The Swan Pit And Sluice The Great Hospital

The Swan Pit and attached sluice, located at The Great Hospital, is a late 18th-century structure that was restored in the late 19th century and altered in the 20th century. It is constructed of painted brick. The large rectangular pool features brick sides, with the north, west, and south walls made of late 18th-century painted brick. The east wall was rebuilt in stock brick during the late 19th century and has an ashlar egg and dart moulding along the coping. There are brick-paved ramps at both eastern corners.

Attached to the north is a stone-sided channel that contains two 19th-century sluice gates, which connect the pit to the River Wensum. These sluices are designed to keep the pit filled at high tide and prevent it from emptying at low tide. This unique 'swan pit' was historically used for breeding local swans for the Master of the Great Hospital in Norwich, who has had the right to cull swans for feasts since medieval times.