Jarrolds unveils plans for hotel in Norwich’s St James Mill

The venerable Norfolk firm hope to turn St James Mill, near Whitefriars bridge, into an 88-bedroom hotel with views over the River Wensum. It would also feature a new spa, gym, restaurant and bar.

St James Mill was built as a yarn mill in 1839 and the Grade I listed building is currently Jarrolds’ head offices.

A public consultation launches next week to gather feedback ahead of a planning application being submitted to Norwich City Council.

Jarrolds has unveiled plans to transform Norwich's St James Mill into an 88-bedroom hotel with a spa, gym, restaurant and bar (Image: Jarrolds) St James Mill and the surrounding buildings were purchased by Jarrolds in 1903. The company sold the premises to the Ministry of Labour in 1919 to be used as a training centre after the end of the First World War.

Jarrolds bought the mill back in 1927 and from the 1930s the site was the home of Jarrold Printing. 

READ MORE: Jarrolds named UK's best independent department store

By 1957 around 2,000 employees worked in the building, although the mill itself was never used for printing as the floors could not withstand the weight of the printing machinery. 

It has been an office building since the early 1990s.

What the hotel could look like (Image: Jarrolds)

Nick Steven-Jones, chief executive officer of Jarrold Group, told this newspaper: “We think there is a strong sentiment for Jarrolds in Norfolk that comes with being a custodian of some of the heritage assets that we own.

"One of those is the mill, a building that requires some love and attention.

“When you look at the options for preserving and developing it, the prospect of the hotel in this particular part of the city ticks a number of boxes in terms of brand extension, protecting the legacy of a heritage asset.

"It should be a benefit to the community as a business and bringing tourism in for the local economy.

"It is a protected and cherished asset for the family in terms of their legacy and history in Norwich."

Nick Steven-Jones, chief executive officer of Jarrold Group (Image: Jarrolds) St James Mill is one of the Norwich 12, a list of buildings of historical importance in the city created by the Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust.

Mr Steven-Jones added: "I’d like to think we’ve done our homework. We’ve engaged with THAT Group, who have got a history of sympathetic renovations of listed buildings, and we’ve worked with architects with a history of hotel regeneration in listed buildings.

"Being around for more than 250 years we have that sense of pride to do things the right way, and we think we’ve done that. The public consultation is the next step in the journey."

He said the hotel is part of wider plans for a "sympathetic regeneration" of the area. 

"We want to activate the river frontage with an open bar, restaurant, café, gym and spa to provide alongside the facilities on the riverside walk," he added.

"The market research we’ve done has identified that Norwich is perhaps under-serviced by high-end, boutique hotels. Targeting the upper end suits the area and the Jarrolds brand."

St James Mill in Whitefriars, Norwich, on the banks of the River Wensum (Image: Denise Bradley) THE HISTORY OF ST JAMES MILL 

Built in 1839, St James Mill is a Grade 1 listed former yarn mill towering above Whitefriars Bridge and the River Wensum. 

Inaugurated in 1840 by the Norwich Yarn Company, which was wound up within just ten years, St James continued as a textile mill under new owners.

Some of the floors of the building were let out for weaving, making men’s braces and manufacturing pianofortes.

St James Mill (Image: Denise Bradley) Around the same time, Jarrolds was looking for additional space for its expanding printing business.

John Jarrold II established a business in Norwich’s London Street as a booksellers, stationers and printers, but by 1900 the city premises was full, with around 400 people employed in the printing works and shop.

The Whitefriars site was bought by Jarrold in 1903, and the following year St James Mill became the home of Caley’s Crackers. 

Jarrolds' flagship department store in Norwich's London Street (Image: Jarrolds) It was sold to the Ministry of Labour in 1919 to be used as a training centre after the end of the First World War, before Jarrolds bought the mill back in 1927. 

St James Mill became the head office of its printing division in 1930, and by 1957 the Whitefriars works employed around 2,000 people. 

In 1991 the mill was refurbished by Jarrolds to be let out as office space for local businesses and other organisations.

By 2000 the first floor was occupied by Jarrold Training.

St James Mill (Image: Denise Bradley)