Norwich

Norwich, once the second most important city in England, offers much more to interest and engage the 21st century visitor than might, at first thought, be expected of a city the size of Norwich.

The Norman Castle, Norwich Cathedral, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, Norwich Market, Chapelfield Shopping Centre, City Hall, Elm Hill, a multitude of medieval churches (Norwich retains more pre Reformation churches (32) than any other city north of the alps) the Royal Arcade, the Forum, the Millennium Plain, Dragon Hall, the Norwich Cathedral Close, riverside walks, Mousehold Heath, the Guildhall, Norwich Lanes, Bridewell Alley, the Maddermarket Theatre, the Assembly House the and a wealth of independent and multiple shops - there is so much to please the eye and so much to experience that most visitors to Norwich will find that a single visit is not enough.

It's a place with such a multitude of delights and treasures that we can barely scratch the surface here of the beautiful, historic city of Norwich.

White Lodge Farm Cottages are only a thirty minute drive from Norwich city centre and rather less from the Costessey 'Park & Ride' and Thickthorn 'Park & Ride'.

Elm Hill, in a single street, boasts more medieval buildings than the entire City of London and a walk around Norwich would seem to confirm the favourite claim that it had a church for every week of the year, a number having more recently become home to acitivities as diverse as a Puppet Theatre,a martial arts centre, a bookshop, the Norwich Arts Centre and a hands-on science exhibition. The claim to have a pub for every day is now a little harder to verify for a number of reasons!

Six stunning buildings contribute to the Norwich skyline:

• Norwich Cathedral, concecrated on 24 September 1101 and completed in 1145, has stood in the tranquil and inspiring Cathedral Close as a focal point of East Anglian Christianity for over 900 years. Constructed from stone from Caen in France and Barnack in Northamptonshire, not only is it a stunning building, it is also a feat of engineering.
• Norwich Castle dates back to 1067, when William the Conqueror ordered the construction of a fortification to guard against attack from the Danes. Used as a prison from the 14th century, Norwich Castle became a museum in 1894 and is now home to works of art and many interesting and important collections of artefacts, displayed in a welcoming, child-friendly environment.
• The Roman Catholic Cathedral of St John the Baptist, the largest provincial Catholic cathedral in the UK, includes some of the most beautiful Victorian stained glass windows in Europe. Completed in 1910 and made a cathedral in 1976 by an edict of Pope Paul VI, thus numbering Norwich one of the few cities in the country to have two cathedrals.
• Norwich Forum is home to the Millennium Library, the busiest in the country and to the Norwich Tourist Information Centre. The building, with its stunning glass frontage reflecting the imposing Gothic church tower of St Peter Mancroft, was designed by Sir Michael Hopkins and replaces the previous library, which was destroyed by fire.
• Norwich City Hall, built in the 1930's, boasts the longest balcony in England and the largest clock bell in the UK. The City Hall, which has some striking art deco interiors, overlooks Norwich Market, the largest six day a week open air provisions market in the UK.

Norwich market place has been home to a market for over 900 years - since the Normans displaced it from its earlier home on Tombland, which now bustles with cafes and restaurants offering pavement dining.

Remaining from the early 15th century, and recently restored in an award-winning lottery-funded project is the Grade 1 listed Dragon Hall, built around 1430 as the home and workplace of Robert Topps, a wealthy merchant.

With such a long trading pedigree, it's perhaps no surprise that Norwich has been ranked in the UK's top 5 shopping destinations (by Venuescore) and that it was the eighth most prosperous shopping destination in the UK in 2006. The fact that it punches so far above its weight in retailing is due to its sphere of influence going far beyond Norfolk, drawing day shoppers from Suffolk and Cambridgeshire as well.

Whilst its oldest school, Norwich School, can trace its history back to 1096 and was granted its Royal Charter in 1547, Norwich has also made its mark on the modern academic map with the Norwich School of Art and Designand the opening, in 1963, of the University of East Anglia (UEA), now perhaps best known for its contributions to the study of economics and climatology, but also as home to the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, founded on a gift to the UEA by Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury of their private collection of world art,and now housed in the Sainsbury Centre, designed between 1974 and 1976 by the then little-known Sir Norman Foster.

No visit to the region is complete without a day or two in Norwich which, whilst small enough to be explored on foot (guided walking tours are available), can also be viewed by boat, on an open-top bus or from a charabanc, with a visit rounded off by a morning coffee (try the Caleys coffee shop in the Guildhall), afternoon tea (perhaps taken in the beautiful Georgian architecture of the Assembly House), or a meal in one of the huge array of restaurants and bistros.

Guests say ...

"Norwich Castle was well worth a visit - we took our two toddlers and they loved it. Very interactive."
    -The F's

"Beautiful city, full of charm and quant cobbled streets. Wonderful architecture."
    -The J's

"We had a wonderful day for adults and children alike. The castke was very interesting and well worth a visit - our 5 year-ol loved dressing up. Jarrolds and the Royal Arcade were highlights."
    -The G & E Families