www.norfolksbest.co.uk
Tourist information: The Guildhall, Gaol Hill. Tel: +44 (0)1603 666071
Stealing a quote from the 19th century writer George Borrow, Norwich proudly proclaims itself ‘a fine city’. And so it is – a place where a graceful cathedral and a massive Norman castle dominate a huge market square, ancient city walls and a tangle of medieval streets and alleys.
The city has buildings from every architectural period of the last thousand years. It is said to have more medieval churches than anywhere else in Britain. It also claims to have the most pubs in relation to its population. And a river runs through it. The gentle Wensum, curving from north to east and south, helped Norwich to become a major port in the past and now brings pleasure craft into the city’s heart.
The oldest part of Norwich is Tombland – not a place of the dead but the site of the square (tum-land) around which a Saxon settlement was built. Here, before the Normans came, the Earl of East Anglia, brother of King Harold, had his palace. Today, Tombland is a delightful muddle of half-timbered medieval houses and elegant Georgian mansions – and focal point of the city’s nightlife.
Architectural gems are to be found throughout the city – notably in cobbled Elm Hill, Magdalen Street, Bridewell Alley, Bethel Street and around the old marketplace.
Take a stroll along the wide and stately Gentlemen’s Walk, where you’ll find the superbly restored Royal Arcade, an extravaganza of Art Nouveau. Extravagance from an earlier age is expressed in the 15th century Guildhall, which houses the Tourist Information Centre.
Norwich owes its architectural wealth to the far-sighted conservation policies of the city council as far back as the 1950s. But there’s a lot more to the place than quaint streets and historic buildings. Choose an item from list to see:-
