Norfolk Heritage Centre

16/10/2026

Event reminder!

We still have a few remaining tickets for our upcoming Heritage Hour talk 'Sir Thomas Browne's Roman Reflections', with returning guest speaker Kevin Faulkner. Come along on Tuesday 20th October at 1pm at the Norfolk Heritage Centre to join Kevin as he explores Sir Thomas Browne's multi - faceted interest in the world of ancient Rome.

To book your ticket, please follow the link in our bio to our eventbrite page where you can book a ticket for our livestream or in person event.

07/10/2026

New on the NHC podcast: follow the link in our bio to listen to our most recent Heritage Hour talk, 'The Story of the Maids Head Hotel' by local tour guide Paul Dickson.

Discover the story of the Maids Head Hotel, Norwich's oldest hotel, which dates back to the 13th century. Hear about the visits of Edward the Black Prince and Catherine of Aragon, and what the painter, Sir Alfred Munnings, thought of the snug bar and much more.

Image credit: 'Norwich, The Maids Head Inn', painting by artist Edward Pococke. Edward Pococke (1842-1905) was born at Newbury, Berkshire. He lived in London for much of his life and supplied work for the 'Illustrated London News' but is mostly known for his topographical views of East Anglia, particularly the Ipswich and Norwich areas (he lived in both places). The Norfolk Heritage Centre holds a large collection of his local drawings and watercolours.

Image courtesy of Norfolk County Council at www.picture.norfolk.gov.uk

29/09/2026

It's starting to feel a lot more autumnal, so we thought we'd share this lovely poster advertising the Norwich City Mission's Autumn Market from 1931!

The poster comes from the Norfolk Heritage Centre ephemera archives, and is available to view on Picture Norfolk (link in bio)

29/07/2026

Today is the day! After closing for the major refurbishment works at Millennium Library, the Norfolk Heritage Centre will be back open from today at 10am on Wednesday 29th July. With a new layout and some fantastic displays put together by our Heritage Centre team showcasing the history of libraries in Norwich, we can't wait to welcome you back!

17/07/2026

Norfolk Heritage Centre will reopen on Wednesday 29 July at 10am, full info below!

We are delighted to announce that the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library will reopen to the public at 10am on Wednesday 29 July, following a major refurbishment!

The Millennium Library is one of the busiest public libraries in the UK and is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary later this year. This work will help to transform the experience for the one million people who visit each year. Improvements include a new bookshop-style entrance, increased study space, dedicated areas for older children and teens, enhanced lighting and furniture, charging points, new events spaces and (because so many of you asked) air con in the early years library!

Ahead of the Millennium Library reopening, the pop-up library (also in The Forum, Norwich) will close at 5pm on Friday 24 July to allow books and equipment to be moved into the main library. So please be aware there will be a brief period between 5pm Friday 24 and 10am Wednesday 29 where there will not be any library service available in the building.

We are SO excited to welcome you to the brand new Millennium Library on Wednesday 29 July. We will be sharing some sneak peek photos of what you can expect ahead of opening (at the moment there are a LOT of boxes of books about the place so bear with us). So keep following us here and on Instagram too for all the latest!

03/07/2026

Last Thursday as part of an ongoing project about the Macabre in Norfolk, the Norfolk Heritage Centre's Young Heritage Collective braved the heatwave and took a trip to Norwich Cathedral with Macabre expert (and Millennium Library staff member!) Luke. Beginning with the fascinating example of Thomas Gooding’s tomb, the group then had the chance to explore the cathedral to look at differing examples of funerary monuments and think about how they evolved over time. The group has previously looked at some Norfolk examples, such as the Three Living and Three Dead tale, and will be using what they’ve learned in creative sessions in upcoming weeks.

The Young Heritage Collective is for 13 -18 year olds, and meets fortnightly on Thursdays from 4.15-5.30pm; the group has tackled a variety of topics in the past, all inspired by lesser-known aspects of local history, including textiles, photography, LGBTQ+ stories, women’s history, and folklore through creative projects, working with the historic archive collections held at the Norfolk Heritage Centre on the top floor of the Millennium Library. If you or anyone you know is interested in joining the group, our new cohort is due to begin in September - please email [email protected] and we can provide more information.

16/06/2026

As part of our Heritage Hour lunchtime talks programme, we were excited to welcome speaker (and Norwich Whiffler!) Ian Woods today, as he explored the history of Snap, the Norwich Dragon.

During the talk, Ian delved into fact and fantasy, the Guild of St George, and the demise and revivals of a character inexorably woven into the life of Norwich from the 14th century to today; ending with a wonderful demonstration of Snap in action from Chris and Peter who also joined us from the Norwich Pageantry Group.

Thanks very much to Ian, Chris and Peter for such a memorable and interactive experience! You can find the Norwich Pageantry Group on Facebook, where they're currently fundraising to make significant improvements and repairs to the current Snap.

11/06/2026

EVENT REMINDER! The new King’s Lynn Library is home to one of the town’s least known, but most astonishing treasures: a library of about 2,000 early printed books.

Join us at King's Lynn Library for a unique chance to turn these books’ pages, with the guidance of members of the project team from the .

📆 Saturday 13 June
⏰ 10am - 3pm
📍 King’s Lynn Library, 46 New Conduit Street, PE30 1DL

This is a free, drop in event taking place on the top floor of the library. Stay for as little or as long as you like to explore these incredible historic books for yourself!

09/06/2026

New podcast episode alert! Listen to our guest speaker Pippa Lacey, Vice Chair of the Costume and Textile Association (C&TA) from her Heritage Hour talk ‘The Costume & Textile Association: Colourful Tales from a Fine City’ when she joined us at the Norfolk Heritage Centre in November 2025. Link in bio to listen on our Norfolk Heritage Centre blog, or find the episode on our Soundcloud by searching for the Norfolk Heritage Centre.

19/05/2026

As part of our Heritage Hour lunchtime talks programme, we were thrilled today to welcome Janet Zmroczek MBE, as she shared stories from her 40-year experience as a curator and departmental head at the British Library. Her work took her around the world from Almaty in Kazakhstan to Washington DC, but it all began here in Norwich, where in the late 1960s, while still at junior school she volunteered as a monitor in Norwich Central Library’s Children’s Library. Thanks Janet for a fascinating talk about all things library!

If you would like to learn more about our Heritage Hour talks, please head to our eventbrite: norfolkheritagecentre.eventbrite.co.uk to keep up to date and book on to upcoming events.