24 hours or so in Norwich

Late afternoon in Norwich

 It's been a year since I was in Norwich, but it was good to be back. The friend I was visiting took me around the back streets and places I'd not seen before. We did the round of bookshops and churches (some with excellent cafes with good food at reasonable prices), and despite the weather (I was there during a storm!), we had a great time. We even managed a couple of walks along the river when it wasn't raining.

(Above: Window in church cafe, St Stephen's Church, Norwich Library.)

On the first day, we hit a deluge and found the ideal place to get out of it! Strangers' Hall is a very old house with a 700 year history. It has been built onto as successive owners moved in. This makes it indeed a strange house and is bigger than you think. Up steps, down corridors, and there is a nice garden, which we observed from the behind the windows in the dry! The house has quite a mish-mash of furniture, glassware, toys, books and other paraphernalia. This is a house worth revisiting. 

Strangers' Hall entrance

The Great Hall

Bedrooms

Coach House

Staircase

We ended the day with a walk around the city and visiting bookshops, ending in a visit to the Catheral and the cafe.

My kind of shop!

We visited this bookshop, of course!

River Wensum

Julian of Norwich (Cathedral)

Evening at Norwich Cathedral

Side chapel

Cloisters

The next day, the rain was heavy, so we headed back to the Cathedral cafe. When the rain stopped we walked along by the river, had lunch in Wetherspoons and visited the Julian of Norwich Centre. As you can see from their website they have a large bookshop, which of course we had to browse! Round the corner is the church and the Julian Shrine. Afterwards we headed back into the city. Department stores are on the decline in the UK, but Jarrolds is still going, thankfully. We had a wander through their book department and their Christmas shop.

Cow Tower

Norwich Cathedral from the river

Autumn colours by the river

Jukian of Norwich Church and Shrine.

Painted wall in the city

Royal Arcade

Guildhall

Norwich is in the County of Norfolk, and my ancestors (on my maternal grandmother's side) came from Norfolk and Suffolk. It is an area I want to explore more and I am working out an itinerary of places to visit (some will be for a second or third time, others a first). So, I will be going back.

The castle in Norwich is still shut. I've no idea when that will reopen, but there is lots to see and do in the city, and the river is always good for a walk. My friend and I packed a lot into those hours. We were not going to be beaten by a storm!