91: Surrey House, Norwich
Thousands of people leaving Norwich bus station in Surrey Street every day probably get an inkling of the splendours of Norwich Union’s headquarters. But its marble marvels have to be seen inside to be believed.
An impressive office to be sure...
The interior of Surrey House.
Surrey House is still a working office, but it sends out a message of solidity and wealth that is hard to rival. Built on the site of an earl’s Tudor palace, it was created at the turn of the last century for a company proud of its Norfolk roots by an ambitious architect born and bred in the county. Yet Norwich Union and George Skipper were influenced as much by the wider world and its history as the county around them. The office, complete with its stunning Marble Hall entrance, was built at the turn of the 20th century, and it is still in use, but it looks back to earlier influences from the classical world.
A successful company?
Since 1797 the company created by Thomas Bignold had thrived. Originally from Kent, this wine merchant and banker spotted a gap in the market when he was unable to get insurance against highwaymen travelling to Norwich. As fire was a constant threat he went on to form the Norwich Union Society for the Insurance of Houses, Stock and Merchandise from Fire, a mutual society owned by policyholders who received a share of the profits. A few years later the company began selling life insurance. The company’s first office was at Bignold House across the street from Surrey House, and where an ancient fig tree once mentioned in Domesday Book still stands. By the end of the 19th century the company had gone worldwide but retained strong links with its home city and wanted to create a headquarters that be a showcase of its wealth and dependability.
Who built it?
Architect George Skipper was born in Dereham in 1856. Trained in London, he returned to Norfolk to join his father’s firm. In Norwich he built the Art Deco Royal Arcade shopping centre in Gentleman’s Walk, while the terracotta front of the Jarrold department store once housed his offices. Skipper also built Cromer town hall and celebrated seafront hotels. In 1900 he was commissioned to design Norwich Union’s new building. The site had a long history. During the 1540s Henry Howard, accomplished soldier and innovative poet, was heir to the duke of Norfolk. Already earl of Surrey, he built a fine palace in Norwich intended as a town house. Like many others at court, he fell foul of an increasingly paranoid Henry VIII, who had him executed, aged just 30, for treason in 1547. The only reminder of the earl today is the street name, and the Howard Room in Surrey House, which has features believed to date from the 16th century palace. By the 19th century the site was being used as a school before being bought by Norwich Union. In 1900 work began.
To budget and on time?
Work took 12 years to complete, and was marked by great innovation. Skipper used as his model the temple of Solomon, and designed the building to look older than it was. Working for Norwich Union was highly prestigious. The then all-male workforce (female employees were not recruited until 1937) had plenty of reason to take pride in their surroundings. Skipper bought up exquisite Italian marble originally meant to go to Westminster Cathedral. Skilled stonemasons were brought in from Italy to fashion it, all of which pushed the interior design budget over £6,000 – speculating to accumulate. The lighter-coloured columns are cipollino, while the darker green are verde antico. The reddish marble at the bottom of the walls is skyros rosso. In all, there are 40 columns and 15 different sorts of marble combining to create a dramatic entrance. The staircase is also of marble.
Bit cold, all this marble?
The builders came up with an ingenious device – early 20th century airconditioning. What appears to be a swinging pendulum suspended from the ceiling is in fact a system to waft warm air in winter and cool air in summer. Disguised as a marble fountain, it sucked the outside air through a screen, passing through radiators and electric fans, where the heat could be varied in temperature. This was then deflected by a brass pendant and pumped through the hall. And all without the unhealthy aspects of modern air-conditioned offices!
All very ornate – but wasn’t this a place of business?
Both upstairs and downstairs are meeting rooms and board rooms. All are furnished in fine style, with solid mahogany and walnut furniture. Skipper incorporated Greek and Masonic imagery into the rooms – freemasonry was influential in the banking and insurance business and Charles Bignold, then an important figure in Norwich Union, was a mason. In an age of classical education, people would understand the messages behind the images. The theme throughout is insurance, protection and well-being, all vital to the business. There are references to want and plenty – and reminders of the benefits of being insured. In the Board Room, where important deals were signed, a series of paintings illustrates the point. In one a guardian angel shields a grieving family which has lost its father. The family is insured, its future is secure. In another painting another family similarly bereaved is shown bereft of protection. It is uninsured, its future is bleak. A powerful message.
Anything else?
A chiming skeleton clock originally created for the Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace stands at the top of the stairs. An intricate peice of work, all the workings are visible, hence the ‘skeleton’ label. It needs winding once a month and consists of 617 separate parts with a further 162 in the musical box. Where the garden used to be, a striking and spacious new atrium opened in 2006 with a more modern design, incorporating a 16m (50ft) high domed roof. It is used for informal meetings and is the main staff restaurant
Surrey House is open to the public during Heritage Open Days each September.
