Norwich Market Through The Decades

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. 

Anglo Saxon Norwich

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:

http://users.trytel.com/tristan/towns/norwmap1.html

The Ghost of Ber Street

Here is another suggested topic from Tony Harper.  This relates to an article published in the Eastern Daily Press on June 18th 1898.  It appears to be related to an unfortunate lady with “weak intellect” which is indicative of how 19th century society treated individuals with mental health issues.  As the hoards descended on the graveyard to see the ghost, what legendary Irish warriors were they compared to?  What did they do to the tomb and how did the parish authorities deter future attempts?  To answer these questions and to find out more information, please select the following link:  

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/weird-norfolk-ber-street-ghost-norwich-8621628

Poachers and the Heydon Affray

Tony Harper has suggested this topic.  This article paints an in-depth picture of a group of men who are caught poaching in the early 19th century and what happens to them.  It may be of particular interest to those members residing in Costessey.  The affray was one incident of what was known as the “Poaching Wars” during the early 19th century.  Both landowners and peasants were killed during this conflict.  A particularly vicious phase of the poacher’s war began in 1816 with the passing of the Night Poaching Act; this introduced the penalty of transportation for seven years if the convicted culprit had been armed with ‘net or stick’ and had the intent to steal rabbits or game.  This bleak picture of England by the early 19th century was, in no small measure, made worse by the collapse of wheat prices resulting in the high price of wheat that the poor struggled to pay, coupled by the increasing number of enclosures of land which greatly reduced the opportunity for supplementing the diets of the rural poor with rabbits, hares etc.  Anyway this is the background, so how many poachers were convicted after the passing of the Night Poaching Act?  What happened to the poachers?  And why were they incited into violence?  To answer these questions and to find out more information, please select the following link:  

https://norfolktalesmyths.com/2020/04/15/poachers-and-the-heydon-affray/

Vernon and Irene Castle

Maggie was watching Pointless recently and there was a round about castles, they gave a list of castles and the contenders had to pick out the real ones from the made up names, one of which was Vernon Castle.  Of course we meet in the Vernon Castle Room as well.  So who is he?  Vernon was born in Norwich in 1887 and moved to New York in 1906 where he obtained work as a comedy actor, singer, dancer and conjuror.  He met Irene in 1910 and they were married in 1911.  They travelled to Paris in 1911 and became the rage of Parisian Society, but what dances did they popularise?  They returned to New York and received wider acclaim and appeared in a number of Broadway shows, but what famous composer’s first show in 1914 did they appear in?  What ballroom dance did they refine and popularise?  They then decided to open a dance studio but what extortionate fee could they charge their rich clients?  The Castles became trendsetters of their age but what social stigma did the Castles help to eradicate?  What hairstyle and clothes did Irene introduce?  Vernon was keen to serve in the First World War but how did he serve and what prestigious award did he win?  To answer these questions and to find out more information, please select the following link:  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon_and_Irene_Castle

Here is a short film of Vernon and Irene dancing.  I am not sure what the judges on Strictly Come Dancing would have made of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkqf9_Wr_Vs

Here is a BBC article about Darcy Bussell opening a plaque at the Nelson Hotel (which is built on the site of Vernon’s home):

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-48106257

Answers to Christmas Quiz

I hope that you and your families have had a wonderful healthy Christmas and that you are now looking forward to the New Year.  Here are the answers to the quiz that I sent out last week:  

1.  What eight sided building on Colegate did Thomas Ivory build in 1756?   Octagon Chapel

2.  Who was the founder of Colman’s mustard?   Jeremiah James Colman

3.  How many years did the Burston school strike last for?  25 years

4.  What Norfolk disaster prompted the introduction of the Electric Train Tablet System?  Thorpe Railway Disaster 1874

5.  Who was the man who enticed Einstein over to Norfolk in 1933?  Oliver Locker-Lampson 

6.  Which famous Norfolk family owned Wolterton Hall until 2016?  The Walpole Family

7.  Who in 1599 danced his way from London to Norwich in nine days?  Will Kemp 

8.  Who lived in the old Dolphin Inn on Heigham Street during the English Civil War?  Bishop Hall 

9.  When did the Norwich Steam Boat explosion occur?  1817

10.  Which Norfolk family bought Felbrigg Hall in 1621?  The Windham Family

11.  Which Suffolk clock has only three faces?  Beccles 

12.  What famous Norfolk landscape gardener was described as a “Money Minded Cunning Rogue”?  Humphrey Repton

13.  What happened in the Gardeners Arms,Timberhill, Norwich in June 1895?  Millie Miles was killed by her husband Frank

14.  Which Norwich pub is named after Peter the Wild Boy? The Wild Man

15.  Where did the Strangers come from in 1568?  Flanders 

16.  George Vancover discovered Vancover in Canada but in which Norfolk town was he born?  Kings Lynn

17.  What crashed through the doors of St Mary’s Church, Bungay during a storm in 1577?  A black dog

18.  Who undertook the work on the Venetian Waterways in 1928?  Unemployed, who were married and had a least one child

19.  Which famous medieval knight is buried at St Benet’s Abbey (A Shakespearian character was also modelled on him)?  Sir John Fastolf

20.  What building was built on the site of the Great Blow of 1648?  Bethel Hospital