Strangers' Hall

Strangers' Hall is a Grade I listed building in Norwich, on the south bank of the River Wensum. It began as a 14th-century merchant’s house with an undercroft, later expanded by mayors and merchants through the 17th century. The Sotherton family, Francis Cock and Joseph Paine all shaped its layout, adding ranges, chambers and courtyards. The hall’s story is tied to Norwich’s textile trade and the arrival of Protestant refugees known as the Strangers. In 1565, Thomas Sotherton brought 30 refugee families to boost the cloth industry. By 1582 their numbers reached 4,678, making up a third of the city’s population. Leonard Bolingbroke later turned the building into a folk museum in the early 20th century. Inside, visitors find three courtyards, a 17th-century staircase and the first-floor hall above the undercroft. The Georgian dining room and the Oak Room sit in the south-west range, while a squint in the porter’s lodge lets staff watch the entrance. Cellars, service rooms and a fireplace with merchant’s marks show how domestic and commercial life once overlapped.