. |
<S8> | Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 1998. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1997. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIII Pt I pp 193-210. p 202. |
<S9> | Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 1999. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1998. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIII Pt II pp 369-387. p 379. |
<S10> | Unpublished Report: Rutledge, E. 1987. Dragon Hall. Interim report September 1987. |
<S11> | Unpublished Document: [Unknown]. 1987. [Notes on Robert Toppes (who built Dragon Hall) and other '15th-century King Street people']. |
<S12> | Unpublished Document: [Unknown]. [Annotated sketch plans indicating the changing ownership of the properties adjacent to Old Barge Yard]. |
<S13> | Unpublished Document: [Unknown]. Dragon Hall [notes on enrolled deeds of 1289 and 1307]. |
<S14> | Article in Serial: Carter, A. and Smith, R. 1983. Function and Site: Aspects of Norwich Buildings Before 1700. Vernacular Architecture. Vol 14 pp 5-18. |
<S15> | Thesis: Smith, R. 1990. An Architectural History of Norwich Buildings, c. 1200 - 1700. Unpublished Thesis. pp 161-173, 329, 409-410. |
<S16> | Unpublished Contractor Report: Adams, D. 2002. Report on test pitting at Dragon Hall, King Street, Norwich. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 696. |
<S17> | Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 2003. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk, 2002. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIV Pt II pp 368-384. p 377. |
<S18> | Unpublished Contractor Report: Adams, D. 2003. Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at St Anne's Wharf, Norwich, Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 830. |
<S19> | Article in Serial: Evans, G. and Thorpe, R. 2007. Further Excavations at Dragon Hall, King Street, Norwich, 2005. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLV Pt II pp 176-187. |
<S20> | Publication: Sheehan, B.. 2008. Norwich 12: A journey through the English city.. |
<S21> | Moving Image: Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (HEART). 2008. Norwich 12. A journey through the English city.. DVD. |