Norwich is a Medieval City Full of Dinosaurs
It is said there used to be A PUB FOR EVERY DAY AND A CHURCH FOR EVERY WEEK
Every time I told someone from the UK that I was going to Norwich, every single one of them asked me - why? This includes two women that I stayed with in Nice who were . . . from Norwich.
To be honest, I’m a bit baffled by this response because Norwich is - super cool. Admittedly, it’s a pretty small city in the UK (around 120k) and didn’t seem to have any hostels. BUT it was the second largest city in the UK throughout the medieval period, and it now claims to have the most preserved medieval city center in the UK - a claim which I’d believe.
The city has an effortless blend of new and old; medieval buildings have been expanded to include modern architecture and put to public use. Preserved streets sit blocks away from modern malls with an easy transition between the two. The historic lanes have a nearly even mix between big brand stores and local boutiques. While I didn’t find much of the charm translated well to photographs, the overall feel of the city hooked me in and made me want to stay. Perhaps that’s why it’s often ranked as one of the 10 best places to live in the UK.
What I’ll remember most, though, is that the entire city was full of painted dinosaurs. I’d seen modern animal art installations like this, particularly cows (which we had in Philly), but this was the first time I’d seen dinosaurs! I saw maybe 20 of them during my two days there, and I’m sharing my pictures of all of them below.
EXPLORE HISTORIC NORWICH
Norwich has 33 medieval churches (nearly a medieval church for every week!). The two most famous are Norwich Cathedral, which boasts one of the tallest spires and largest cloisters in the UK, and The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, which I found more beautiful of the two.
Near Norwich Cathedral, you’ll find the most famous of the city’s medieval streets - Elm Hill - which is a pretty small section of winding, cobble-stoned lanes sided by Tudor houses that are now boutiques. If you head south from there, you’ll get to the Norwich Lanes - historic streets that are most famous for their shopping - and the Norwich Covered Market - which has been operational in the same spot for nearly 1,000 years.
In the same area, you can go to the Norwich Castle - a Norman Romanesque cube-like building that now houses a museum. I chose to only look at the castle from the outside.
ENJOY THE NATURE
Norwich is the only English city sitting within a national park - the Norfolk Broads. While the most remarkable parts of the park are outside of the city, between the natural landscape and the nature of it being a small city, there’s plenty of greenery to explore. My recommendations are to walk along the north side of the Wensum River and hang out in Plantation Garden (a really nicely landscaped garden built into an old quarry).
OTHER THINGS TO DO
If you’re in Norwich long enough that you’ve already explored the city and want more to do - the most common things to do are to leave to explore the Norfolk Broads National Park or the Blickling Estate. If you’re a museum goer, you can can also check out Strangers’ Hall, the Norwich Aviation Museum, or the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.