A weekend break in Norwich
It’s been almost a year since I visited Norwich, a beautiful medieval city located 100 miles (161 km) north-east of London. With a population of 143,000, Norwich is a relatively small city; yet, it used to be England’s second-largest city after London up until the 18th century it was.
Norwich is the most complete medieval city in the country. Elm Hill, a historic cobbled lane located in the city centre is lined with buildings dating back to the Tudor period. Not far from there, there’s the imposing 11th-century Norwich Cathedral. The River Wensum flows through the city centre, towards the castle; founded soon after the Norman Conquest (in 1066), the castle is now a museum. Both the cathedral and the castle are fine examples of the city’s rich architectural heritage, and have made it into the ‘Norwich 12’, a collection of 12 of the city’s most iconic buildings.
According to a survey published in 2016, Norwich was the happiest city to work in the UK, whereas in 2020, it was the best to place to live in the East of England (according to the Sunday Times).
These stats are not surprising. Even though I only visited Norwich for a weekend, it became pretty obvious to me that this was not only a city with a rich history and architecture, but also a vibrant place with a flourishing arts, music and cultural scene.
Arts, music and culture in Norwich
Olivia Colman is perhaps the most famous person from Norwich. But there’s much more to Norwich than being the birthplace of the Academy Award-winning actor.
’Music in Norwich’ is the result of a collaboration between a number of organisations who promote performance and classical, jazz and world music. These events take place throughout the year in different venues around the city (including the cathedral).
In 2012, the city became England’s first (and the UK’s second) UNESCO City of Literature. There are currently 39 Cities of Literature around the world, including 5 in the UK (in chronological order: Edinburgh, Norwich, Nottingham, Manchester and Exeter).
Where to eat and drink in Norwich
No 33 (on Exchange Street) and Bread Source (on Bridewell Alley, opposite St Andrew’s Church) are both great places to kick off the day. Figbar (on St John Maddermarket) is renowned for the cakes, whereas the Bicycle Shop (on St Benedicts Street) is a former bike shop, now an all-day cafe-bar. If you visit the cathedral, it’s worth having a coffee or even a light lunch at the Refectory Café. For dinner, I would recommend the Iron House (also (on St John Maddermarket). The Playhouse Bar (at the Playhouse Theatre, on St George’s Street) is a laid-back place for a drink, whereas the Gyre & Gimble (on Charing Cross) is the place to finish off the day with a cocktail or two.
How to get there
From London, it only takes two hours to get to Norwich, making it an ideal destination for a weekend break. The trains to Norwich depart from the Liverpool Street Station (near Shoreditch).
Let’s only hope that the lockdown restrictions will be lifted soon, so we can go travelling again…
In the meantime, stay safe!
Alex
(the London-based Traveling Psychiatrist)