Norwich Union Offices

The Norwich Union Offices, built between 1903 and 1904 by G. J. Skipper, is an office building constructed from Clipsham Stone. It is set back from the street and features single-storey projecting wings in a Neo-Baroque style. The building has two-storey outer bays and three-storey central bays, arranged in five bays: A:B:B:B:A. The central entrance includes a door with a semi-circular fanlight that showcases fine wrought-ironwork, framed by a rusticated arch adorned with swags and a shield. The windows are mullion and transom style, with tall first-floor windows featuring pedimented surrounds. The ground floor is rusticated, with rough-hewn quoins extending partway up the first floor. The central bays are supported by paired end and dividing Ionic columns, which hold up a pediment. The single-storey wings are decorated with balustrading featuring urns and frontal niches that house statues of the Right Reverend William Talbot and Sir Samuel Bignold. In front of the building, there is stone balustrading with festooned circular gateposts topped with urns. Inside, the building boasts an exceptionally fine marbled interior and a panelled boardroom. The 'Font' in the centre of the main hall is part of the original central heating system and is still in use. The former Solicitor's Office on the first floor contains 16th-century glass from Surrey House, and there is a fine Adam style fireplace, reputedly from Surrey House, in the first-floor committee room.