NORWICH

 

The County City of Norfolk, Norwich is a beautiful city, with much to interest both the sightseer and the shopper. There's a strange juxtaposition of ancient and modern, which could so very easily have degenerated into a higgledy-piggedly mess, but the planners have been very careful to surround important buildings, both old and new, with wide open spaces that simply enhance the appearance and visibility of the multitude of architectural styles.

Norwich has two cathedrals, and the spire of the Anglican one towers over the city, as does the square fortress of the Castle.

On the Upper Green, within the cathedral precinct, is a magnificent statue of the Duke of Wellington. Of course, everyone associates Nelson with Norfolk, but the association with Wellington is less well understood.

Throughout the city, the river Wensum winds its' way around, and much care has been taken to develop interest along its' banks.

Just opposite the point where this picture was taken, is a new development of entertainment complexes (cinema, bowling alley) and eating houses, and this development lies directly between the Carrow Road home of Norwich City Football Club, and the railway station.
Norwich is also home to one of the largest permanent street markets in the country, with over 200 covered stalls, set in a fine square, bordered by the new Forum library and arts centre, the ancient St. Peter Mancroft church, the Royal Arcade and the Lanes, and this, the Guildhall.

The Guildhall dates from the early 15th. century. It formerly had a tower, which collapsed in 1511.  It is no longer used as the town hall or court room.

Norwich and Wymondham are important places in our family. My husband's grandmother was a Kett - descended from the Kett's who were the main protagonists of the Kett Rebellion* in 1549.

*Kett's Rebellion was a revolt  largely in response to the enclosure of land. It began at Wymondham on 8 July 1549 with a group of rebels destroying fences that had been put up by wealthy landowners. One of their targets was yeoman Robert Kett who, instead of resisting the rebels, agreed to their demands and offered to lead them. Kett and his forces, joined by recruits from Norwich and the surrounding countryside and numbering some 16,000, stormed Norwich on 29 July and took the city.  Kett's rebellion ended on 27 August when the rebels were defeated by an army under the leadership of the Earl of Warwick at the Battle of Dussindale. Kett was captured, held in the Tower of London, tried for treason, and hanged from the walls of Norwich Castle on 7 December 1549. His brother was hanged from the spire of Wymondham church.