Recent Publications from the Norwich Society
They sit and read on it; eat their hamburgers on it; meet their friends and chat on it; let their children climb and play on it; some just sit and watch, others contemplate its meaning. Certainly to judge from its use, Norwich’s latest piece of public art, Anne and Patrick Poirier’s assemblage of forms on Hay Hill is a resounding success: sculpture that is useful, good to touch and to look at and also intrigues. This new work is directly allied to the statue of Sir Thomas Browne, but this, with Barbara Hepworth’s Sea Form in the Castle gardens, is one of the few sculptures in the city in a public place. The Norwich Society’s recent publication ‘Public Sculpture in central Norwich’ highlights the diversity of sculpture in the city in form and period. But it also highlights the paucity of sculpture as a whole, in particular sited in key public places. Where it does exist it is often part of the decoration of a building, (e.g. the City Hall lions, Prospect House ‘Untitled’ by Bernard Meadows). While these are excellent and contribute to the street scene, the numbers of free standing public works are few.
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The Environment Committee’s Audit for 2007 has broken with the Society’s tradition of looking at geographical areas of the City and instead taken on a single issue: the preservation of historic views. Many such views are being lost by planting, planning and building decisions which take no account of them.
This report is not just about the classic views from outside – the traditional prospects - but also about the vistas along our streets, and the rooflines that define our horizons.
The glimpses we catch of historic buildings as we walk through the City are necessary for our continuing appreciation of our heritage: a good view can raise the spirit, emphasize landmarks, and identify location. Clutter and careless development can destroy our whole perception of a place.
The report looks at the best and the worst from 2007.
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This new report emphasizes what an important but understated asset the river is for Norwich – a river sequence that is emerging now from a fundamental change in patterns of use. This is expressed most vividly in rebuilding over the last decade and in developments now in progress.
This year, the short list for the Norwich Society Design Awards for new buildings saw an emphasis on developments that mesh with historic buildings. There is a particular art to building in or alongside notable structures and allowing the existing style to echo through new contemporary design. The Norwich Society is championing buildings that not only retain our heritage, but also give a distinctly twenty-first century message to the future.
The Society welcomed as their advisor and guest speaker Mr Kenneth Powell, distinguished architectural critic and former Chairman of the Twentieth Century Society.
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Prince of Wales Road and Riverside in the small hours have been described as “The most dangerous streets in Norfolk”, but our inspections late on Friday and Saturday nights failed to confirm this. We found police and private security teams clearly in control, allowing large numbers of mainly young people to enjoy themselves.
This is not the whole truth of course. There is far too much drunken violence like the attack on a beggar at Thorpe Station in April. There were four separate drunken brawls in the Norwich area, three of them within the NTE, on the Saturday night we were with the police. Local residents suffer rubbish, noise and public urination, and the new Act has resulted in longer opening hours, particularly for pubs, which are now competing more vigorously for custom with the night clubs which have monopolised the city’s post-midnight drinks trade until now.
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This audit was carried out on October 13th 2006 by
the members of the Environment Committee:
It must be emphasised that this is an important part of the city, both historically and potentially. The great strength is the mix of medieval houses, Victorian terraces and modern developments, many based on the traditional system of courtyards and closes. Alongside these are the small specialist shops and businesses so essential for the vitality of the community. These must be retained alongside new housing which should continue the pattern of small intimate communities in traffic free zones.
The Norwich Society has approached HEART (Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust) and suggested a combined campaign to move forward the development of the Norwich river front. HEART has responded very positively and the River is to be added to their 'String of Pearls': the very best Norwich has to offer. The Riverside Walk from New Mills
down to the Boom Towers at Carrow Bridge presents a string of success and opportunity. The Walk, many years in the making, is still incomplete. The Group aims to encourage its completion by practical suggestions and by bringing together all interested groups. This really could be one of the City's finest public and tourist attractions, linking together so many of its major historic buildings besides being a beautiful environment in its own right.
This report introduces Jeremy Taylor, the new Chairman of the Norwich Society plus other business as defined by the agenda below
1. Welcome to the President by the Chairman, Mrs Janet King
2. Apologies
3. Minutes of the 2005 AGM circulated prior to the meeting
4. Chairman’s address. Mrs Janet King
5. Treasurer’s Statement, Mr Nick Cooper
6. Elections of Officers and to the Executive Committee
7. Administrator’s address: Programme for 2006-7
8 . Any Other Business
9. Thanks to the Lord Mayor by the Vice Chairman,
10.
Dr Jeremy Taylor