Norwich Monastic Remains

Monastic remains 00 [ Map ]

Austin friars, and Greyfriars:

Monastic remains 01 [ Austin friars: Stone arch (probably from an old tomb found by excavation in 1946 on this site), Garden wall Howard House (probably the original boundary wall of the friary precinct), Greyfriars (all that remains is part of the northern boundary wall at St Faith’s Lane) ]

Austin Friars: King Street. The first Charter of foundation is dated 1293. In 1360, having obtained the parish church of St Michael-in-Conesford and most of the land between Mountergate and the river, the friars pulled down the church and built a noble convent, cloister and conventual church.

Greyfriars: St Faith’s Lane. Founded in 1226, the church of this friary was dedicated to St Francis and was built on a site now largely occupied by Prince of Wales Road. At the Dissolution in 1539 the property was granted to Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshall of England. Afterwards seized by the King it was granted in 1544 to Paul Gresham and Francis Bolders, and in 1559 was sold to the city.

Whitefriars:

Monastic remains 02 [ Whitefriars Cowgate: Fragments of Gothic Window tracery (found on the site of Whitefriars Monastery at Factory Yard Cowgate - since built into an outbuilding of Jarrold printing factory there), Flint wall (to the north-east of Whitefriars bridge which once formed part of an Anchorage attached to the adjoining Whitefriars Monastery - founded by Philip de Cowgate c.1256 and suppressed in 1543), Friary doorway (uncovered in 1961 it stood adjacent to the Anchorage) ]

Whitefriars

Blackfriars:

Monastic remains 03 [ Dominican friary Map ]

History of Blackfriars (Dominican Friary)

1226 - Dominicans settle in Colegate, north of River Wensum

1258 - Sackfriars settle in Norwich, south of River Wensum

1307 - Sackfriars suppressed; Blackfriars succeed to their site

1345 - Blackfriars commence building

1413 - Fire causes evacuation to old site “over the water”

1449 - Rebuilding so far progressed that community able to return to south side; the Nave was built at the expense of Sir Thomas Erpingham who died in 1428 before it was completed

1538 - Convent suppressed; buildings obtained for the City by Augustine Steward

1712 - The buildings had been put to various uses and had been somewhat neglected with the result that the steeple fell off and was not rebuilt

1713 - The Quire of the church having been used for some time by the Strangers (Walloons or Dutch) was granted to them on a 200 year lease

1876 - The original church known as Becket’s Chapel was wilfully destroyed

In recent times the buildings have been used for various purposes, mainly educational, and the conventual church was for many years the home of the Norwich Triennial Musical Festival

Monastic remains 04 [ Blackfriars’ monastery: St Andrew’s Hall (Nave of Dominican chapel), Decorated and Perpendicular windows ]

Monastic remains 05 [ Blackfriars’ monastery: Sculpture to doorway of south Aisle (19c.), East Cloister Range (an original Dorter window adjoins the right-hand buttress), Cloister Garth ]

Monastic remains 06 [ Blackfriars’ monastery: Cloister walk, Carved corbels ]

The Cloister, which lies to the north of the Nave, is separated from it by a narrow lane (now covered in) and lies on a different axis from the church. It remains remarkably complete except for the north range which has been destroyed, the Art School standing adjacent to the site, but some details have been ascertained by excavation. The cloister itself is roughly square of four bays to each side, and like all friaries the cloister walk runs along under the chambers, instead of forming corridors against them. The whole of the cloister block is 14th century.

Monastic remains 07 [ Blackfriars’ monastery: “The Crypt” (Ante-Chapel to Becket’s Chapel - with brick vaulting), Thomas-a-Becket’s Chapel excavated 1972 (having been unroofed and filled in to top of walls in 19c.) ]

Monastic remains 08 [ Blackfriars’ monastery: Blackfriar’s Hall, Anchorite’s House, Confessional (with Squint formerly open to the church interior), Matrix of Brass to Edmund and Eleanor Hasting (1487 - south-east corner of Blackfriar’s Hall) ]

Carrow Priory:

Monastic remains 09 [ Carrow priory Map ]

This Benedictine Nunnery was founded by two sisters, Seyan and Leftelina, in 1146. After the Dissolution, it was granted in 1538 to Sir John Shelton, Knt. In 1821 Mr Philip Meadows Martineau was the owner. In 1878 the property was purchased by the Colman family.

Monastic remains 10 [ Carrow priory: Prioress’s Parlour and Guest chamber, Doorway to Parlour (early 16c. - in the spandrels are a “Y” and a Gun - the rebus of Isabella Wygun - the last but one Prioress here), Cloister wall, Piscina (north-east angle of Cloister) ]

Monastic remains 11 [ Carrow priory: Remains of east end and south Transept of church ]

Marks on the bases of the columns seem to identify the mason as the same who was responsible for the building of the Infirmary at Norwich Cathedral Priory, and the Jew’s House (Isaac’s Hall or the Music House) in King Street.

St Leonard’s Priory:

Monastic remains 12 [ St Leonard’s priory, Kett’s Castle Chapel of St Micheal on the Mount, 34 St Leonards Road (on part of site of Priory) ]

This Priory was built by Bishop Herbert de Losinga, the first Bishop of Norwich, who died in 1119. Several monks were placed here before the completion of the Cathedral Priory, to which it was a cell. Adjacent, and served by monks form this priory, was the Chapel of St Michael on the Mount (later known as “Kett’s Castle”) founded by Bishop Herbert about 1100. At the Dissolution the Priory was granted to Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, whose son, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, built a house here. Kett’s rebels destroyed it in 1549.

Kett’s Hill: Kett’s Castle

Magdalen Hospital:

Monastic remains 13 [ Magdalen hospital and Chapel Map ]

The Lazar House on Sprowston Road, or the Magdalen Chapel as it is sometimes known, was founded before 1119 by Bishop Herbert de Losinga, and the Norman doorways on the south and west are most probably his work. It was intended for a Master, Brethren and Sisters who were lepers and the late Dr Bensley considered that the actual Chapel, dedicated to St Mary Magdalen, was contained in a small portion only of the present building, at the east end, and the hospital part, or wards, occupied the main western portion, males and females being separated by a screen.

In Blomefield’s time it appears that some ruins stood to the south of this building, which are thought may have originally been the brewhouse, kitchen, storehouses and Master’s house, but no foundations were discovered during excavations made at the beginning of the 20th century.

Little is known of its history. In 1506 it was united for a time with the St Giles’ or Great Hospital in Bishopgate, but the union did not prove satisfactory and was soon broken. In 1548 it was granted by Edward VI to Sir Robert Southwell and John Corbett, and in 1668 it was an Almshouse for poor widows. By the middle of the 18th century part of it was being used as a barn. At the beginning of the 20th century Walter Rye rescued it from demolition and sold it in 1908 to Sir Eustace Gurney who restored it - as much as possible of the old fabric being left undisturbed. In 1921 he presented it to the City for use as a branch library, and as such it was opened two years later.

“This is certainly not one of the largest monastic remains in Norwich, but in many respects one of its most interesting, its date of erection - 1119 - makes it one of the oldest building in Norwich and the two Norman doorways, one on the west side, and the other on the south form two good specimens of that early style of architecture. Some authorities have stated that these doorways are not in their original positions, but there is no structural of documentary evidence that they have been re-erected from another building or any part of the same building. This is an excellent example of how a mediaeval building can be restored and put to a really legitimate modern use without in any way interfering with the original character of the structure.” From “The Monastic Remains of Norfolk and Suffolk” by Claude Messent, 1934.

Monastic remains 14 [ Magdalen hospital and Chapel: Doorways ]

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