People have been living and working on the Dragon Hall site for at least one thousand years. This was a desirable place to live. It was sandwiched between two major lines of communication, King Street and the river Wensum. We have decided to focus upon four different periods to show how the site has developed over the centuries. 

The earliest buildings that we know about on the site were Anglo-Saxon huts with timber walls and roofs thatched with bracken. In the 14th century (1300-1399) the first substantial houses were built. The Abbey of Woburn owned a smoke house on one part of the site. A wealthy merchant occupied a high status open hall house on the other part.

By the early 15th century (1400-1499) the site was owned by one person, Robert Toppes. In that year oak timbers were felled for the construction of a great trading hall, the focal point of Dragon Hall today. However, Dragon Hall's heyday was short.  It was sold and divided up after Toppes died in 1467.

During the 19th century (1800-1899) Dragon Hall was home to pubs, shops and businesses. The land between the Hall and the river was a maze of poor quality housing. The early years of the 20th century were not kind to Dragon Hall. 'Slum clearance' and industrial decline took its toll and the area was in danger of becoming derelict.    

Today, this Grade 1 Listed building is preserved by the Norfolk and Norwich Heritage Trust. A major Heritage Lottery Fund project has provided displays and facilities to ensure that it will be enjoyed in the years to come.