Norwich HEART

Norwich HEART (Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust) is a private, charitable company set up to act as an umbrella organisation for all the fantastic and often unknown heritage on offer in Norwich.

HEART strategically plans, regenerates, manages and promotes Norwich's heritage resources and acts as a best practice case study, nationally and internationally, on developing heritage as a vehicle for social and economic regeneration.

Norwich 12

Dragon Hall is one of the Norwich 12, an iconic set of outstanding heritage buildings being developed by HEART as a universally important integrated family of cultural, economic and social attractions for visitors and local people.

The Norwich 12 are:

• Dragon Hall

• The Assembly House

• Norwich Castle

• Norwich Cathedral

• The Great Hospital

• The Guildhall

• The Halls – St Andrew’s and Blackfriars

• St James Mill

• St John’s Roman Catholic Cathedral

• Surrey House

• The Forum

SHAPING 24

Shaping 24 is HEART's cultural and heritage tourism initiative that links the Norwich 12 with 2 heritage sites in Ghent, increasing awareness of the longstanding historical links between East Anglia and the Low Countries. For more information visit the website here.

As one of the Norwich 12 Dragon Hall has benefited from a number of HEART initiatives:

Audio tour: In 2011 we created a new audio guide for Dragon Hall which was launched in April 2012. This was created by Dragon Hall staff and volunteers, with the help of specialist consultants, using freely available recording and editing software. The tour, narrated by actress Diana Quick, can be updated and added to in-house, so that we are able to change it when we want without having to pay costly specialist companies.

Virtual reality model: HEART have worked with the experts at the University of East Anglia to create virtual reality models of the Norwich 12 sites. The Dragon Hall model can be viewed here.

Avatar: In a collaborative project with the University of East Anglia's Urban Modeling Group, Norwich HEART is overseeing the creation of 12 virtual reality 'avatar' films detailing the histories of the Norwich 12 heritage sites. The avatars are animated versions of the buildings' most important historical figures, who come to life to educate audiences of their role in the building's past, and its position within the city. Prior to the SHAPING 24 project, 3 films were completed. One for Norwich's City Hall, one for Dragon Hall, and the third for the city's 1,000 year old Castle and others are in production funded by SH24. The Dragon Hall film can be viewed here.