Rob Carter (Carters), Nigel Savory (Grant Thornton), David Hill (Jarrold) and Alistair Lang (Birketts) on top of the new office building 

On 8 July, the topping out ceremony was held on the top of the latest new office building on Jarrold's major commercial development at St James in central Norwich. The building under construction will be occupied by law firm Birketts and accountants Grant Thornton.

David Hill, Chairman of Jarrold said “We are very pleased that Birketts and Grant Thornton are relocating to our St James Office Development. When we began planning this scheme in 2002 we recognized the importance of retaining key businesses from the professional sector in the city centre and this move is further confirmation of the growing professional services cluster at St James. This is good news for Norwich as it keeps businesses and employment in the City centre.

There is no doubt that 2008 and 2009 will be tougher for many businesses in the region. Jarrold & Sons has been trading in Norwich for 200 years and although there may be a short term cyclical downturn, we remain very confident about Norwich and Norfolk’s future in the 21st century. Our modern, sustainable offices have a design life of more than 50 years and will certainly outlive any short term economic slowdown. It is great news that, in this more challenging environment, Grant Thornton and Birketts share our confidence in Norwich and the Eastern Region’s economy in the future.”

Nigel Savory, managing partner at Grant Thornton’s Norwich offices said: “Grant Thornton have been very selective in finding the right location for their new office after spending 40 years at Holland Court in the beautiful Cathedral Close. Jarrold's Whitefriars development is an ideal new home for the firm for so many reasons:we will remain in the heart of the Norwich; we will be in brand new offices that are purpose built for professional practices; we will be able to have everybody on one floor allowing us to sit complementary teams alongside each other and our staff will be in close proximity to the recreational facilities offered by Greens Gymnasium and the riverside walk. The new offices will be very accessible to clients being both close to the station and having good client parking facilities.We are looking forward to the move."

Alistair Lang, CEO at Birketts said: “This move will see our offices expand from 7,000 square feet to take up 25,000 square feet which will also allow for our further growth plans. We were particularly keen to have a city centre presence and are pleased that we have gained this in a brand new quality building constructed to a high specification with good environmental features. It is good news for our staff and clients.”

The tradition of the topping-out ceremony marks an important milestone in the construction of a building, bringing together all the parties involved. Its ancient origins are uncertain but probably derive from a belief that evil spirits entered a building during construction. The ceremony was a means of driving them out.