A collection of creative responses to the history of Dragon Hall and King Street
Who lived at Dragon Hall? What have these old walls witnessed? Whose story hasn’t yet been told? These are the questions that formed the foundation of a project undertaken by the Story Makers, a group of a participants that generously gave their time and skills to discover, share and celebrate Dragon Hall’s heritage.
Combining historical research and creative practice, the Story Makers spent ten sessions engaging with Dragon Hall and the surrounding King Street area in a variety of ways, before using their creative skills to produce personal interpretations of the history they uncovered.
From poems to pamphlets, videos to pop-up books, we invite you to explore their work in our digital collection.
Explore the digital collection
‘The Missing Bits’ by Franca Akue
‘A Tale of Two Corbels’ by Mike Dolby
‘The River Song’ by Mike Dolby
‘Three Talking Heads’ by Michael Giddings
‘Walter Blunt’s Diary’ by Brian Guthrie
‘The Wyll and Testament of Agnes Palmer’ by Lucyl Harrison
‘Priory, Friary, Pulpit and Pub’ by Jim Lynch
‘The Quiet Man of Dragon Hall’ by Jim Lynch
‘When I First Met the Dragon’ by Mick Parish
‘Dragon Hall and King Street: Some Reflections on the Strength of Community’ by Jean Muir
‘St Ann Lane Yards and their Inhabitants’ by Janet Peachman
‘The Book of Dragon Hall’ by Na Qiruoxuan
‘Dragon Hall Through the Mists of Time’ by Will Webster
Combining historical research and creative practice, the Story Makers spent ten sessions engaging with Dragon Hall and the surrounding King Street area in a variety of ways. During the workshops they walked through Dragon Hall’s spaces with viewfinders, paying attention to the walls, the windows, the strange marks on the fireplaces, the vistas from its many peculiar windows. They wrote from different viewpoints, both physical and metaphysical, examined census data, maps and photographs. They listened to oral history recordings and sat in rooms, noticing the change in temperature and the smell of the timber.
The Story Makers then used their creative skills to produce interpretations of the history they uncovered. Although each interpretation is an individual response, collectively it is a tapestry of reverence – towards Dragon Hall and King Street and those who have passed through its many doors over the past 600 years.
With thanks to…Dragon Hall Heritage Volunteers, Daisy Henwood, Rib Davis, Sarah Bower, Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Heritage Centre, Family History Centre, Martin Cook, David Ludlow, Sean Thompson & the team at UEA Broadcast House.
Behind the scenes with Janet Peachman
Janet Peachman, a former nurse with a love of storytelling who recently moved to Norwich, shares her experience of being a Story Maker.
What most interested you about joining the Story Makers? What did you hope to achieve from participating in the project?
I was fascinated by the idea of looking further into the history of Dragon Hall. I wanted to spend more time there, getting to know it better, and I wanted to help interest visitors to the building and make them think of the ordinary people that had lived and worked in the area. I had also just moved to Norwich, so I wanted to meet other volunteers and people who lived in Norwich and Norfolk.
What was your relationship to Dragon Hall before you started? Have you visited before, and did you know anything about its history?
I was married at Dragon Hall last year, 2023, and I absolutely fell in love with the place; it just seems to pull you in. I did some background reading into Dragon Hall before I married but nothing prepared me for what I found out through the Heritage Volunteers, the other Story Makers, and from my own research.
You chose to research and write about St Ann Lane yards and their inhabitants. What was important to you about their story?
I was going to research the people who had lived in Old Barge Yard at the time of the slum clearances in the 1930s and write about them and their move to modern housing. I wanted to give these people a voice and a sense that lives and futures improved. However, looking at a map of the area, I realised that there were actually yards on the other side of what is now Dragon Hall; yards that were so seemingly unimportant that they weren’t even named. Those people had been totally forgotten about and, ironically, the dwellings they had lived in occupied what is now the beautiful grounds of Dragon Hall and its outer border. I felt that their story is all of us and needs to be told.
How did you undertake the research and writing of your final piece? Were there any surprises along the way?
The research was all consuming, and difficult, as there was a limited amount of information available on the inhabitants of St Ann Lane. I had no names to go on, therefore, the history websites couldn’t help me so I had to get information by hand, bit by bit; researching place is hard! What made things worse is that there is no 1931 census to refer to as this had been destroyed. I soon realised why they had been so forgotten. I read many books on Norwich itself and the yards specifically.
I spent many happy hours in the Norfolk Record Office, Norfolk Heritage Centre, and with the Norfolk Family History Society, and met some fabulous researchers there who pointed me in the right direction. I posted a plea on local Facebook groups for the family or friends of my St Ann people but only one person came forward. This was disappointing as I would have liked to have some personal information to add flesh to the bones and, perhaps, a photo or two. And I wanted to know that their lives improved when they moved into their new council housing. I had lots of surprises. One of my St Ann ladies seemed like an angel, fostering babies and children, until I found a court case that she was involved in and learned something very unsettling about her fostering. It could have been something very innocent or something rather sinister but it shows that our initial perceptions can be flawed.
How did you find the overall Story Makers experience?
The whole experience of the Story Makers was fantastic and I have felt a little bereft at its ending. Hannah was brilliant, very enthusiastic and passionate, with endless patience. The different facets to the course were really interesting and it was great to shake off the dust sheets of creativity that we have acquired as adults. The other Story Makers, too, were really lovely, very friendly and supportive.
Has Story Makers inspired you to continue your research and/or writing?
I will continue with my research into the inhabitants of St Ann Lane as all their stories are not known. I am thinking of fictionalising some of their stories too. I have started volunteering with the Norfolk Family History Society and with National Centre for Writing.
I live in an old house in an area of Norwich that has been known as French Town, due to the Huguenots. I think that the back of the property might have been a yard, next door definitely was, and I intend to discover the history of my house and its previous inhabitants.
I am very excited about this. Also, I have married into a Norwich family and will be making sure that I understand the family tree and add to it where I can.
Children, Young People & Communities Fund
You will help people of all ages discover and share their stories through workshops, outreach in schools, and more.
Stepping into Dragon Hall is made possible by Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Norwich Freemen’s Charity and Wolfson Foundation.
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