NHER 10965 (Building record) - Hill House, formerly Depwade Union Workhouse

Former workhouse. 1836 by Thorold.

5 June 1980. Site visited by E. Rose.
Red brick, three storey wings radiate from a central rotunda with cupola. Wings end in houses with pedimented raised central bay. At corners of outer wall enclosure, defensible gun turrets with vertical slits, one with a chimney (but east wall and southeast position part demolished). To north simple brick Gothic Revival chapel, of ?later date. Now a hotel, this building's claim to historical importance is that it was the NAU's first headquarters.

Machines from laundry in Gressenhall Rural Life Museum.

Addenda: The Houses at the ends of the wings were originally joined by buildings to produce an octagonal building divided into four quadrants by the cross. The north-west quadrant has been demolished.

In the stained glass museum at Ely Cathedral is a window on permanent loan from Norfolk County Council by Heaton,
Butler and Baine 1900 from the chapel, showing an angel leading a woman away from snales, lizards and bats. The
museum label queries why these 'symbols of darkness' were included in a chapel window but the message would seem
to be the leading of the poor out of darkness; the museum curator was unaware Hill House had been a workhouse
E. Rose (NAU), 28 June 1999

See (S1) and (S2) in secondary file.

The workhouse has now been converted to flats, and a garden centre is situated in front of it.
R. Fillery-Travis (NLA), 11 December 2006.

1836 by William Thorold. Formerly the Workhouse. Red brick with blue headers. Low pitched slate roofs. Central octagon with bellcote, and four three-storey wings forming cross plan, linked at ends by single storey ranges, with an
overall octagonal plan. The west wing facing front has pedimented gable, large first floor sash window with glazing bars and margin lights and doorway with cornice hood on large brackets, flanked by lower two-storey one window wings, sashes with glazing bars.
Information from (S3).

Detailed photographs of steam machinery in NIAS records.
See (S4)
W. Arnold (HES), 21 Febuary 2011