Norwich is situated on the South East of
England in the East Anglia region. This is typically the flattest area
of the British Isles and is flooded with history. East Anglia or East
Angles as it was known then, was originally believed to be founded by
north and south folk coming together around 520AD.
By the time of the battle of Hastings in 1066, Norwich had become one of
the largest towns in Britain, now occupied by Saxons, Scandinavians and
Normans, it was so important, it even had its own mint. However soon
after, Anglo-Saxon homes were being destroyed to make way for a fortress
that would tower above the town, the initial wood version was finished
in 1075AD.
1096 saw the work beginning on what now is the famous Norwich Cathedral
and by 1194, Norwich was granted the status of a city by Richard 1st.
By the early 1300s a wall was now encircling the town with twelve gates,
which was a good way to collect tolls as people entered and left. As
time moved on, about 30 thousand people were now living within these
flint walls. By the middle 1300s the castle was starting to be neglected
and so became a jail, where prisoners lived in appalling conditions.
In 1349 the “Black Death” reached Norwich city where its though 2 fifths
of the population died, including a lot of clergymen. Churches suffered
from the lack of these priests.
One of the most important trades for centuries within this area was
weaving and by the 1600s many different yarns and wools were being used
and transported from different parts of the country to satisfy demand.
It was now being exported all over the world, and as farm workers moved
into the city, to escape low agricultural wages, Norwich then became
what is believed to be the largest town in the British Isles.
The population grew massively during the 1800s and so more and more
people started to move out side the walls. As transport improved
throughout the country, the train network arrived at Norwich. By this
time the textile industry has expanded into leather goods but was also
being forced to adapt to outside forces such as relevant wars the
fashion industry and improved transport threw pressure on the weavers.
New industries now also started to appear including soap manufacturers,
iron foundries and a brewery.
By 1901 Norwich had a population of 111,773 and then a building boom
between the wars saw over 1000 houses a year being built. During the
Second World War, Norwich was selected for bombing because of its
history and historic buildings and was bomber over 40 times.
Today much of Norwich city history still stands with its castles,
churches and the now famous cathedral is still there for you to enjoy.
There are also many museums showing exhibits and representing how the
people of Norwich used to live.