The Power and the Glory

Norwich: a jewel in the crown of medieval Britain

In the medieval era Norwich was the largest and wealthiest provincial city in England, second only in importance to London. Following the Norman conquest of 1066 the Anglo-Saxon settlement at Norwich was consolidated as a major power centre and trading hub. Norwich‘s stature as a medieval centre was reflected in the glory of its outstanding architecture and art, fine examples of which still survive today.

Medieval Norwich: key features

  • One of the highest concentrations of medieval religious buildings of any city in the world, including more churches than any other city north of the Alps
  • One of the greatest Norman cathedrals in Europe
  • The finest secular building of its period in Europe, the Castle
  • The only intact example of a Dominican friary in the UK to survive Henry VIII‘s Reformation
  • A wealth of medieval art, including stained glass of international importance

Address

The Close
Norwich
NR1 4EH

Send a Postcard

postcard norwich
postcard-medieval-norwich

Reconstruction of medieval Norwich, including the fortified castle mound and cathedral precinct (© Virtual Past), and Manga style cartoon of Norwich Cathedral (Hugo Yoshikawa)

CONTACTS

Principal Investigator: Dr Simon Kaner,
Sainsbury Institute, University of East Anglia

S.Kaner@uea.ac.uk

Co-Investigator: Dr Sam Nixon
Sainsbury Institute, University of East Anglia

Sam.Nixon@uea.ac.uk

SOCIAL

To keep up to date as further materials are launched, follow us on Twitter and Facebook:

Trading cities worldwide

Shokokuji Zen-Temple & figures found at the Nijo Residence

Kyoto: Japan

Across the medieval world we see a range of cities that displayed the same combination of outstanding religious and secular art and architecture that we see in Norwich 􀀀 Kyoto, Japan possessed some of the most impressive temples and palaces in the medieval world, now being explored today by archaeologists
Excavations, Shokokuji Zen-Temple (left) Figures found at the Nijo Residence (right) - Credit: Doshisha University Archaeology CentreExcavations, Shokokuji Zen-Temple (left) Figures found at the Nijo Residence (right) - Credit: Doshisha University Archaeology Centre

Medieval Waterfront & Castle of the Count

Ghent: Belgium

The pattern of urban development seen in Norwich is also demonstrated in great trading cities such as Ghent, in modern day Belgium, in its heyday the second most important city in Europe after Paris. Here too, the legacy of great power from the State and Church was a flourishing in outstanding art.
Ghent Medieval Waterfront (left) Castle of
the Count, Gravensteen (right) - Credit: Michael LovedayGhent Medieval Waterfront (left) Castle of the Count, Gravensteen (right) - Credit: Michael Loveday