Council seeks to secure sustainable futures for Norwich’s Music House and Old Library

Both properties require essential works to bring them into a good state of repair. The council is able to secure funding for part of these works, and is looking for partners who can deliver additional significant investment to ensure a sustainable, long-term future for both buildings.

Interested parties will be judged against specific criteria around social and economic benefits their proposals will bring the city as well as their organisational credentials.

Expression of Interest briefs

• The Music House, Kings Street
• The Old Library, Guildhall Hill

For further information contact: sharontaylor@norwich.gov.uk

Notes to editors:

1. The Music House was first mentioned in the Norwich Gazette on the 19th of January 1723, however its original construction dates to the 12th Century, with further additions in the 15th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. The Music House is a Grade I listed three storey, former town house. Constructed of brick with a pantile roof, the property fronts the east side of King Street. It comprises three floors, plus an undercroft, with some two storey additions. It features a small, landscaped area to the southern boundary.
2. 4a Guildhall Hill (the Old Library), constructed in the 18th century, was historically the city’s first subscription library. It served as a library until its closure in 1976 and was most recently used as a restaurant until 2019. The building retains several original features from its time as a library, most notably the first-floor gallery that surrounds the main central space on the ground floor. The building is listed as Grade II.