Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Norwich is a small medieval city in the east of England. The fact that Norwich is a city at all is a constant source of surprise to visitors, but Norwich's status stems from its charter which dates back to the days when it was an important agricultural trade centre in East Anglia. The onset of the Industrial Revolution in the 19th Century saw Norwich's status diminished, as did a World War II bombing campaign.
Modern Times
Contemporary Norwich is a place slowly reinventing itself as a centre for commerce and service industries. All this is accompanied by the building of the Castle Mall complex, and the newly-finished Riverside Development project. Also symptomatic of Norwich's modernisation is the recent explosion of bars, cafés, clubs and general nightlife in a city where a good night out traditionally consisted of sitting in one of a few palatable pubs until closing time, followed by flat, overpriced lager in one of three black holes that each announced itself to be 'The Best Night Out In Town'.
These days, Norwich is a great place to visit or live just to appreciate its eccentric 'old world' charms and laid-back pace, however the city still offers little to compete with the experience of living somewhere genuinely exciting. Other notable features of the City include the University of East Anglia, the Cathedral and the inhabitants' violent opposition to a motorway link to anywhere else in the world.