Uploaded August 2024 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago

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What if we could hear some of those voices from the past, talking to us about their imagined lives, not just writing about them but seeing what they might have looked like?

We could listen to Robert Toppes, the wealthy merchant and builder of Dragon Hall; perhaps someone from the opposite end of the spectrum, who lived there when it was a Victorian slum; perhaps someone just within living memory who lived in a world that we would recognise now. Imagine what they would say and how they might say it.

Here is a brief, imaginary glimpse into the lives of three of the hundreds and hundreds of inhabitants and workers of Dragon Hall— all now gone, but part of the endless fabric of the building and the city as it continues into the future.

Written and performed by Michael Giddings.

Stepping into Dragon Hall is made possible by Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Norwich Freemen’s Charity and Wolfson Foundation.

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