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This article is about the English city. For other uses, see Norwich (disambiguation).
Twinned Cities
Early historyNorwich, in the county of Norfolk, was shaped by the Iceni, the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, the Late Saxons, the Vikings and the Normans.The word Norvic appears on coins minted during the reign of King Athelstan (early 10th century AD). The ancient city was already a thriving centre for trade and commerce in East Anglia when Swein Forkbeard the Viking destroyed it in 1004 AD. The main area of the city south of the River Wensum was destroyed by the construction of the Norman castle during the 1070s creation of a "New" or "French" borough. In 1096 Bishop Losinga began construction of the cathedral, which became and remains the cathedral church for the Diocese of Norwich. At the time of the Norman Conquest the city was one of the largest in England, and it continued to be a major centre for trade, especially wool. The Wensum was a convenient exporting route to the sea. The wealth generated by the wool trade throughout the Middle Ages resulted in the construction of many fine churches. Norwich still has one of the highest number of splendid medieval churches in western Europe. Ever since the great immigration of 1567 the Walloon community had been granted by successive bishops the right to use a chapel for their own worship. Norwich has been the home of various dissident minorities, notably the French Huguenot and the Belgian Walloon communities in the 16th and 17th centuries. Primarily through trading connections with mainland Europe, ideas of religious reform and radical politics were introduced to Norwich. The Norwich Canary was first introduced into England by Flemish refugees fleeing from Spanish persecution in the 1500s. They brought with them not only advanced working skills in textiles but also their pet canaries, which they began to breed. The canary is the emblem of the city's football team, "The Canaries", Norwich City F.C. Norwich's geographical isolation was such that until 1834 when a railway connection was established, it was often quicker and safer to travel to Amsterdam than to London! Traveller's commentsIn 1507 the poet John Skelton (1460-1529) wrote of two destructive fires in his Lament for the City of Norwich.
Thomas Fuller in his The Worthies of England described the City in 1662 as -
Celia Fiennes (1662-1741) visited Norwich in 1698 and described it as
She also records that held in the City three times a year were-
Norwich being a rich, thriving indusrious place full of weaving, knitting and dyeing. Daniel Defoe in his Tour of the whole Island of Great Britain (1724) wrote of the City-
John Evelyn (1620-1706) Royalist, Traveller and Diarist wrote to Sir Thomas Browne-
He visited the City as a courtier to King Charles II in 1671 and described it thus -
George Borrow in his semi-autobiographical novel Lavengro (1851) wrote of Norwich as-
In 1812, Andrew Robertson wrote to the painter Constable-
Famous names associated with CityThroughout its history, Norwich has been associated with radical politics, nonconformist religion, political dissent and liberalism. Between 1790 and 1840, many of the famous names associated with the City flourished. These include:
Present-dayA university, the University of East Anglia was founded in Norwich in 1963. UEA adopted the city's motto of independence Do different. Missing image Norwich_UK_city_skyline.jpg Norwich City skyline Norwich Airport offers scheduled international services and holiday charter flights, and developed from the former RAF airfield at Horsham St Faith. This was once the home of Air UK, which grew out of Air Anglia and eventually became part of the Dutch airline KLM. Satirical comedian Steve Coogan located his fictional, unbearably vain, cheesy broadcaster 'Alan Partridge' in Norfolk, specifically hosting the pre-breakfast show on the fictional independent station 'Radio Norwich'. It exploited the county's reputation as being somewhat detached from modern trends, past its prime, and rather peripheral to national life. Other comic entertainers who have drawn comedy from that stereotype include Allan Smethurst 'The Singing Postman' and The Kipper Family lately represented by 'son' Sid Kipper. Music and the arts in Norwich reach their high point each year in the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. A shift from the decline in industries in the city throughout the eighties and nineties to new entrepreneurial activities has stabilised the city's economy. Recent developments include the Norfolk and Norwich University hospital at Colney, the 'Forum', home of the Millennium Library and regional BBC broadcasting, and the Riverside entertainment complex. Future plans for development include a new stadium for the football club, 'The Canaries', along with another shopping mall on the site of the much-loved, recently demolished 'Caleys' chocolate factory. The city's newspapers include The Norwich Evening News and The Eastern Daily Press. Broadland 102, its sister station Classic Gold Amber, as well as BBC Radio Norfolk and the University of East Anglia's Livewire 1350 all broadcast to the city.  Attractions for those re-locating include the compactness of its centre for shopping , its relatively low crime rate, its relaxing pace of life, access to the bootiful Norfolk countryside, including the Norfolk Broads and extensive coast-line, and until recently, the city's relatively cheap housing market Norwich has long been associated with the manufacture of mustard. Colman's was founded in 1814 and continues to operate from its factory at Carrow. Norwich is occasionally portrayed by the media as a city out-of-step with national trends (see Alan Partridge); This is primarily due to its geographic isolation which has contributed greatly to its 'unspoilt' and insular character. However, the long-standing tolerance of the 'native' population's slow, but friendly absorption of all-comers, combined with its good rail links to Cambridge and London, its wealth of historical architecture and the continued growth of new retail and service businesses makes Norwich popular place to visit and live. Recent attempts to shed the backwater image of Norwich and market it as a popular tourist destination, as well as a centre for science, commerce, culture and the arts, have included the refurbishment of the Castle Museum and the opening of the magnificent 'Forum' which, apart from housing the Norwich and Norfolk Central Library, provides an excellent new venue for exhibitions, concerts and events, as well as being a focal point and meeting-place for people in the city. The proposed new slogan for Norwich, England's Other City, has been the subject of much discussion and controversy - and it remains to be seen whether it will be finally adopted. External links
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