Jo’s Monday walk : City of Norwich

The headstone at Norwich Castle

A plaque at the entrance to Norwich Castle

Few things in life flow entirely smoothly, do they?  I thought I’d scored a major success when the friendly driver of our National coach proposed an outing to Norwich on the tour’s ‘free’ day.  I’d spent one glorious day boating on the Broads, if you remember, and had arranged to meet with the remainder of the Polish family in Norwich the next day.  Perfect synchronicity!

Arriving in good time, I found a sunny bench on which to deposit Dad, with his newspaper, to await the family, while I hightailed it up to Norwich Castle. (not the best of benches, Jude– Dad complained because the back had broken off.  No pleasing some folk!)  It being Sunday, the castle was closed till 1pm but the views were sure to be good.

It was a solid looking building
With views down over the city
And a useful lift!

As usual, click on a photo to open the galleries

Norwich Castle dates back to the Norman Conquest.  It was noted in the Domesday Book that 98 Saxon homes were demolished to make way for the castle.  Unfortunately I didn’t have time to go inside, but the link will give you an insight.

Back to my story.  Receiving a text from Grażyna to say they’d arrived, I scurried back down to Castle Meadow.  Standing hopefully beside Dad, we watched the approaching cars.  ‘Is that them?’  ‘No, it’s a taxi’…. ‘Is that them?’  ‘No, it’s a taxi’…. ‘Is that…?’  The moral of the story is, don’t wait for someone to collect you on Castle Meadow.  It is reserved for coaches and taxis only!  Fortunately, because Dad’s not so mobile these days, we only had to walk 50 metres down to the next junction to meet the family.

Anyone for a game in the castle grounds?

Anyone for a game, in the castle grounds?

Before leaving the area, don’t miss the beautiful shopping arcades, just opposite the castle.  The Royal Arcade, designed by George Skipper, opened in 1899.

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I thought that Wikipedia’s Great Yarmouth page was big, but the one for Norwich is huge!  An obvious sign of the importance of the city.  The first thing I learnt was that it sits on the River Wensum, and you can travel by boat from Norwich all the way to Great Yarmouth, via the River Yare.  I would like that!

I didn’t know that in the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England, after London, nor that in company with Edinburgh, Kraków, and others, it is a UNESCO City of Literature.  But I might have guessed that its origins go back to Roman times.  The city walls, some of which are still visible, were built between 1280 and 1340 and were 4 kilometres long.  One of the things that I did notice is that Norwich has a lot of churches.  Many no longer have a religious function, but the buildings have been preserved. (I even saw one which was a puppet theatre!)

A chunk of city wall

A chunk of city wall

With Dad settled at my cousin Wojtek’s home, it was time to take a walk into the city.  Heading for the cathedral, I crossed the river for the first time.  A sign promising ‘One of Norfolk’s hidden secrets’ and the view beyond the garden gate stopped me in my tracks.  I had stumbled upon the Bishop’s House Garden on a day when it was opening for charity!

A first look at the River Wensum

A first look at the River Wensum

Imagine a garden with the cathedral as backdrop!
Topiary and fountains
And exquisite blue poppies

 

The borders were crammed full of planting
The ruins of Bishop Salmons Porch
The cathedral silently looming

This 4 acre garden has belonged to the Bishops of Norwich for over 900 years.  The open day was in full swing, with draughts and snakes and ladders set out on the immaculate lawns, and a cello playing in the background.  The perfect setting for such a lovely day but time, as so often, was my enemy.  For the history and more photos see the link above.

A pretty ‘face’, looking directly at the Cathedral
A fine example of a Norfolk flint-faced building
The mighty Cathedral

Approaching the Cathedral, the architecture is varied and beautiful.  I enter through the cloisters.

The heraldry is beautiful

The heraldry in the alcoves is delicate and lovely

Norwich Cathedral was begun in 1096 and completed in 1145.  It was constructed from flint and mortar, and faced with cream-coloured Caen limestone.  The building has real presence, and many quiet corners for reflection.  A new refectory provides the main entrance and a space for contemporary art exhibitions.

The architecture in Norfolk is often highly distinctive due to the use of flushwork.  This was popular in Medieval times, in areas without a good local building stone.  Flushwork creates a flat flint wall where the stone is ‘flush’ to the wall.  Decorative patterns and motifs can be used for variety.  The Ethelbert Gate below is a beautiful example.

The Guildhall in Market Place
St. Ethelbert’s Gate, one of the entrances to the Cathedral complex

I saunter around the Market Place, with its fine Guildhall and market stalls, then turn towards the river and ‘home’.  The family are preparing a barbecue and I shouldn’t be too late.

Back to the river and meandering home

Back to the river, meandering home

It must be time to meet the family, don’t you think?  Well, here they are- from left to right, Mateusz, Kasia, Arek and Mariusz (at the back!), Agnieszka, Jarek and Grażyna (the boat owners), cousin Wojtek, Dad and Basia.

No excuses for the lion!

No apologies for the lion- he came with the house!

I hope you enjoyed my walk around Norwich.  There are numerous facts in the links I’ve provided, if you have time or interest.  But you need to save some time to join my happy band of walkers again this week.

Many thanks to everybody!  At least two cups of coffee will be required.

walking logo

I have many wonderful shares again this week.  If you’re thinking of joining me, click on the Jo’s Monday walk logo for a few simple facts.  Let’s get going, shall we?

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Drake was first past the gate post again this week.  Join him in Alsace… and across the river  :

Hospitality across the river

Jude’s flower images are always a delight.  Did you know she has this second blog?

Garden Portrait: Glendurgan

Anabel has found me some wonderful waterfalls this week  :

Lake District walks: Elterwater circle

A lover’s house on the Mekong!  Sound intriguing?

Vietnam- Marguerite Duras

Amy’s trees in the Canyon are one of the most beautiful things I have seen all week!

Monday Walk: Trees in Grand Canyon 

Back down to earth for a Suffolk walk with Geoff.  Lovely irises!

Bulcamp to Halesworth and back again

You will love this small piece of Tasmanian paradise!  Many thanks, Ruth  :

Bruny Island

And if it didn’t keep hiding in a vale of cloud ….

Playing hide-and-seek in Franz Josef Glacier

Gently does it in northern France, with a little haiku from Viv  :

Happy Haiku Chain

For a sunburst of colour, I defy you to find anywhere better than Valparaiso!

The Hills of Valparaiso, Chile- UNESCO city of colour and steps

I love industrial heritage walks, especially beside water, and this one from Karen is a beauty  :

A walk in Riverside Park, Manhattan

Rub your eyes!  You might not believe that this Causeway is in Australia (but the beach is a bit of a giveaway)

A walk to the Giants Causeway

Richard is another Cornwall fan so he and Jude will get along just great!

History and beachlife on the Porthtowan to Wheal Coates coastal walk

Wherever you end up this week, I hope you enjoy it.  We’ve passed the solstice now.  Hope it’s not all down hill!  See you next Monday?

175 comments

  1. Pingback: Fitness & Relax Toilets | artishorseshit

      1. You are most welcome. My sick holiday is over tomorrow so I must do all I can to recover somewhat by then. Have a good day, Jo!

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  5. Golly Jo, you have waved no end of temptations under my nose with this one! History, architecture, garden, castle – utterly charming and how nice for the family to let you go touring on your own! I shall have to bookmark this post for future reference.

    My walk is up for this week (another floral one I’m afraid, but I do have a couple of coastal ones coming soon, one especially for you 🙂 ): http://wp.me/p3jVw4-1vY

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    1. Thanks, Jude 🙂 Gratefully received.(actually I did have some family members along with me or I’d never have found my way back to their house, but I haven’t written it that way 🙂 )

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  6. Jo, my eyes nearly fell out of my head when I saw the title of your post. Because for most of the morning, before your post arrived, I had been researching Norwich, and in particular Norwich Cathedral. It was as if we were walking the same path, at the same time, though of course we weren’t in reality. 🙂 Actually, in truth, it wasn’t so much Norwich I was researching as the great British heroine, Edith Cavell. It is almost a 100 years since her execution during WW1. There is to be a special centenary service in Norwich Cathedral, with specially composed music. Her grave is in the grounds of the Cathedral. Perhaps you saw it. Then, this evening, another link to you came through BBC TV ~a reporter visiting Whitby to record the seaside sounds of Whitby. It is part of a National Trust campaign to record a sound map of the Coastline. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/article-1355899679081/ How about it Jo? You must hear some lovely sounds on your coastal walks. 😉

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    1. Our world just keeps getting smaller, Ann 🙂 I didn’t see her grave but I am aware of the links. I was with family and time was limited so I saw what I could.
      The sound map is a lovely idea, though it’d be mostly gulls squawking at Whitby, I suspect. I’ll have a look at the site a bit later 🙂

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      1. They are happy to hear squawks, apparently. By the way, I didn’t mention how good it was to see your extended family gathered by the lion.

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      2. The lion was the cause of much laughter but we rather like him. Such a noble beast 🙂 Many thanks for all your likes, Ann. I’ll be back when I’ve done the pesky ironing (it’s raining 🙂 )

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    2. My memory was jogged to come back to this because it was featured on TV here at teatime! I went and had a look at the site, Ann, and I’ll think about it when I’m out and about. Thanks a lot for the link 🙂

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    1. That makes me smile because at Bishop’s Garden I was offered raffle tickets and the prize was a Norwich City shirt. Mick’s a Hartlepool season ticket holder (for his sins 🙂 ) Yes, I had a lovely day, thanks, Carol. How was Canterbury?

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  8. Lovely buildings! I know we spent a day in Norwich on my teenage holiday to Great Yarmouth but I don’t remember it looking like that. We went to the cathedral, definitely – maybe at 18 that was enough culture for us and we ignored the rest.

    I’m tackling my blogging backlog, including several walks. This one’s from Easter when the weather was much better than it is now! Loch Ardinning

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    1. Norwich was the first place I ever spent a few days with my husband-to-be (26 years of captivity this August 🙂 ) so I have fond memories. Truth be told I didn’t recognise a lot of it either. I would like to have spent more time by the river but the Bishop’s Garden was a wonderful surprise.

      Waiting for the other half to come back from this morning’s walk like a drowned rat. I didn’t go because our son’s home and I needed some shopping for him (so I got soaked walking back from town 🙂 ) Did someone mention summer? Thanks, Anabel!

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  10. Pingback: Loch Ardinning – Anabel's Travel Blog

      1. The full story is told in Aileen Orr’s book Wojtek the Bear and there is also a film:
        http://www.wojtekfilm.com/large/index.html – Wojtek the Bear that went to War.
        I came across the story when researching Golf in the Wild – The Haining country house at Selkirk (not far from the golf club) claims a connection which turned out not to be true. However, he does have a distant connection with Jim Clark and a race circuit in the Borders. I even have a golfing buddy who went to to see Wojtek at Edinburgh Zoo, his final home. He was quite a star in his day.
        Much to be discovered in Golf in the Wild 😀

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    3. Thanks for sharing this story, Robin. I just found time to look at it this morning. Dad’s coming for tea tonight. I’ll have to tell him about our ‘smiling warrior’ cousin and show him the photos. 🙂

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  13. What a lovely walk, Jo, and through such an important city (if you use the size of the Wikipedia page as an indicator!). Your pictures are perfect, with those blue skies and that fabulous architecture. Thanks for sharing your walk with us. 🙂

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    1. It’s a lovely city, Cathy, and has some sentimental attachments for me. (first place I ever stayed at with Mick, many long years ago, and I haven’t been since) Thanks, hon.
      You must have been posting today? I spotted you on FB as I was on the bus into town(almost the only time I use FB). I walked back and got soaked! Hey ho! 🙂

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      1. Oh, so a romantic association! That always makes a place special. I’ve been trying my best to post in my spare time, but I’m so hopelessly behind, it will be months after I return home before I can finally catch up, if ever. Sorry you got soaked on your walk home, Jo!

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  14. The Royal Arcade is very pretty both inside and out. I enjoyed the interesting journey through Norwich, I wish I’d visited it when I lived in England. It seems it has a lot to offer.

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  16. Thoroughly enjoyed joining you on the walk. All without leaving the comfort of the sofa!! Still I think I deserve the hot chocolate and cake though. I went to Norwich years ago and didn’t see any of this, beautiful and inspiring.

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  17. Never been to Norwich, thanks for the stroll, Jo! And bang to rights about few thing s in life flowing entirely smoothly…..perhaps I should get that coffee!

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    2. You’d love the coffee places in NZ then Sue. They serve a long black (short Americano) with a separate jug of hot water so you can add as little or much as you like. MUCH better than the Americano we get served here which tend to drown out the lovely espresso flavour. Oddly enough I got addicted to flat whites there (and I always used to drink my coffee black).

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  18. Hoi Jo, ich habe diesen wundervollen Spaziergang mit Dir durch Norwich sehr genossen. Die eindrückliche Architektur und die inspirierende Natur haben mir besonders gut gefallen.
    Ich wünsche Dir eine gute Zeit. Ernst

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    1. It’s a good little city, Andrew and there are some parts I never managed to fit in (like the little steam-powered paddle steamer). Restricted by time and family 🙂 I know I owe you a visit. Will pop by soon.

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