Dragon Hall is named after the dragon carving in the Great Hall. We think there used to be dragon carvings all along the Hall. The dragons are connected to the legend of St. George and the Dragon. St. George has been an important English saint for hundreds of years. He became England's patron saint in 1349.  

The Norwich Guild of St. George was founded in 1389. It honoured St George's feast day and gave help to guild members who were in need. The Guild became very important in the city. The rich and powerful people were all members. St. George's day celebrations were very elaborate. There were processions through the streets, services at the Cathedral and feasts for guild members.  

The procession included a re-enactment of St. George's battle with the dragon. The dragon was represented by 'Snap', a hobby-horse with moveable jaws and wings who would threaten and terrify the watching crowd. 

Norwich is full of Dragons. Ethelbert's Gate into the Cathedral has a carving of St George (or St Michael) and the dragon which dates from 1316-20 (restored in 1965). A roof boss in the cathedral cloisters shows a dragon-slayer.  

There is a late 15th-century wall painting of St George and the dragon in St.Gregory's church and the Great Hospital in Bishopsgate has carved dragons spandrels along the length of the dining hall. A wooden pew end in the Great Hospital chapel shows St. Margaret rising from the belly of the dragon (another part of the St. George legend).  

Norwich dragons have continued into the modern world. The Norwich Union building in Surrey Street, opened in 1905, features golden dragons on its railings.