Scheduled MonumentsEnglandOld Charnel House, The Close

Old Charnel House, The Close

England
List entry 1004026
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1004026
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.02 hectares
Grid reference
TG 23381 08898
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Old Charnel House, The Close is a medieval ossuary building located in Norwich, Norfolk. The structure dates to the medieval period and functioned as a charnel house, a repository for human remains, typically associated with the adjacent cathedral or parish church. The building represents an important example of medieval funerary practice in East Anglia, reflecting the practical arrangements necessary in densely populated urban centres where burial space was at a premium. Its survival as a standing structure contributes significantly to the archaeological record of medieval Norwich and the broader understanding of medieval ecclesiastical architecture in Norfolk.

Old Charnel House, The Close is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1004026. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Old Charnel House, The Close?

Old Charnel House, The Close is a medieval ossuary building located in Norwich, Norfolk. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1004026.

Who is responsible for protecting Old Charnel House, The Close?

Old Charnel House, The Close is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1004026.

What other scheduled monuments are near Old Charnel House, The Close?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including 'Woodhenge', Arminghall (2.9 km), Late Neolithic or Bronze Age Henge type monument and D shaped enclosure 300m west of Twins Farm (3.6 km), Barrow cemetery 450m N of Markshall Farm (4.2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Old Charnel House, The Close

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Old Charnel House, The Close's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Old Charnel House, The Close

Old Charnel House, The Close stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Old Charnel House, The Close

Caistor St EdmundsRoman town · ~3.4 miles