The Great Hospital is an Almshouse founded in 1249 to care for the elderly homeless people of Norwich. The first beneficiaries were prienst, who remained unmarried in this period, so had no family to support them in old age. The hospital opened with thirty beds for the sick poor and thirteen paupers who were to be fed at the hospital gates each day.
The buildings which are situated on a 7 acre site include a church, the smallest monastic cloister in England, a medieval refectory, and a Victorian hall.
The hospital was originally known as St Gile's Hospital and has a continuous record of care, even to this day. Since the mid 19th century there has been a number of newer dwellings built to meet residents'needs.