The Assembly House Trust

What’s On?

The Arts Society Wensum: Palmyra, Bride of the Desert
Jun
18

The Arts Society Wensum: Palmyra, Bride of the Desert

In this talk, lecturer Paul Roberts looks at one of the most beautiful cities of the ancient world, the fabled city of Palmyra, in the Syrian desert. Palmyra arose on a trade route that brought silk, spices and other luxuries across the desert from the east.

Her wealth and power are displayed in gorgeous monuments, while her people, wealthy, sophisticated and cosmopolitan, are preserved in their hauntingly beautiful funeral portraits. Palmyra became so powerful during the Roman empire that its warrior queen Zenobia challenged Rome itself.

We’ll see Palmyra’s meteoric rise and its dramatic fall, its rediscovery by English lords, its influence on art and architecture, and then its desecration by Isis. But we finish with the hope that beautiful Palmyra will rise again…

Dr Paul Roberts is Head of the Department of Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, Oxford University. 

He studied Classics at the University of Cambridge, and Classical Archaeology at the Universities of Sheffield and Oxford.  He then lived in Italy for several years, teaching and researching.  He has travelled throughout the former lands of the Roman Empire, from Britain to Syria, and has excavated in Britain, Greece, Libya, Turkey and in particular Italy, where he is currently working on a Roman Villa in the Molise region of the Central Apennines. His research focuses on the daily life of ordinary people in the Greek and Roman worlds, and he has written books and articles on Greek and Roman daily life, Pompeii and Herculaneum, Sicily, Roman Emperors, mummy portraits, and Greek and Roman ceramics and glass. He is now writing a guide to the monuments and Emperors of ancient Rome.  

All Arts Society Wensum members are welcome to attend this event without booking.

Arts Society Wensum normally holds nine monthly lectures (September-November; January- June) and a Christmas lecture. The lectures are held at the Assembly House in the centre of Norwich.

It also arranges Special Interest Days and day visits to places of interest. Each autumn it organises a 3-4 day visit to another UK destination.

The society has room for a few additional members. If you are interested please contact the Membership Secretary: taswensum.membership@gmail.com

View Event →

The Assembly House: free tour by Roxanne Matthews
Nov
10

The Assembly House: free tour by Roxanne Matthews

TICKETS FOR THIS TOUR MUST BE PRE-BOOKED.

As part of The Assembly House Trust’s commitment to share the wonders of The Assembly House with the public, the Trust invites you to amble around the corridors, crypt and rooms of the House in the capable hands of art historian and tour guide Roxanne Matthews. Come and feed your minds and souls with tales of a medieval college, Tudor spoils, Georgian arts, 19th century dancing, a school, top secret camouflage school and more. Includes a visit to the crypt which has steep stairs and uneven floors. Not suitable for children under the age of 10. Free tours run monthly, you must be booked on to the tour to take part. These free tours are booked in minutes. Follow our Instagram and Facebook pages to find out more information. Tickets for tours are announced on our social media pages and details are given about how to request tickets - please be aware, these places book very quickly and there are only 20 spaces per tour. If you encounter any issues, please email stacia@assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk.

We hope that you are able to join us for a tour which is funded by The Assembly House Trust, an arts charity which works to promote the House and its special heritage. We are hugely grateful to the Trust and to Roxanne, who has been leading these free tours for many years.

PLEASE NOTE:

* Tours begin at 10am and are 1.5 hours long. Please meet Roxanne in the Grand Hall, which is the hall with our reception desk, she will take your name from the bookings list. You will be standing or walking for the duration of the tour.

* If this tour needs to be cancelled for any reason, you will be emailed on the address you book under. We cannot guarantee there will not be circumstances in which a tour may need to be cancelled if, for example, there are safety concerns or illness: please check your mail before travelling

* Tickets for this tour will NOT be rolled over to the next tour in the case of cancellation

* Access to the undercroft involves steep stairs and uneven flooring and is not suitable for anyone with any form of mobility problem: guests enter the undercroft at their own risk. Areas of the undercroft are dark and potentially slippery. Please do not go into the undercroft if you feel you will not be safe.

* Tours may not involve all rooms at the House if they are booked for private events

* Tours are not suitable for children under the age of 10.

View Event →
The Assembly House: free tour by Roxanne Matthews
Oct
20

The Assembly House: free tour by Roxanne Matthews

TICKETS FOR THIS TOUR MUST BE PRE-BOOKED.

As part of The Assembly House Trust’s commitment to share the wonders of The Assembly House with the public, the Trust invites you to amble around the corridors, crypt and rooms of the House in the capable hands of art historian and tour guide Roxanne Matthews. Come and feed your minds and souls with tales of a medieval college, Tudor spoils, Georgian arts, 19th century dancing, a school, top secret camouflage school and more. Includes a visit to the crypt which has steep stairs and uneven floors. Not suitable for children under the age of 10. Free tours run monthly, you must be booked on to the tour to take part. These free tours are booked in minutes. Follow our Instagram and Facebook pages to find out more information. Tickets for tours are announced on our social media pages and details are given about how to request tickets - please be aware, these places book very quickly and there are only 20 spaces per tour. If you encounter any issues, please email stacia@assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk.

We hope that you are able to join us for a tour which is funded by The Assembly House Trust, an arts charity which works to promote the House and its special heritage. We are hugely grateful to the Trust and to Roxanne, who has been leading these free tours for many years.

PLEASE NOTE:

* Tours begin at 10am and are 1.5 hours long. Please meet Roxanne in the Grand Hall, which is the hall with our reception desk, she will take your name from the bookings list. You will be standing or walking for the duration of the tour.

* If this tour needs to be cancelled for any reason, you will be emailed on the address you book under. We cannot guarantee there will not be circumstances in which a tour may need to be cancelled if, for example, there are safety concerns or illness: please check your mail before travelling

* Tickets for this tour will NOT be rolled over to the next tour in the case of cancellation

* Access to the undercroft involves steep stairs and uneven flooring and is not suitable for anyone with any form of mobility problem: guests enter the undercroft at their own risk. Areas of the undercroft are dark and potentially slippery. Please do not go into the undercroft if you feel you will not be safe.

* Tours may not involve all rooms at the House if they are booked for private events

* Tours are not suitable for children under the age of 10.

View Event →
Assembly House Classical: The The Pelléas Ensemble
Oct
17

Assembly House Classical: The The Pelléas Ensemble

Flute, Viola and Harp trio The Pelléas Ensemble return to The Assembly House for a lunchtime recital. Assembly House Classical presents The Pelléas Ensemble. Once a month, in the Georgian Music Room at The Assembly House on Theatre Street – in the same room pianist Franz Liszt played in 1840 – lunchtime chamber concerts are hosted. The season is curated by Iain Lowery and supported by The Assembly House Trust. All hour-long concerts take place once a month on Thursdays and start at 1pm, tickets cost £20.

View Event →
Assembly House Classical: The Sacconi Quartet
Sept
26

Assembly House Classical: The Sacconi Quartet

Once a month, in the Georgian Music Room at The Assembly House on Theatre Street – in the same room pianist Franz Liszt played in 1840 – lunchtime chamber concerts are hosted. The season is curated by Iain Lowery and supported by The Assembly House Trust. All hour-long concerts take place once a month on Thursdays and start at 1pm, tickets cost £20.

View Event →
The Arts Society Wensum: Vermeer, The Whole Story
Sept
18

The Arts Society Wensum: Vermeer, The Whole Story

The 2023 exhibition in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam showcasing 28 of Vermeer's 37 known paintings has shown us there is more to Vermeer than his tranquil, peaceful, still and meditative genre paintings. Experimental brushstrokes, quickly painted in a wide range of topics, loved and collected by women. In this lecture by Dutch art historian Mariska, will introduce Vermeer the person, the city in which he lived, the range of topics he covered, his beliefs, his patrons and his legacy.

View Event →
Norwich Flower Club: Crystall Dyball
Sept
16

Norwich Flower Club: Crystall Dyball

Norwich Flower Club’s meetings are normally held on the third Monday of the month at 1.45pmn and visitors are warmly welcomed (£10 per person).

At this month’s events, there will be a demonstration from Crystal Dyball.

At every meeting you can watch demonstrations by experts who will create floral displays, give advice on plants and flowers to grow, advice on current trends in floral displays and useful tips relating to our art.

At the end of the demonstration, there is a raffle for all the beautiful floral arrangements that have been created. Other activities offered are workshops, outings, shows and social events.

A full years’ programme of events is always planned ahead.

For more information, and to join the Norwich Flower Club, visit http://www.norwichflowerclub.co.uk

View Event →
The Assembly House: free tour by Roxanne Matthews
Sept
8

The Assembly House: free tour by Roxanne Matthews

TICKETS FOR THIS TOUR MUST BE PRE-BOOKED.

As part of The Assembly House Trust’s commitment to share the wonders of The Assembly House with the public, the Trust invites you to amble around the corridors, crypt and rooms of the House in the capable hands of art historian and tour guide Roxanne Matthews. Come and feed your minds and souls with tales of a medieval college, Tudor spoils, Georgian arts, 19th century dancing, a school, top secret camouflage school and more. Includes a visit to the crypt which has steep stairs and uneven floors. Not suitable for children under the age of 10. Free tours run monthly, you must be booked on to the tour to take part. These free tours are booked in minutes. Follow our Instagram and Facebook pages to find out more information. Tickets for tours are announced on our social media pages and details are given about how to request tickets - please be aware, these places book very quickly and there are only 20 spaces per tour. If you encounter any issues, please email stacia@assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk.

We hope that you are able to join us for a tour which is funded by The Assembly House Trust, an arts charity which works to promote the House and its special heritage. We are hugely grateful to the Trust and to Roxanne, who has been leading these free tours for many years.

PLEASE NOTE:

* Tours begin at 10am and are 1.5 hours long. Please meet Roxanne in the Grand Hall, which is the hall with our reception desk, she will take your name from the bookings list. You will be standing or walking for the duration of the tour.

* If this tour needs to be cancelled for any reason, you will be emailed on the address you book under. We cannot guarantee there will not be circumstances in which a tour may need to be cancelled if, for example, there are safety concerns or illness: please check your mail before travelling

* Tickets for this tour will NOT be rolled over to the next tour in the case of cancellation

* Access to the undercroft involves steep stairs and uneven flooring and is not suitable for anyone with any form of mobility problem: guests enter the undercroft at their own risk. Areas of the undercroft are dark and potentially slippery. Please do not go into the undercroft if you feel you will not be safe.

* Tours may not involve all rooms at the House if they are booked for private events

* Tours are not suitable for children under the age of 10.

View Event →
Norwich Flower Club: President's Event in aid of LILAC, 'Bluebell Girl'
Aug
19

Norwich Flower Club: President's Event in aid of LILAC, 'Bluebell Girl'

Norwich Flower Club’s meetings are normally held on the third Monday of the month at 1.45pmn and visitors are warmly welcomed (£10 per person).

This month is the President’s Event in aid of LILAC, ‘Bluebell Girl’.

LILAC – Ladies in League Against Cancer was founded by Theresa Cossey MBE and Gaye Youngman in 2005 as a voluntary fundraising group focused on fun and friendship. LILAC raise funds to support the work of Big C improving the lives of local people affected by cancer in Norfolk and surrounding counties.

Since 2005 LILAC has gone from strength to strength and now has a loyal membership of ladies enjoying a wide variety of events whilst raising thousands of pounds each year for cancer support, education and research in our local area.

At every meeting you can watch demonstrations by experts who will create floral displays, give advice on plants and flowers to grow, advice on current trends in floral displays and useful tips relating to our art.

At the end of the demonstration, there is a raffle for all the beautiful floral arrangements that have been created. Other activities offered are workshops, outings, shows and social events.

A full years’ programme of events is always planned ahead.

 For more information, and to join the Norwich Flower Club, visit http://www.norwichflowerclub.co.uk

View Event →
Candlelight Concerts: Adele
Aug
15

Candlelight Concerts: Adele

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Norwich. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Adele at The Noverre Room at The Assembly House under the gentle glow of candlelight.

View Event →
The Assembly House: free tour by Roxanne Matthews
Jul
21

The Assembly House: free tour by Roxanne Matthews

TICKETS FOR THIS TOUR MUST BE PRE-BOOKED.

As part of The Assembly House Trust’s commitment to share the wonders of The Assembly House with the public, the Trust invites you to amble around the corridors, crypt and rooms of the House in the capable hands of art historian and tour guide Roxanne Matthews. Come and feed your minds and souls with tales of a medieval college, Tudor spoils, Georgian arts, 19th century dancing, a school, top secret camouflage school and more. Includes a visit to the crypt which has steep stairs and uneven floors. Not suitable for children under the age of 10. Free tours run monthly, you must be booked on to the tour to take part. These free tours are booked in minutes. Follow our Instagram and Facebook pages to find out more information. Tickets for tours are announced on our social media pages and details are given about how to request tickets - please be aware, these places book very quickly and there are only 20 spaces per tour. If you encounter any issues, please email stacia@assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk.We hope that you are able to join us for a tour which is funded by The Assembly House Trust, an arts charity which works to promote the House and its special heritage. We are hugely grateful to the Trust and to Roxanne, who has been leading these free tours for many years.

PLEASE NOTE:

* Tours begin at 10am and are 1.5 hours long. Please meet Roxanne in the Grand Hall, which is the hall with our reception desk, she will take your name from the bookings list. You will be standing or walking for the duration of the tour.

* If this tour needs to be cancelled for any reason, you will be emailed on the address you book under. We cannot guarantee there will not be circumstances in which a tour may need to be cancelled if, for example, there are safety concerns or illness: please check your mail before travelling

* Tickets for this tour will NOT be rolled over to the next tour in the case of cancellation

* Access to the undercroft involves steep stairs and uneven flooring and is not suitable for anyone with any form of mobility problem: guests enter the undercroft at their own risk. Areas of the undercroft are dark and potentially slippery. Please do not go into the undercroft if you feel you will not be safe.

* Tours may not involve all rooms at the House if they are booked for private events

* Tours are not suitable for children under the age of 10.

View Event →
Norwich Flower Club: Stephanie Laing: ‘Influenced by…’
Jul
15

Norwich Flower Club: Stephanie Laing: ‘Influenced by…’

Norwich Flower Club’s meetings are normally held on the third Monday of the month at 1.45pmn and visitors are warmly welcomed (£10 per person).

At this month’s events, there will be a demonstration from Stephanie Laing; ‘Influenced by…’

At every meeting you can watch demonstrations by experts who will create floral displays, give advice on plants and flowers to grow, advice on current trends in floral displays and useful tips relating to our art.

At the end of the demonstration, there is a raffle for all the beautiful floral arrangements that have been created. Other activities offered are workshops, outings, shows and social events.

A full years’ programme of events is always planned ahead.

 For more information, and to join the Norwich Flower Club, visit http://www.norwichflowerclub.co.uk

View Event →
Candlelight Concerts: Taylor Swift
Jul
11

Candlelight Concerts: Taylor Swift

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Norwich. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Taylor Swift at The Noverre Room at The Assembly House under the gentle glow of candlelight.

View Event →
Candlelight Concerts: Hans Zimmer
Jul
11

Candlelight Concerts: Hans Zimmer

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Norwich. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Hans Zimmer at The Noverre Room at The Assembly House under the gentle glow of candlelight.

View Event →
Assembly House Classical: The Greenwich Trio
Jul
11

Assembly House Classical: The Greenwich Trio

Once a month, in the Georgian Music Room at The Assembly House on Theatre Street – in the same room pianist Franz Liszt played in 1840 – lunchtime chamber concerts are hosted. The season is curated by Iain Lowery and supported by The Assembly House Trust. All hour-long concerts take place once a month on Thursdays and start at 1pm, tickets cost £20.

View Event →
Midsummer Night's Murder
Jul
6

Midsummer Night's Murder

Something wicked this way comes…The Assembly House is hosting A Midsummer Night’s Murder, a murder mystery night after darkness falls with a delicious canapé reception in the Grand Hall, a sumptuous three-course dinner in the beautiful Music Room and a night of frighteningly good immersive theatre as you dine.

View Event →
Assembly House Classical: Ariel Lanyi, Piano
Jun
27

Assembly House Classical: Ariel Lanyi, Piano

Assembly House Classical presents The Bridge Quartet. Once a month, in the Georgian Music Room at The Assembly House on Theatre Street – in the same room pianist Franz Liszt played in 1840 – lunchtime chamber concerts are hosted. The season is curated by Iain Lowery and supported by The Assembly House Trust. All hour-long concerts take place once a month on Thursdays and start at 1pm, tickets cost £20.

View Event →
Candlelight Concerts: Queen vs ABBA
Jun
20

Candlelight Concerts: Queen vs ABBA

Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Norwich. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Queen vs ABBA at The Noverre Room at The Assembly House under the gentle glow of candlelight.

View Event →
THE TEXTILES OF BHUTAN The Arts Society Wensum
Jun
19

THE TEXTILES OF BHUTAN The Arts Society Wensum

Freelance lecturer, art consultant and exhibition curator specialising in the art and culture of Tibet, the Himalayan areas and Mongolia. Initially based at the V&A, but also worked with the Central Asian Department of Bonn University, the Orient Foundation, the Royal Academy, Tibet House, the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside and Asia House. In addition to lecturing for The Arts Society, she lectures for museums, universities, Asian art societies, and private associations. Guest lecturer and tour guide on numerous trips to the Himalayas. Edited Masterpieces of Mongolian Art: Vol 1 and has published many articles in the field of Buddhist art and culture.

All Arts Society Wensum members are welcome to attend this event without booking.

Arts Society Wensum normally holds nine monthly lectures (September-November; January- June) and a Christmas lecture. The lectures are held at the Assembly House in the centre of Norwich.

It also arranges Special Interest Days and day visits to places of interest. Each autumn it organises a 3-4 day visit to another UK destination.

The society has room for a few additional members. If you are interested please contact the Membership Secretary: taswensum.membership@gmail.com

View Event →
The Assembly House: free tour by Roxanne Matthews
Jun
16

The Assembly House: free tour by Roxanne Matthews

TICKETS MUST BE PRE-BOOKED. As part of The Assembly House Trust’s commitment to share the wonders of The Assembly House with the public, the Trust invites you to amble around the corridors, crypt and rooms of the House in the capable hands of art historian and tour guide Roxanne Matthews. Come and feed your minds and souls with tales of a medieval college, Tudor spoils, Georgian arts, 19th century dancing, a school, top secret camouflage school and more. Includes a visit to the crypt which has steep stairs and uneven floors. Not suitable for children under the age of 10. Free tours run monthly, you must be booked on to the tour to take part. These free tours are booked in minutes. Follow our Instagram and Facebook pages to find out more information. Tickets for tours are announced on our social media pages and details are given about how to request tickets - please be aware, these places book very quickly and there are only 20 spaces per tour. If you encounter any issues, please email stacia@assemblyhousenorwich.co.uk.

We hope that you are able to join us for a tour which is funded by The Assembly House Trust, an arts charity which works to promote the House and its special heritage. We are hugely grateful to the Trust and to Roxanne, who has been leading these free tours for many years.

PLEASE NOTE:

* Tours begin at 10am and are 1.5 hours long. Please meet Roxanne in the Grand Hall, which is the hall with our reception desk, she will take your name from the bookings list. You will be standing or walking for the duration of the tour.

* If this tour needs to be cancelled for any reason, you will be emailed on the address you book under. We cannot guarantee there will not be circumstances in which a tour may need to be cancelled if, for example, there are safety concerns or illness: please check your mail before travelling

* Tickets for this tour will NOT be rolled over to the next tour in the case of cancellation

* Access to the undercroft involves steep stairs and uneven flooring and is not suitable for anyone with any form of mobility problem: guests enter the undercroft at their own risk. Areas of the undercroft are dark and potentially slippery. Please do not go into the undercroft if you feel you will not be safe.

* Tours may not involve all rooms at the House if they are booked for private events

* Tours are not suitable for children under the age of 10.

View Event →
Withnail and I, The Noverre Cinema
Jun
6

Withnail and I, The Noverre Cinema

Withnail and I (15) Thursday 6 June, 8.30pm

1987 / 108mins

Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann star in Bruce Robinson’s cult comedy. In 1969, two substance-abusing, unemployed actors retreat to the countryside for a holiday that proves disastrous.

Doors and bar open at 7.30pm, Film starts at 8.30pm

Seating will be unreserved. Tickets Pay What You Can £6/£8/£10

Book Tickets

View Event →
Bugsy Malone, The Noverre Cinema (Matinee)
Jun
2

Bugsy Malone, The Noverre Cinema (Matinee)

Bugsy Malone (U) Sunday 2 June, 2pm

1976 / 93mins

New York, 1929, a war rages between two rival gangsters, Fat Sam and Dandy Dan. Dan is in possession of a new and deadly weapon, the dreaded ‘splurge gun’. As the custard pies fly, Bugsy Malone, an all-round nice guy, falls for Blousey Brown, a singer at Fat Sam’s speakeasy.

Doors and refreshments from 1.30pm, Film starts at 2pm

Bugsy Malone themed dressing up encouraged! Join us after the film for a free Noverre kids’ club activity from 3.30-4.30pm.

Seating will be unreserved. All children (under 18) to be accompanied by an adult. Tickets £2 Kids (under 18) and £5 Adults

Book Tickets

View Event →