Norwich
The capital of the Iceni tribe stood near Caistor St Edmund, south of modern Norwich. After Boudica's uprising in about 60 AD, Venta Icenorum became the Roman market town for East Anglia. This settlement fell into disuse around 450 AD as the Roman Empire withdrew from Britain. The Anglo-Saxons arrived between the 5th and 7th centuries to establish Northwic, meaning North Harbour. They also founded Westwic at Norwich-over-the-Water and a smaller settlement called Thorpe. By the 10th century, this cluster of settlements had grown into a true town with its own mint. Coins bearing the name Norvic appeared during the reign of King Aethelstan, proving the city's economic importance across Europe. Vikings exerted cultural influence for forty to fifty years at the end of the 9th century. They established an Anglo-Scandinavian district near the north end of present-day King Street. In 1004, Sweyn Forkbeard, the Viking king of Denmark, raided and burned the thriving trade centre. The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded approximately 25 churches and a population between 5,000 and 10,000 people. It noted the site of an Anglo-Saxon church in Tombland and the later Norman cathedral.
Norwich became one of England's largest towns by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1067. Herbert de Losinga began construction of Norwich Cathedral in 1096 as Bishop of Thetford. Limestone imported from Caen in Normandy served as the chief building material for the great structure. Workers cut a canal from the river to transport stone up to the east wall. The cathedral became the seat of the Diocese of Norwich, and its bishop still signs himself Norvic today. The city walls took shape between 1280 and 1340, enclosing more area than London itself at that time. Building outside these walls was made illegal, which inhibited expansion but preserved the medieval core. Wool from Norfolk sheepwalks drove the economy throughout the Middle Ages. Michael Drayton wrote in Poly-Olbion published in 1612 that Norwich stood fourth among all English towns due to its wool trade. This wealth financed many fine churches, leaving Norwich with more medieval churches than any other city north of the Alps. A Hanseatic warehouse operated within the city limits, connecting markets stretching from Scandinavia to Spain. Great Yarmouth served as the staple port under the terms of the 1353 Statute of the Staple. The Domesday Book recorded 98 Saxon homes demolished to make way for Norwich Castle soon after 1067.
The summer of 1549 saw an unprecedented rebellion led by Robert Kett camped on Mousehold Heath. Rebels took control of the city on the 29th of July 1549 with support from poorer inhabitants. They protested against land enclosure by landlords and abuses of power by the nobility. The uprising ended on the 27th of August when rebels were defeated by an army. Kett was convicted of treason and hanged from the walls of Norwich Castle. This event divided the city and linked Protestantism with the plight of urban poor. Large numbers of Dutch and Flemish Strangers fled persecution from Catholics, numbering up to one-third of the population. Inhabitants of Ypres chose Norwich above other destinations. The great stranger immigration of 1567 brought a substantial community of Protestant weavers who settled in the city. Their merchant house became known as Strangers' Hall and now operates as a museum. These immigrants integrated into the local business fraternity without much animosity. Their arrival boosted trade with mainland Europe and fostered religious reform movements. Printing arrived in 1567 through Anthony de Solempne but died out around 1572. Michael Metcalf, a 17th-century weaver persecuted for Puritan beliefs, fled to Dedham, Massachusetts. The Norwich Canary breed originated from Flemings fleeing Spanish persecution in the 16th century.
Norwich earned the reputation of Jacobin City due to its high voter franchise rates and radical politics. By 1704, the landlord of Fowler's alehouse drank a health to James the Third while kneeling on the floor. Supporters of the king were hissed and cursed in the streets during the early 18th century. A Tory mob went riotously through parts of the city cursing government friends in 1731. Freemen numbered about 2,000 in 1690, rising to over 3,300 by the mid-1730s. This represented one-third of the adult male population at one point. Only London had deeper democratic governance among boroughs outside Scotland. The Whigs gained control by the 1720s and petitioned Parliament to allow textile workers voting rights. They assumed these men would vote Whig, but this boosted popular Jacobitism instead. Norwich citizens mustered associations to protect the city when Highlanders reached Derby in 1745. The vestry of St Peter Mancroft refused to ring bells for defense despite the crisis. The events ended with Whig celebrations after the Battle of Culloden. In 1716, mayoral elections ended in riots with brick ends and paving stones thrown between factions. The Blue Bell Inn became the central rendezvous of the Norwich Revolution Society in the 1790s. Britain's first provincial newspaper, the Norwich Post, appeared in 1701. By mid-century, three-quarters of males in some parishes were literate.
By the 1790s, the wool trade faced intense competition from Yorkshire woollens and Lancashire cotton. War with France beginning in 1793 caused loss of continental markets and economic recession. Robert Harvey complained of low order books and doubled poor rates as early as 1793. A meeting of 200 people in a public house heard Citizen Stanhope declare ministers deserved execution if policy changed. Radical Dissenting intellectuals including the Rigby, Taylor, and Gurney families opposed Pitt's government. They published The Cabinet magazine in 1795 and petitioned for parliamentary reform. Edmund Burke attacked John Gurney in print for sponsoring anti-war protests. Norwich Union Fire Insurance Office emerged from Thomas Bignold's 1797 founding of the first society. The city suffered extensive bomb damage during World War II affecting large parts of the old centre. Heaviest raids occurred on nights of 27/28 and 29/the 30th of April 1942 as part of Baedeker raids. Target selection used Baedeker tourist guides to choose cultural sites rather than strategic ones. Lord Haw-Haw predicted destruction of the new City Hall completed in 1938, though it survived unscathed. Morgan's Brewery building, Colman's Wincarnis works, and Mackintosh chocolate factory were hit. Twenty-two citizens died in two Baedeker raids with one thousand injured. Three hundred forty total deaths occurred throughout the war, giving Norwich highest air raid casualties in Eastern England. Two thousand domestic dwellings destroyed and twenty-seven thousand damaged out of thirty-five thousand total.
Post-war redevelopment plans appeared as The City of Norwich Plan 1945 or commonly known as The '45 Plan. Large areas cleared to make way for modern infrastructure throughout the 1960s to early 1970s. Richmond district between Ber Street and King Street condemned as slums in 1960. Residents forced from old terraces by compulsory purchase orders affecting eighty-three acres of streets. Eight hundred thirty-three dwellings demolished including four hundred twelve classed unfit for human habitation. Communities moved to high-rise buildings like Normandie Tower and estates such as Tuckswood. Rouen Road developed instead consisting mainly of light industrial units and council flats. Ber Street eastern side completely demolished along with final part of St Peters Street opposite St Peter Mancroft Church. New City Library opened in 1961 but burnt down on the 1st of August 1994 before being replaced by The Forum in 2001. Ancient road junction Stump Cross removed to accommodate inner ring-road fly-over. Magdalen Street, Botolph Street, St George's Street, Calvert Street and Pitt Street all lined with Tudor and Georgian buildings cleared. Brutalist concrete shopping centre Anglia Square rose where these historic structures once stood. Grapes Hill narrow lane widened into dual carriageway leading to roundabout. One mile of Georgian and Victorian terrace houses bulldozed in 1964 along Chapelfield Road. Heigham Hall manor house demolished in 1963 to build Dolphin Grove flats housing displaced families. More architecture destroyed by council redevelopment schemes than during Second World War according to some accounts.
Norwich population reached approximately 144,000 in the 2021 United Kingdom census. This represented an eight point seven percent increase over the 2011 census figure. Urban built-up area had a population of 213,166 at the 2011 count extending beyond city boundaries. Ethnic composition in 2022 showed eighty-seven point one percent White, five point five percent Asian, three point two percent mixed race, and two point six percent Black. Thirty-three point six percent identified as Christian while fifty-three point five percent reported no religion. The largest quinary group consisted of twenty to twenty-four-year-olds making up fourteen point six percent due to high university student numbers. Two universities operate within the city: University of East Anglia founded in 1963 and Norwich University of the Arts achieving status in 2013. Student population totals around fifteen thousand many from overseas. Creative writing programme established by Malcolm Bradbury and Angus Wilson produced graduates including Kazuo Ishiguro and Ian McEwan. Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts houses important art collections on UEA campus. City College Norwich founded in 1891 remains one of largest further education colleges nationally. UNESCO designated Norwich England's first City of Literature in May 2012. Five percent of UK independent publishing sector based in city as of 2012. Norfolk and Norwich Festival celebrates arts annually drawing visitors from eastern England. Theatre Royal seats thirteen hundred people hosting national touring productions including musicals and opera.
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Common questions
When did the Roman market town Venta Icenorum fall into disuse?
Venta Icenorum fell into disuse around 450 AD as the Roman Empire withdrew from Britain. This settlement stood near Caistor St Edmund south of modern Norwich before becoming abandoned.
What caused the destruction of Norwich during World War II?
Norwich suffered extensive bomb damage during Baedeker raids on the nights of 27/28 and 29/the 30th of April 1942. Target selection used Baedeker tourist guides to choose cultural sites rather than strategic ones, resulting in three hundred forty total deaths throughout the war.
Who led the rebellion at Mousehold Heath in 1549?
Robert Kett led an unprecedented rebellion camped on Mousehold Heath that took control of the city on the 29th of July 1549. The uprising ended on the 27th of August when rebels were defeated by an army and Kett was hanged from the walls of Norwich Castle.
Why is Norwich known as the Jacobin City?
Norwich earned the reputation of Jacobin City due to its high voter franchise rates and radical politics in the late 18th century. Freemen numbered about 2,000 in 1690 rising to over 3,300 by the mid-1730s which represented one-third of the adult male population at one point.
When did the University of East Anglia open in Norwich?
The University of East Anglia was founded in 1963 within the city limits of Norwich. It operates alongside Norwich University of the Arts achieving status in 2013 with a student population totaling around fifteen thousand many from overseas.