Wensum Lodge, Norwich
Georgian era, former maltings and brewery site in the heart of King Street conservation area
Historic preservation on a larger scale
Wensum Lodge is in the heart of King Street, nestled in a historic conservation area in central Norwich. Wudu Properties (Slow Norfolk) acquired Wensum Lodge, a collection of former Georgian maltings and brewery buildings, with a view of converting them into a new commercial creative hub (STPP). The site comprises four attractive historic brick-built buildings which are locally listed and were previously used as an adult education centre by Norfolk County Council.
Heritage, not high-rise. Wensum Lodge’s next chapter begins
Inspired by working in Shoreditch warehouse buildings, the vision is to offer Norwich businesses the opportunity to work from one of the best creative locations in the city. Our goal is to work with the existing buildings as they were originally intended, not to develop into residential dwellings like so many other areas of Norwich have been. Old buildings really do stir the soul and these ones in particular offer an unrivalled opportunity to work on the city centre stretch of the River Wensum, connecting nature with local transport links and city centre access.
Celebrating Norwich’s industrial past
Slow Norfolk strongly believes in celebrating the past. For centuries, Norwich’s pubs and breweries were an integral part of the city’s industry and Wensum Lodge (previously the Crown Brewery) was a key part of that history. John Youngs set up the Crown Brewery in the early 1800s and by mid 1800’s he was trading as Youngs, Crawshay & Youngs, a successful brewer with many tied pubs in the city. Right up to the 1960s, brewing was one of Norwich’s major industries, still visible in local architecture and the sheer quantity of gorgeous Norwich pubs to this day.
Honouring Norwich's brewing past
and restoring it's heart for the future
From brewing to learning
In 1961 the site was purchased by Norfolk County Council to be used for adult education, with many creative courses on offer. Our vision is to bring the creative use full circle, filling Wensum Lodge buildings with a creative and vibrant scene of designers, architects, writers, artists and marketing specialists. OneAgency, an award winning marketing agency based in Norwich and London has already agreed to move into Wensum Lodge as the first anchor tenant. The hope is that we can attract other like minded creative companies to do the same, helping to build a creative eco-system, a place where Norwich businesses can work together to build upon the strength of the already strong creative scene. Training and education will feature as the available space can enable apprenticeships to flourish within the creative marketing community we aim to create.
Regeneration, brick by brick
Working closely with Norfolk County Council and a series of local partners, Slow Norfolk hopes to regenerate the buildings, bringing them back to their former glory. The originality and architectural details will be preserved and given a new commercial lease of life - preserved to be enjoyed by Norwich’s thriving commercial business community. Interested businesses should contact us to find out what spaces will be available and when.
