Heritage Open Days

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NEXT UP Heritage Open Days
Julian of Norwich – anchoress to global phenomenon

Performer: Keith Carlton

Fri, Sep 11, 2026

11:00 AM

Keith Carlton is a guide at Norwich Cathedral and a City of Norwich tourist Guide. With a background in medieval literature, he has written articles and given talks on Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe, and leads regular tours on Julian for Norwich Julian of Norwich was an ordinary woman to whom extraordinary things happened, and whose legacy has not only shaped Norwich itself, but has had an impact across the globe. In 1373 she experienced a series of divine visions, and recorded them in the first book we know of written by a woman in English. She can’t have imagined the effect her book would have worldwide, hundreds of years later. Her legacy has impacted the city in many ways – from the rebuilding of St Julian’s Church after World War 2 to Norwich’s status as the first UNESCO City of Literature in England – and has influenced authors, pilgrims and poets. Come and hear a story which takes in medieval and modern Norwich, the French Revolution, presbyterian Edinburgh, the King’s coronation, and even Call the Midwife!
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Heritage Open Days
Tour of St Peter Mancroft

Performer: Alexandra Atherton, Nikki Thomas

Multiple Dates available

Fri, Sep 11, 2026

1:45 PM

We will take you on a relaxed tour of this wonderful medieval building. You will visit the Treasury, go behind the scenes to the Sacristy, tread The Processional Way, see the Lady Chapel and much more.
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Heritage Open Days
Tour of St Peter Mancroft

Performer: Alexandra Atherton, Nikki Thomas

Multiple Dates available

Sat, Sep 12, 2026

11:00 AM

We will take you on a relaxed tour of this wonderful medieval building. You will visit the Treasury, go behind the scenes to the Sacristy, tread The Processional Way, see the Lady Chapel and much more.
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Heritage Open Days
Julian Haggett

Performer: Julian Haggett

Organo Pleno and The King of Instruments

Sat, Sep 12, 2026

1:00 PM

A feast of music for organ from Baroque masterpieces to avant-garde works of the 20th Century whose roots can be found in the Baroque epoch and before. This programme allows for a sympathetic exploration of the many colours built around the Organo Pleno stops of our wonderful North European Baroque style instrument by Peter Collins.
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Heritage Open Days
Open Organ Loft

Performer: Julian Haggett

Your chance to play the Collins organ - booking essential

Sat, Sep 12, 2026

2:00 PM

Please note : the organ is accessed by a spiral staircase, so this event has limited access.
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Heritage Open Days
Robert Toppes and the Toppes Window

Performer: Richard Matthew

Mon, Sep 14, 2026

11:00 AM

A talk about the wealthy mercer who was the builder and owner of Dragon Hall and the donor of the magnificent stained glass window in St Peter Mancroft. Richard is a guide at Dragon Hall and at the Guildhall and the author of 'Robert Toppes - Medieval Mercer of Norwich'.
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Heritage Open Days
Tour of St Peter Mancroft

Performer: Alexandra Atherton, Nikki Thomas

Multiple Dates available

Mon, Sep 14, 2026

1:45 PM

We will take you on a relaxed tour of this wonderful medieval building. You will visit the Treasury, go behind the scenes to the Sacristy, tread The Processional Way, see the Lady Chapel and much more.
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Heritage Open Days
Logo Rewind: Medieval Trademarks in the Ward of Mancroft

Performer: Darren Leader

Tue, Sep 15, 2026

11:00 AM

Darren Leader is an independent graphic designer, researcher and educator based in Norwich. His interest in heritage research began in 2014 with Unlocking the Archive at University of East Anglia and its study of Renaissance books from historic libraries. This work culminated in his first publication, Logo Redux: Renaissance European Printers ’Marks, (2021) and won a silver medal at the European Design Awards 2022. Leader’s research continued with the digital preservation of historic merchant marks – many regional examples of personal identity, occupation and craftsmanship are collected in his second publication, Logo Rewind: Trademarks of Medieval Norwich (2023) – it won the History and Tradition Award at East Anglian Book Awards 2024
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Heritage Open Days
Tour of St Peter Mancroft

Performer: Alexandra Atherton, Nikki Thomas

Multiple Dates available

Tue, Sep 15, 2026

1:45 PM

We will take you on a relaxed tour of this wonderful medieval building. You will visit the Treasury, go behind the scenes to the Sacristy, tread The Processional Way, see the Lady Chapel and much more.
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Heritage Open Days
Norwich, The Normans and Mancroft

Performer: Sandy Heslop

Wed, Sep 16, 2026

11:00 AM

Sandy Heslop taught at UEA from 1976-2019 and is currently professor emeritus. He has published widely on English medieval art and architecture. His research interests include churches and castles, figurative imagery in all media.
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Heritage Open Days
Tour of St Peter Mancroft

Performer: Alexandra Atherton, Nikki Thomas

Multiple Dates available

Wed, Sep 16, 2026

1:45 PM

We will take you on a relaxed tour of this wonderful medieval building. You will visit the Treasury, go behind the scenes to the Sacristy, tread The Processional Way, see the Lady Chapel and much more.
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Heritage Open Days
A black history of Norwich

Performer: Paul Dickson

This talk celebrates the diverse contribution of black people to the history of Norwich

Thu, Sep 17, 2026

11:00 AM

The talk celebrates the diverse contribution of black people to the history of Norwich and Norfolk from street traders in the 18th and 19th centuries to Pablo Fanque, the UK's first black circus impresario, the American servicemen who brought rhythm and blues and soul music to the city and Lucas the 1960s US airman, who settled in Norfolk, and gave soul to the Orford Cellar. The talk also looks at slavery – those involved in the slave trade and the abolitionists from Norfolk like Thomas Fowell Buxton, Amelia Opie and Harriet Martineau. Paul Dickson has been a Norwich Tour Guide for 12 years. He developed a local black history tour for Norfolk Black History Month in 2020 and subsequently converted the tour into a talk, www.pauldicksontours.co.uk .
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Heritage Open Days
Tour of St Peter Mancroft

Performer: Alexandra Atherton, Nikki Thomas

Multiple Dates available

Thu, Sep 17, 2026

1:45 PM

We will take you on a relaxed tour of this wonderful medieval building. You will visit the Treasury, go behind the scenes to the Sacristy, tread The Processional Way, see the Lady Chapel and much more.
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Heritage Open Days
Mancroft Bells and the London Connection

Performer: Neil Thomas

Fri, Sep 18, 2026

11:00 AM

Neil learnt the art of bellringing while at school, he joined the St. Peter Mancroft Guild of Ringers in 1983 and has been steeple keeper for many of those years. After a good grounding in bell maintenance, he had an offer of employment at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry from 2002 until its closure in 2017. After a short spell at Taylors of Loughborough he Joined Matthew Higby, based in Somerset, in 2019 until his recent retirement. Or not …!
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Heritage Open Days
Bell Tower Tour

Performer: Alexandra Atherton, Nikki Thomas

Maximum 24 people, please book

Fri, Sep 18, 2026

12:45 PM

Up the medieval winding staircase to the bell tower for a privileged view of the Mancroft bells, which have been ringing out of the city for hundreds of years.
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Heritage Open Days
Tour of St Peter Mancroft

Performer: Alexandra Atherton, Nikki Thomas

Multiple Dates available

Fri, Sep 18, 2026

1:45 PM

We will take you on a relaxed tour of this wonderful medieval building. You will visit the Treasury, go behind the scenes to the Sacristy, tread The Processional Way, see the Lady Chapel and much more.
...
Heritage Open Days
Tour of St Peter Mancroft

Performer: Alexandra Atherton, Nikki Thomas

Multiple Dates available

Sat, Sep 19, 2026

11:00 AM

We will take you on a relaxed tour of this wonderful medieval building. You will visit the Treasury, go behind the scenes to the Sacristy, tread The Processional Way, see the Lady Chapel and much more.
...
Heritage Open Days
Tour of St Peter Mancroft

Performer: Alexandra Atherton, Nikki Thomas

Multiple Dates available

Sat, Sep 19, 2026

1:45 PM

We will take you on a relaxed tour of this wonderful medieval building. You will visit the Treasury, go behind the scenes to the Sacristy, tread The Processional Way, see the Lady Chapel and much more.