NHER 13 (Building record) - Former Bethel Hospital, Bethel Street

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Summary

This former hospital has now been converted to residential housing. The building has an interesting history having been supposedly founded in 1713 on the site of a Civil War armoury. Over the years it has been extensively modified and renovated with additions made in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. The building takes the form of an H-shaped block and is made from brick with masonry dressings. The roofing is a combination of slate and tile. During the redevelopment of the site in 2000 archaeological observations recorded two probable early medieval quarry pits.

Protected Status/Designation

Listed Building (II*) 1051362: BETHEL HOSPITAL

Location

Map sheet	TG20NW
Civil Parish	NORWICH, NORWICH, NORFOLK

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Full Description

Former hospital, now Children's Psychiatric Clinic.

1968. Stray Find.
Medieval sherd from near base of flint walling about 2.4m (8ft) deep in grounds of Bethel Hospital.
Finds held by NCM.
W. F. Milligan (NCM).

1986. Listed, Grade II*.
Late 17th or early 18th century with additions of 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
The 1899 rebuilding and repairs by E. Boardman.
Brick and masonry dressings with plain tile and slate roofs.
Information from (S1).
O. Beazley (NAU) 11 May 1989.

1988. Building Survey.
Building examined as part of Norwich Survey.
H-shaped block of several builds. Original block dates to around 1700. Extensive 19th century additions. South wings built in about 1790.
See record form (S2) for further details.
T.E. Miller (NLA) 16 June 2004. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 31 August 2017.

This building is amongst those briefly described in thesis (S3), which considers the 13th- to 17th-century buildings of Norwich.
P. Watkins (HES), 31 August 2017.

Press cutting in file (S4) - E. Rose (NLA).

According to (S4) the hospital was founded in 1713 on the site of a Civil War armoury.
E. Rose 27 October 1995.

2000 and 2002. Watching Brief.
Watching briefs undertaken during redevelopment for residential use. Contexts 1-6 used.
Phase 1: Test pits revealed a series of make-up deposits with no dating evidence.
Phase 2: Monitoring of service trenches and foundation trenches revealed brick walls of earlier buildings but not of great age and a pammet floor overlain with rubble. A deeper test hole within the boiler house area revealed two probable early medieval quarry pits.
See report (S14) for further details. The results of this work are also summarised in (S15) and (S16).
J. Allen (NLA) 9 November 2000. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 15 October 2015.

According to [1] the plaster ceiling of the board room was done by one Wilkins who was an ancestor of the architect William Wilkins.
E. Rose (NLA) 25 November 2002.

See other press cuttings (S6)-(S13) in file.
T. Sunley (NLA) 23 October 2007.

July 2008.
Added to the English Heritage buildings at risk register.
See (S17) for further details.
H. White, (NLA), 13 April 2010.

Associated Sources (29)

--- SNF49681 Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1994. TG 2208ACV - ACX, ADB.
--- SNF48833 Aerial Photograph: Edwards, D.A. (NLA). 1994. TG2208/ACJ - ACU.
--- SNF2685 Monograph: Jennings, S. 1981. Eighteen Centuries of Pottery from Norwich. East Anglian Archaeology. No 13.
--- SNF58263 Monograph: Pevsner, N. and Wilson, B. 1997. Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East. The Buildings of England. 2nd Edition. p 320.
--- SNF68651 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1994. Race on to 'save' historic hospital. 29 July.
--- SNF68956 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1998. New lease of life for historic building. 4 July.
--- SNF98232 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2016. Brighter future pledge for forgotten gem. 30 March.
--- SNF98249 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2016. Buildings are listed on at-risk register. 14 June.
--- SNF87229 Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Norwich - Post Roman.
--- SNF8804 Secondary File: Secondary File.
--- SNF8807 Slide: Various. Slide. 1-.
--- SNF62663 Unpublished Document: 1732-1796. Hospital accounts.
<S1> SNF48662 Designation: Historic England. National Heritage List for England. List Entry 1051362.
<S10> SNF68655 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1997. New life for old hospital. 26 November.
<S11> SNF68654 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1997. Put sale proceeds to good use (letter to the editor). 6 December.
<S12> SNF68653 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1998. Plan to convert hospital into hotel. 25 November.
<S13> SNF68659 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2000. Family homes in former hospital. 10 November.
<S14> SNF51282 Unpublished Contractor Report: Underdown, S. 2002. Report on an Archaeological Watching Brief at the Bethel Hospital, Bethel Street, Norwich. Norfolk Archaeological Unit. 540.
<S15> SNF82555 Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 2001. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 2000. Norfolk Archaeology. XLIII Pt IV pp 707-728. p 719.
<S16> SNF82149 Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 2003. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk, 2002. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLIV Pt II pp 368-384. p 376.
<S17> SNF73768 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 2008. Several newcomers to heritage at risk register. 10 July.
<S2> SNF87101 Recording Form: Norwich Survey building record forms.
<S3> SNF8204 Thesis: Smith, R. 1990. An Architectural History of Norwich Buildings, c. 1200 - 1700. Unpublished Thesis. p 388.
<S4> SNF2912 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1992. Fears of history loss in Bethel plan. 31 July.
<S5> SNF2970 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1995-2000. [Articles and published letters to the editor regarding the sale and development of the former Bethel Hospital].
<S6> SNF68652 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1999. For sale signs up at historic hospital site. 19 February.
<S7> SNF68658 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1995. Hospital needs new lease of life (letter to the editor). 11 December.
<S8> SNF68657 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1996. 'Cells' are historically important (letter to the editor). 17 June.
<S9> SNF68656 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1996. Bethel site holds the key (letter to the editor). 10 June.

Site and Feature Types and Periods (5)

Object Types (3)

BRICK (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
POT (Medieval to 19th Century - 1066 AD to 1900 AD)
ANIMAL REMAINS (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Related NHER Records (0)

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Record last edited

May 29 2018 8:59AM