Breasted Dragons - Surrey House, Norwich

See bigger dragons HERE for better detail.

Surrey House, opposite the entrance to Norwich Bus Station, is the HQ of Aviva (formerly Norwich Union). The place was commissioned specifically for Norwich Union by the founder of the company, building commencing in 1900 and being completed in 1912.
I'll have lived in Norfolk, about 1/2 hour drive from Norwich, for 26 years on June 14th. In that time I've walked past Surrey House many, many times and always admired the Palladian facade of the building - the 6 grilled panels just above ground level (3 on either side of the main entrance) with golden breasted dragons have entranced me. Over the last few months whenever I''ve passed by I've thought to myself that one day when I have time to spare I really must blip them. At lunchtime today I needed to catch the bus into the city centre to pop into the bank, and with no-where else to go before my return bus was due I decided today would be the day. .
As I squatted shooting pics a voice behind me said 'Beautiful aren't they?'. I replied emphatically in the affirmative, and turned to see a youngish guy standing there. He told me that he passes there almost daily, and a couple of years ago watched over many weeks as each panel was painstakingly cleaned and the dragons re-gilded. He asked if I'd ever seen inside - I said I doubted the general public were allowed in - he answered that he really didn't know, but the glass front doors were automatic slide ones, so if you walked up to them, as they slid open you could get an idea of the interior. He grinned, said 'Go on, you must have a look', bade me farewell, and departed. So I did as he'd urged - when the doors slid open and I saw what lay beyond them I decided I really must ask at reception desk if it would be OK to take a photo of that view from the door. Once I'd walked down the short hallway and reached the main area inside, as I scanned around to take in all that I could see my eyes widened, my jaw almost hit the floor and I muttered an expletive to myself. For someone like myself, with a passion for the architecture and art of the ancient Egyptians, Classical Greece etc, and with a love of marble, this has to be the most BEAUTIFUL building I've set eyes on - astonishing! Columns and features made of every colour of marble imaginable (some of which was apparently originally destined for Westminster Cathedral), also alabaster. When I asked if a photo from the door would be OK, the receptionist replied that Aviva were well aware of the beauty and architectural/artistic importance of the building and so visitors were welcome to call in and take photos - it happens all the time. Aviva even produce a booklet about the building, copies being left on a table for visitors to take (I of course helped myself to one). So I took that photo - and THIS is what you see as the entrance doors glide open.

What's inside is so incredible that rather than take lots of pics and link them to this blip via Photobucket, I plan to pop in whenever I can, take another shot and blip it, linking the blips using the tag JJRWsAviva - to create a series of shots of that one building. It certainly warrants that much. It's the most beautiful and amazing place.
I can't believe that I've lived here for 26 years and passed by the building so many times, yet never had the slightest inkling of what lay beyound those doors - or even known that I would have been free to go in and drink in the beauty of it all! Gobsmacked ...