Here is an interesting article. Have you wondered what are the origins to pub names? This article will inform you of the origins of some of these including; The Royal Oak, The King’s Head, The Coach and Horses, The Bell, The Bird In Hand and The Rising Sun. These are all local pub names that we are familiar with - but what are their origins? Please select the following link to find out:
https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/a-history-of-british-pub-names/
I was out walking with the Ramblers on Thursday at Wortwell in Suffolk and we walked close to the location of Gawdy Hall. So here is an article on this wonderful Tudor hall. It describes how the Gawdy family came to prominence and also which famous visitor is said to have visited the hall. Do you know the famous Norfolk company it was sold to in 1938? There is an interesting comparison on the number of men that worked the land in 1953 and the number that is required today. And please don’t miss the double headed eagle - a survivor from the Dissolution of the Monasteries. To find out the answers to these questions and more information please select the following link:
https://www.gawdyhallestates.co.uk/history.htm
Here is some more information on the Gawdy family. It appears they may have been descendants from a famous French knight captured during the 100 years war. To find out more information please select the following link:
I discovered this house whilst on one of Colin’s Heritage Walks. We have all probably walked past it lots of times and not noticed the plaque on it that tells us that Thomas Pykerell used to live here - but who was he and why is he famous? How old is it and what was it used for during the 1930s? And what happened to it during the Baedeker Raids of 1942? To answer these questions and to find out more information, please select the following link:
http://www.julianwhite.uk/norwich-pykerells-house/
Here is a map of the original house. What a hive of activity this must have been during the 16th century. Please select the following link:
http://www.georgeplunkett.co.uk/Norwich/Drawings/RosemaryLane01.jpg
Thomas Pykerell, is thought to have commissioned an extraordinary series of stained-glass roundels depicting ‘The Labours of the Months’, these are rare collections of art, four of which survive in the Norwich Castle Museum collection. To see these roundels please select the following link:
https://norwichcastle.wordpress.com/2020/06/15/the-norwich-strangers/
Tony Harper has suggested this article. This is a story about a young Norwich girl born into poverty at the start of 20th century. She was brought up in one of the toughest neighbourhoods in Norwich but where was it? Her mother gave her a really hard time and at the age of six, as she was the only member of the family who was not bringing in an income it was decided to sell her! But to whom? She worked in munitions during World War One and then in 1922 took a completely illegal new role - but what was it? And how did she invest the proceeds? Why was she called Queenie? This is a fascinating story and to find out the answers to these questions and more information, please select the following link:
Don mentioned C.B. at the end of his talk and I must admit I had never heard of him! Born in 1872, not only did C.B. obtain a First Class Honours Degree at Oxford but he played professional football for Southampton and England, he equalled the world long jump record, he played professional cricket for Sussex and England, he was also a Liberal candidate for Parliament in Brighton; a director of a training ship, a journalist, a deputy and speechwriter for the Indian delegation at the League of Nations. It was whilst he was involved in the latter role that C.B. was offered the vacant throne of Albania! C.B. was a real superman, and to find out more information about him, please select the following link:
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/CB-Fry/
I recently did a Heritage Walk with Colin which focused on the markets of Norwich including, the Maddermarket, Stump Cross Market, the Cattle Market and of course Norwich market. Here is an EDP article on Norwich Market. It has some interesting pictures of the market in years gone by. Did you know that its origins date back to Norman times? It was much bigger in medieval times - but how far did it stretch to? The market was redesigned in 1938 as part of a much larger project - but what was the project? When did the colourful tent roofs become a fixture? What was installed in 1976? And what the result of the overhaul in 2005? To answer these questions and to find out more information, please select the following link:
https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/lifestyle/heritage/norwich-market-through-the-decades-8397074
There is also a film incorporated into the above article, if you press play, make sure the volume is on (doesn’t have a cross against it), either skip the adverts or wait for them to end, then a short film on Norwich Market will play. Look out for the pictures of the market with a row of buildings at the back of the market which were presumably demolished in 1938 when it was redesigned.
I came across the attached map the other day and I thought it worth sharing with you all. They say a picture paints a 1000 words and I think this applies here as it outlines Anglo Saxon Norwich. The key narrative is also interesting and provides detail of the origins of; Tombland, The Great Cockey, Ber Street, Colgate, Pottergate. Please select the following link:
