16 C O N T E X T 1 4 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 Italian campaniles. In different hands the end result could have been an unholy mess. However, Skipper successfully underpins this eclecticism with a deep understanding of classical architecture and a playful mix of ambiguity and subversion. Building lines are deliberately disrupted and asymmetry is used to challenge and tease the viewer in what Bussey referred to as ‘a series of elaborate games’. Of the sites visited, Surrey House and the Royal Arcade are the two buildings for which Skipper is best known. The former with its sumptuous marble hall was compared by Bussey to a tin of condensed soup – not because it needs diluting but because it is effectively an intensified version of Holkham and Houghton Halls. Bussey described the described the Royal Arcade (see cover illustration) with its echoes of the Burlington Arcade in London, as unashamedly a masterpiece. Certainly it seemed to impress delegates with its consistent arts-and-crafts detailing and general lack of subsequent alteration. Unfortunately, this is not something that applies to all of Skipper’s buildings. Indeed, it was noted that several buildings had suffered at ground-floor level through the installation of replacement shopfronts. This prompted Bussey to call for greater recognition of Skipper’s work, citing the currently unlisted Haymarket Chambers as an example of one of his lesser-known buildings. Although appreciation of his genius is slowly emerging, this has sadly come too late to save valuable work and fabric. Despite this one regret, delegates had got their eye in by the end of the tour and were able to recognise a Skipper composition from a distance. Seemingly having visited Italy, Belgium, France and Scotland (to name David Bussey with delegates on a tour of George Skipper buildings in Norwich but four) in the space of a square mile, it is fair to say that there was consensus among delegates that Skipper was indeed a master of eclecticism and originality. ChrisYoung Medieval merchants We set off guided by Barbara Miller, a Blue Badge tour guide with 50 years of knowledge of the history of Norwich. She was accompanied by Chris Bennett, conservation officer with the city council. Miller gave a quick overview of the history of Norwich, explaining that was not a Roman town but started as a Saxon port on the north bank of the River Wensum. Soon expanding south of the river where it became an extensive town, by the 11th century it was one of the largest and wealthiest towns in England. Essentially Norwich existed because of trade, and one of its main interests was in the lucrative medieval wool trade: not just exporting wool but weaving it into goods to be traded and exported through the coastal port at Great Yarmouth. The development of the urban layout reflects Norwich’s trading development, with port activity on the quayside at the river linked to shops and trading places. The original Saxon marketplace had been near the river but was moved to a site beneath the walls of the castle when the cathedral was built in 1090. When the marketplace moved, merchants began to build their houses along routes between the river and the market southward to stay within the security of the city walls. Miller took us along Elm Hill, the site of a number of wealthy 14th century merchant houses, which lined
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