Assembly House
Assembly House is a Georgian Grade I listed heritage venue in Norwich used for conferences, exhibitions, arts programming, performances, and weddings.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Assembly House is a historic Georgian building and multipurpose cultural venue in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The site has roots reaching back to the mid-thirteenth century, when John Le Brun founded the Chapel and Hospice of St Mary's in the Field in 1248. The institution later became the College of St Mary in the Fields, a college for secular priests. From the early fifteenth century, the site was associated with civic assemblies in which Norwich citizens selected the city's governing bailiffs, as well as with the annual Corpus Christi celebrations organised by the city's trade guilds. The religious college was dissolved during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. After the buildings were surrendered to the Crown in 1548, much of the medieval complex was demolished or adapted, and the remaining property became a private residence. The site passed through prominent local ownership, including the Cornwallis family and Sir Henry Hobart. By the eighteenth century it was known as Chapel Field House. In 1753 John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire, granted a long lease to Norwich aldermen, who intended to create public entertainment facilities for the city and county. Architect Thomas Ivory, assisted by Sir James Burrough, redesigned the site. Ivory demolished the central section of the earlier building and created a new house intended as a House of Assemblies for Norwich's gentry. This Georgian rebuilding established the architectural character for which the property is now known. The building is listed at Grade I, reflecting its exceptional historic and architectural significance. From 1876 until 1939, the building was occupied by the Girls Public Day School, now known as Norwich High School for Girls. During the Second World War it was adapted for use as a camouflage school. A major restoration followed in the post-war period. The project cost £70,000, received encouragement from designer Oliver Messel, and was supported financially by Norwich shoe manufacturer H. J. Sexton. The restored building reopened in May 1950 as a centre for entertainment and the arts under the name The Assembly House. A major fire in 1995 destroyed the roof and ceilings of the entrance hall, restaurant, and Music Room. Much of the historic timber panelling and Georgian plasterwork survived, while numerous paintings and furnishings were rescued. With assistance from local businesses, the building was restored and reopened in February 1997. Today, Assembly House operates as a heritage and events venue. Its activities include business conferences, exhibitions, visual and performing arts, concerts, private functions, and weddings. Its use combines the conservation of a significant historic building with public cultural and commercial programming. In 2025 it hosted a concert connected with the touring Kala Festival, featuring Indian slide guitarist Pandit Debasis Chakroborty, tabla player Ustad Akram Khan, and pianist Raga Deepak Shah. Assembly House is also one of the twelve historic Norwich buildings included in Norwich 12, an initiative intended to connect and promote the city's principal heritage attractions.
History
The history of Assembly House begins with the foundation of the Chapel and Hospice of St Mary's in the Field by John Le Brun in 1248. In 1278 the institution was converted into the College of St Mary in the Fields, serving as a college for secular priests. The site acquired civic importance after Norwich received the right to govern itself through a corporation in 1404. Assemblies at the college were used in the selection of the city's bailiffs, while the complex also served as a base for the Corpus Christi festival, in which Norwich's trade guilds took part. The medieval religious institution ended during the Reformation. The college was closed in 1544 under the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and the buildings were surrendered to the Crown in 1548. The chapel, cloisters, and choir were demolished, while the remaining structures were sold to the Dean and adapted as a private house. In 1569 the property was acquired by Sir Thomas Cornwallis and became a townhouse. Sir Henry Hobart acquired it in 1609, after which it was known as Chapel of the Field House. In 1753 John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire, granted a 500-year lease of the estate to a group of Norwich aldermen. The transaction involved a payment of £1,800 and an annual rent of £5. The aldermen planned to convert the site into public entertainment facilities for Norwich and the surrounding county. Thomas Ivory, assisted by Sir James Burrough, led the rebuilding. Ivory removed the central part of the earlier structure and designed a new Georgian house intended as a House of Assemblies for the city's gentry. The building's uses changed repeatedly in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From 1876 to 1939 it housed the Girls Public Day School, now Norwich High School for Girls. During the Second World War it became a camouflage school. After the war, a substantial restoration was promoted with the encouragement of Oliver Messel and financial support from Norwich shoe manufacturer H. J. Sexton. The restored venue reopened in May 1950 as The Assembly House, a centre for entertainment and the arts. In 1995 a serious fire destroyed the roof and the ceilings of the entrance hall, restaurant, and Music Room. The damage was extensive, but important historic features survived, including much of the wooden panelling and Georgian plasterwork. Paintings and furniture were also saved. Support from local businesses helped fund the restoration, and Assembly House reopened in February 1997. The building now functions as a cultural, events, and heritage venue. It accommodates conferences, exhibitions, visual and performing arts activities, concerts, weddings, and other private or public events. Its Grade I listed status places architectural conservation at the centre of its identity. Assembly House is also part of Norwich 12, a city heritage initiative linking twelve important historic buildings. Its contemporary programming includes touring cultural events, such as a 2025 Kala Festival concert featuring Indian classical and related musical performances.
- 2025
Kala Festival concert hosted
[1]The venue hosted a touring Kala Festival concert featuring Indian classical musicians.
- 1997
Assembly House reopens after restoration
[1]The restored venue reopened in February with support from local businesses.
- 1995
Major fire damages the building
[1]A fire destroyed the roof and several ceilings, while significant historic interiors and furnishings survived.
- 1950
Post-war restoration and arts reopening
[1]After restoration supported by Oliver Messel and H. J. Sexton, the building reopened as a centre for entertainment and the arts.
- 1876
Building becomes a girls' school
[1]The premises began a long period of use by the Girls Public Day School.
- 1753
Georgian Assembly House redevelopment begins
[1]John Hobart granted a long lease to Norwich aldermen, who commissioned Thomas Ivory to create a public House of Assemblies.
- 1544
College closed during the Dissolution
[1]The College of St Mary in the Fields was closed during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries.
- 1404
Civic assemblies associated with the site
[1]Following Norwich's grant of corporate self-government, assemblies at the college were associated with choosing the city's bailiffs.
Chapel and Hospice of St Mary's in the Field founded
[1]John Le Brun founded a chapel and hospice dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary on the site.
Site becomes the College of St Mary in the Fields
[1]The hospital was transformed into a college for secular priests.
Products and positioning
A heritage-led cultural and events venue that combines a Grade I listed Georgian building with conference, celebration, exhibition, and performing-arts facilities in central Norwich.
Venue hire
Conference and meeting spaces
Assembly House provides rooms within a historic Georgian setting for conferences, meetings, presentations, receptions, and related business events. The offering combines event infrastructure with an architecturally significant venue rather than functioning as a conventional modern conference centre.
Events
Weddings and private celebrations
The building is used for weddings and private functions, offering a heritage environment for ceremonies, receptions, and celebrations. Its historic rooms and Georgian character form the central experiential element of the service.
Marketing campaigns
- Norwich 12
Norwich · United Kingdom
Assembly House participates in Norwich 12, an initiative that presents twelve historic Norwich buildings as an integrated group of heritage attractions.
Outcome. The initiative places Assembly House within a coordinated city heritage narrative and tourism framework.
Sources1 sources
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