Manual Ref* NFnrNOR039 Show 2 images 46
Title*

Wherry and Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of East Anglia
County Norfolk   District Council Norwich City Council 
Civil Parish or equivalent Norwich City Council  Town/Village* Norwich 
Road Exchange Street 
Precise Location On Norfolk House, west side of street 
OS Grid Ref TG230087  Postcode NR2 
Previous location(s)  
Setting On Building  Access Public 
Artist/Maker Role Qualifier
Fletcher Watson  Designer(s)   
Alec Wright  Architect(s)   

Commissioned by

 Raymond King, Property Partnership 

Design & Constrn period

 1950-51 

Date of installing

 1951 

Exact date of unveiling

 27 April 1951 

Category
Abstract Animal Architectural
Commercial Commemorative Composite
Free Functional Funerary
Heraldic Military Natural
Non-Commemorative Performance Portable
Religious Roadside, Wayside Sculptural
Temporary, Mobile Other  

Object Type
Building Clock Tower Architectural
Coat of Arms Cross Fountain
Landscape Marker Medallion
Mural Panel Readymade
Relief Shaft Sculpture
Statue Street Furniture War Memorial
Other Object Sub Type: Wherry above roof-line and Coat of Arms, with clock below

Subject Type
Allegorical Mythological Pictorial
Figurative Non-figurative Portrait
Still-life Symbolic Other

Subject Sub Type
Bust Equestrian Full-length
Group Head Reclining
Seated Standing Torso
Part Material Dimension
Wherry  Painted concrete  H. 2 metres W. 180 cm 
Coat of arms  Painted concrete  H. 2 metres W. 160 cms 
Clock  Painted concrete  Dial 180 cms 

Work is
Extant Not Sited Lost

Owner/Custodian

 Norwich University of the Arts 

Listing status
Grade I Grade II* Grade II Don't Know Not Listed

Surface Condition
Corrosion, Deterioration Accretions
Bird Guano Abrasions, cracks, splits
Biological growth Spalling, crumbling
Metallic staining Previous treatments
Other  
Detail: Presumably restored as part of the renovation of Norfolk House in 1988

Structural Condition
Armature exposed Broken or missing parts
Replaced parts Loose elements
Cracks, splits, breaks, holes Spalling, crumbling
Water collection Other
Detail:

Vandalism
Graffiti Structural damage Surface Damage
Detail:

Overall condition
Good Fair Poor

Risk
No Known Risk At Risk Immediate
Signatures/Marks  
Inscriptions In entrance lobby to right surmounted by bronze roundel 20 cm in diameter showing wherry and windmill (also by Fletcher Watson): THIS BUILDING WAS COMMENCED DURING THE TURN/ OF THE HALF CENTURY TO/BE COMPLETED IN THE YEAR OF/ THE FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN/AS A SYMBOL OF YOUTHS FAITH IN THE FUTURE THIS STONE WAS LAID BY/MICHAEL RAYMOND KING/ AND/ PAUL RAYMOND KING/ TWIN BROTHERS AGED 11 YEARS/THIS SPIRIT WAS REKINDLED/IN 1988 WHEN THIS BUILDING/ WAS EXTENSIVELY REFURBISHED/BY THEIR FAMILY COMPANY. To left surmounted by similar bronze roundel by Fletcher Watson of a man ploughing: AN OLD NORFOLK RHYME/ IF IT RAIN OR IF IT SNOW,/ KEEP A GOIN’ IF IT HAIL OR IF IT BLOW,/ KEEP A GOING/TEERN’T NO USE T’ SET AN’ WHINE/’CAUSE A FISH EERNT ON YAR LINE,/ BAIT YAR HOOK AND KEEPA TRYIN’/ KEEP A GOIN./ IT WAS THIS SPIRIT WHICH INSPIRED/ RAYMOND KING TO CREATE/ NORFOLK HOUSE 

Description (physical)

 The coat of arms is made up of two shields. A larger one with white cross on yellow background-presumably the cross of St George- even though the colours are wrong- and a smaller blue one with three crowns- the arms assigned to the former Kingdom of East Anglia. At the top the larger shield turns into waves on which the wherry sails. 

Description (iconographical)

 Norfolk house stands on the site of former factory of Trevor Page destroyed by bomb damage in 1942. Excavations for the new building - modelled on Halmstad Town Hall Sweden - revealed Saxon wells and the crypt of the Church of St Crouche. The coat of arms must have been inspired by these finds- while the choice of the Wherry as an emblem of Norfolk was prompted by Raymond King's admiration for the relief of a man of War at Halmstad Town Hall (Halmstad in Sweden was a Hanseatic port). The coat of arms of the former Kingdom of East Anglia were adopted by the East Anglian Society in 1901 in anticipation of the Coronation of Edward VII in view of his close connections with the region and home at Sandringham. James Fletcher-Watson (1913-1924) was at this time active as an architect in Norwich, although later he concentrated on his career as a water-colourist. 

Photographs

 Date taken:  26/2/2006
Date logged: 

Photographed by:
Sarah Cocke

On Site Inspection

 Date:  26/2/2006

Inspected by:
Richard Cocke

Sources and References

 Information from Paul King, Andy Anderson, and Tony Sims King, Raymond Norfolk House Norwich Norwich 1951 

Database

 Date entered:  30/6/2006

Data inputter:
Richard Cocke