Carrow House, the former home of Norfolk’s famous Colman family, is being opened again for a limited time only.
The Shoebox Experiences, a tour company based in Castle Meadow in the city, is hosting the new tour Carrow House & The Forgotten Vaults.
The event will see participants exploring the Grade-II listed mansion and its underground vaults and historic gardens.
Visitors will be shown details including the Colman family’s old filing system, which remains labelled, and 11 safes that belonged to the wealthy family.
Tickets have been “incredibly popular” said Lisa Willet, customer experience manager for the non-profit organisation.
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Ms Willet said: “People in Norwich have a huge desire to find hidden gems.
“Apart from under Heritage Open Days, I don’t think Carrow House has ever been open to the general public.
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“After it ceased as the Colman family mansion, it then became Colman’s offices.
“We will be releasing more tickets very soon on our website.”
The company is working in partnership with Norwich Unity Hub, which houses 40 voluntary social enterprises at the historic site.
Ms Willet added: “Our first 80 tickets sold out in less than 24 hours.
“A week later we then launched another 400 tickets on our mailing list also sold out in under 24 hours.
“There is a massive demand, particularly from repeat customers.”
There will be four tours running a week throughout the year, each 90 minutes long.
A portion of the ticket price will go back into covering the upkeep of Carrow House.
A RICH HISTORY
Carrow House is a combination of a Grade-II listed former home of the Colman family, including an ornate Victorian conservatory and a post-Second World War office building, known as New Carrow House.
The house was extended in 1895, a conservatory added and a trapezoidal garden made in 1908.
It forms part of the former Colman’s Mustard factory site Carrow Works.
J and J Colman Ltd operated from the Carrow Works site for 160 years until 2020.
In 2021, Carrow House was purchased by Norwich City Council for £2.25m after being put on the market in 2020, when the last remaining employees left the site.
It previously housed the Norfolk Museums costumes and textiles collection and Norfolk Coroner’s Court.
