Norwich Street Photographs

Previous street: St Benedict's St


St Clement's Alley:
        From Fyebridge St to Colegate
St Clement's Alley Flint House south side [0905] 1936-05-01
Residence of Alexander Thurston, Mayor 1600, M.P. 1601. In 1796 John Crome taught sketching to Master Sparshall, son of the Quaker wine merchant here.
St Clement's Alley St Clement's House wall [7815] 2001-04-03
Flintwork at the base of the front wall. Originally part of 16c house of John Aldrich, Mayor. See also 14 to 16 Colegate.
St Clement's Alley SW corner flint building [0958] 1936-05-12

St Clement's Hill:
        From Constitution Hill / Magdalen Rd towards Catton, Spixworth
      passing
Woodcock Rd, Wall Rd
St Clement's Hill Sewell Park cattle trough [6564] 1989-07-14
Now converted to flower display. Inscribed "1917/ This Fountain was placed here by/ Ada Sewell in memory of her Aunt/ Anna Sewell authoress of Black Beauty and of/ her Sister Edith Sewell/ Two lovers of animals".

St Crispin's Rd:
        From Cowgate / Barrack St / Whitefriars to Barn Rd

      South side
St Crispin's Rd Cavell House [7563] 1998-07-19
St Crispin's Rd concrete public toilet [7430] 1997-02-22
Built c1919. Believed to be the oldest one of concrete in the world.
Wensum City Bridge St Crispin's Rd S side [B633] 1933-07-18
St Crispin's Rd. No previous structure had been erected on this site. In 1880 a company was formed to promote a Bill through Parliament relative to a proposed railway line between Lynn, Fakenham and Norwich. The city petitioned against this but agreed to withdraw it upon the promoters undertaking to build a road between Barn Rd and Oak St to be carried over the Wensum by a bridge. Station Rd and the bridge (built largely of steel) were the result. Constructed by iron founders Barnard, Bishop and Barnard in 1882, the latter was a single span of about 50 feet. In 1972 the northern section of the inner link road was completed involving the construction of a second bridge. Of reinforced concrete, this carries the northern carriageway, the older bridge remaining to take the southern lane. Station Rd then became divided between St Crispin's Rd and Barn Rd. See also Station Rd.
        North side
Wensum City Bridge St Crispin's Rd N side [5418] 1974-09-11

St Faith's Lane:
        From Prince of Wales Rd to Tombland
      passing
Recorder Rd

      Right side
St Faith's Lane 1a to 2a at Recorder Rd [6338] 1985-08-15
J.U. 1857.
St Faith's Lane James Stuart Garden [7511] 1997-10-08
St Faith's Lane James Stuart Garden gateway [7510] 1997-10-08
Opened July 1922, architects Boardman and son. The gateway to the garden bears an inscription that it was provided through a legacy from Laura Elizabeth Stuart (nee Colman) the city's first woman J.P. It also records that its construction had been delayed "due to the War".
St Faith's Lane Horse Fair Green [7533] 1998-03-01
Site of mediaeval fair where horses were sold.
St Faith's Lane Hairpin Gate to The Close [7454] 1997-06-01
Leading from the Horse Fair in St Faith's Lane.
St Faith's Lane 7 [6171] 1981-04-17
St Faith's Lane 15 [0981] 1936-06-09
For certain buildings at the west end of St Faith's Lane see 3 to 6 The Close.
        Left side
St Faith's Lane 62 [0980] 1936-05-18
St Faith's Lane 64 to 70 [0979] 1936-05-18
Greyfriars St Faith's Lane boundary wall [6229] 1981-08-17
All that now remains in situ of Greyfriars in St Faith's Lane. Founded in 1226, the church of this friary was dedicated to St Francis and was built on a site now largely occupied by Prince of Wales Rd. At the Dissolution in 1539 the property was granted to Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshall of England. Afterwards seized by the King it was granted in 1544 to Paul Gresham and Francis Bolders, and in 1559 was sold to the city.

St George's St:
        From St Andrew's St to St Crispin's Rd (beyond which renamed as part of Botolph St)
      passing
St Andrew's Hall Plain, Colegate, Cross Lane

      East side
St George St former Edward VI Middle School [7703] 1999-10-18
Opened 1862, ceased 1910.
St George St School of Art [6623] 1990-07-12
Norwich School of Art, former Technical Institute, built 1899, architect A.E.Collins.
Wensum Blackfriars or St George's Bridge [0066] 1934-03-31
Formerly called New Bridge, being built of timber in the reign of Henry V and rebuilt during that of Edward IV. Again rebuilt, this time of stone with three arches in 1586. Because the narrowness of the arches was found to be a great impediment to the current it was superseded by the present bridge, designed by Sir John Soane. It consists of a single arch (44 feet span) of Portland stone, with cast iron parapets, and is remarkably strong, all the stones being cramped with iron. The bridge cost £1,290 and was opened 3rd December 1783. A footbridge which was erected on the west side in 1961 was removed some years later when a single lane traffic system across the bridge was introduced.
Wensum Blackfriars or St George's Bridge [0055] 1934-03-22
Wensum Blackfriars or St George's Bridge [B595] 1933-06-20
Wensum St George's Bridge and footbridge [4655] 1961-10-12
Wensum St George's Bridge and footbridge N [4668] 1962-06-11
Wensum St George's Bridge west side [5900] 1978-04-25
St George St 13 to 15 [2756] 1938-08-27
St George St 23 [1460] 1936-09-27
St George St 25 to 27 [1438] 1936-09-22
St George St 29 to 33 [1459] 1936-09-27
St George St 31 to 33 [0808] 1936-03-17
At the junction of St George's St with Colegate there is a space where, in 1937, buildings were pulled down to improve visibility. The houses affected were 31 and 33 St George's. The former had a weather vane on its gable that was illustrated by Claude Messent in his book on the subject. The pointer, which represented a pipe, was probably put up about 1880 when the shop was occupied by Moses Levine, a tobacconist and pipe maker. It is said that he used to hold competitions among his customers, giving a prize to whoever made the best job of colouring a pipe. The house dated from the 17c; there is a model of it in the Strangers' Hall museum on which the name over the shop is Pinchin's.
For 35 to 39 St George St see 31 Colegate.
St George St Lowe's Yard view east [1672] 1937-06-03
St George St Lowe's Yard view west [1673] 1937-06-03
The original yard here was demolished in 1937. Its only entrance was from St George's. Built early in the 19c, the house on the north had a curiously overhanging upper floor contrived of weatherboarding. The ladder seen leaning against the wall had just been removed by the demolition squad from its former position against a trap door in the floor of the overhang.
St George St 49 [1470] 1936-10-03
St George St 51 to 53 [1442] 1936-09-22
St George St 53 fireplace tiles [3758] 1949-03-15
Two painted tiles from first floor fire place "1663" and Shield with Goose and Shuttles.
St George St 53 fireplace tiles [3759] 1949-03-15
St George St 61 [3251] 1939-08-13
St George St 61a derelict brush factory [6273] 1983-07-12
Built 1867.
St George St 61a converted brush factory [6872] 1992-06-28
Converted to offices 1992.
St George St 63 former King's Head PH to 65 [2477] 1938-06-18
St George St 63 to 65 east side restored [6896] 1992-08-03
From Singer's Court.
St George St 63 to 65 west side restored [6895] 1992-08-03
From St George St.
St George St 67 [2757] 1938-08-27
St George St 67 flint wall base excavation [6592] 1989-09-19
Base of mediaeval wall uncovered behind 67.
St George St 69 to 77 [2089] 1938-02-24
St George St 77 rear [5149] 1967-05-29
St George St 91 to 93 [0816] 1936-03-19
Nos 91 and 93 stood on the north corner of Green Lane. The former was a house and the latter a shop, both occupying what was originally one dwelling probably dating from the 17c. They had a picturesque appearance due to the unusual arrangement of gables: one dormer occupied a near-central position in the roof while another appeared to rise a further storey above and behind it.
John Crome the artist would have been familiar with the building, for he and his family lived in one of a terrace of houses south of the Green Lane entrance. These houses, which were sketched by Edward Preston Willins in the 1880s, were demolished at the turn of the century, to be replaced in 1901 by six cottages known as Layers Terrace. These in their turn were pulled down in 1962 under a slum clearance scheme, and the Inner Link road subsequently passed across the site.
A rectangular stone plaque rescued from the front wall of No 89 (the end house of the terrace) is now in store at the Bridewell museum. It has a medallion portrait of the artist and bears the information that "John Crome - Old Crome, 1768-1821, Founder of the Norwich School of Painters, Lived in a House on this Site".
St George St 91 to 93 [2131] 1938-03-07
St George St 99 to 101 [2024] 1937-10-02
St George St 111 to 115 [2758] 1938-08-27
St George St 117 [2049] 1937-10-12
St George St 119 to 123 Crown and Anchor PH [2759] 1938-08-27
St George St 129 to 135 [0817] 1936-03-19
        West side
St George St 2 Festival House PH to 10 [1105] 1936-07-12
St George St 8 to 16 [5587] 1976-07-11
St George St 16a to 18 Red Lion PH [1040] 1936-06-20
Gun Wharf St George St [5424] 1974-09-15
St George's Alley north side [0802] 1936-03-17
St George St 80 to 82 Devereux House [2760] 1938-08-27
St George St 80 to 82 Devereux House [5891] 1978-04-19
Restored 1978.
St George St 84 [1671] 1937-06-03
St George St 84 Georgian doorway [0449] 1935-04-14
St George St 86 to 88 [1428] 1936-09-20
Alms Lane 2 to 6 south side west end [0792] 1936-03-07
Alms Lane north side former alms houses [5897] 1978-04-19
Converted from old Alms houses.
St George St 90 Golden Can PH east side [2048] 1937-10-12
St George's St is the middle of three running northward from Colegate: Duke St (formerly part of Pitt St) and Calvert St being the others. This was formerly Gildengate and later Middle St; indeed, as recently as 1877 it seemed a matter of personal preference which name to adopt, Colman's Norwich Directory for that year listing some of its residents under "Gildengate St" and others under "Middle St".
Until destroyed during one of the April raids of 1942, the Golden Can public house stood at No 90. Walter Wicks in his book on the inns and taverns of old Norwich, while not referring to this house, mentions one with a similar sign formerly standing in St Andrew's St. Describing the sign as an old one, he thought it might have been suggested by the following nursery rhyme that contains a reference to it:
Little Brown Betty lived at the Golden Can
Where she brewed good ale for gentlemen.
Alms Lane adjoining to the south of the public house was called, according to the historian John Kirkpatrick, "the Almes Lane 1626, now vulgarly pronounced Ammys Lane, from certain cottages called the Almeshouses wch. are on the N. side of the Lane".
St George St 90 south side from Alms Lane [0791] 1936-03-07
St George St 94 to 100 [2697] 1938-08-06
St George St 104 to 106 [3277] 1939-10-08
St George St 104 Georgian doorway [3212] 1939-08-07
St George St 110 [0814] 1936-03-19
St George St 112 to 118 Heatrae factory [2508] 1938-06-26
St George St Stonemason's Square north side [1746] 1937-07-03
St George St Stonemason's Square south side [1745] 1937-07-03
St George St Drake's Court north side [1750] 1937-07-04
St George St Drake's Court view east [1749] 1937-07-04
St George St 126 [1480] 1936-10-04
St George St 126 to 128 [1494] 1936-10-06
St George St 126 to 134 [0815] 1936-03-19
St George St 130 to 132 [0806] 1936-03-17
St George St 134 [1479] 1936-10-04
St George St 134 [1495] 1936-10-06
St George St 134 rear [2023] 1937-10-02
St George St 134 to 138 [0813] 1936-03-19
St George St 136 to 138 [1496] 1936-10-06
Originally built as one mansion about 1720, the attic storey being added later. The central doorway was replaced by smaller twin doorways when the house was divided during the 19c.
St George St 138 rear [2025] 1937-10-02
St George St 138 Georgian panelling [4057] 1952-03-13
St George St 138 fireplace and panelling [4058] 1952-03-13
Georgian panelling and cupboards in ground floor room.
St George St 138 shell-hood cupboard [4059] 1952-03-13
St George St Burrell's Yard [2026] 1937-10-02

Next street: St Giles' St

Text and photographs copyright George Plunkett

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