HOME | LAST 100 POSTS | CONTACT ME

Author: admin

  • Words – Housen

    Words – Housen

    Further to my post about Recorder Road, I liked the use of the word “housen”.

    The above chart (I’ve embedded it, so if there’s nothing there, blame Google) shows how the word usage has fallen back over the twentieth century, although it was very much a late nineteenth century word. The word ‘housen’ is simply the plural of house, which is a more beautiful word than ‘houses’ and although it was never that common it has become pretty much entirely archaic now.

    There aren’t many words now which shove an “n” at the end to make a plural, but there used to be. The plural of tree was sometimes ‘treen’, knee was ‘kneen’, shoe was ‘shoon’ and even Shakespeare used the word ‘eyen’ as the plural for eye. And, of course, in German the practice of adding the ‘n’ is still common for many words.

  • Streets of Norwich – Recorder Road

    Streets of Norwich – Recorder Road

    Part of my Streets of Norwich project….

    Recorder Road is a relatively new street in Norwich, winding its way through what was until the early twentieth century a distillery and vinegar works. It is L-shaped and connects Horsefair to Prince of Wales Road.

    As the road is relatively new, there’s not a great of historic interest along here, with this being the road from the Prince of Wales Road end.

    The Greek Orthodox Church, which was built for the Christian Scientists in 1934 and was designed by Herbert G Ibberson to seat 300 people. I’ve never thought it was particularly exciting architecturally, but it is a listed building as it’s apparently notable for its Arts and Crafts style of design

    There’s a walkway which connects through to the River Wensum riverside footpath.

    This is where it gets more exciting, when we approach Horsefair, and it’s Stuart Court. These are almshouses which were constructed in 1914 and are listed buildings noted for their Dutch-style design.

    The plaque reads “these housen were built in the year 1915 in memory of James Stuart, Privy Councillor born at Balgonie, Scotland, 1843. Sometime a citizen of Norwich died at Carrow Abbey 1913”. I’m going to post about that word ‘housen’ in another post, it should be used more…..

    A media report at the time noted that “these cottages are two-storied and designed on the flat principle, since owing to the preciousness of land it is impossible to build this class of dwelling economically on any other plan. Each storey, therefore, forms a complete and entirely private home, planned on thoroughly hygienic lines and fitted up in a way which is too rarely met with houses designed for persons of such small means. A wash-house is provided, for instance, containing a tip-up bath, a copper with a patent steam extractor, and many other useful features; while every building is supplied with gas pipes, and in each wash-house space has been left for a gas cooker, tenants being allowed to install a slot meter or not as they wish”.

    Once again, I’ve managed to pay no attention to this despite walking by it hundreds of times.

    This plaque is inside the entranceway to the gardens constructed in 1922, with the gardens also being named after James Stuart. This is the third listed building on Recorder Road, impressive since everything on it is twentieth century (or this century I suppose). The gardens and the gateway were designed by Edward Boardman, who died in 1910, showing how long this took to be finished.

    Some rather nice gardens, very peaceful.

    One mystery I haven’t been able to answer, I don’t know why it’s called Recorder Road. I’m sure it’s obvious, but it’s gone over my head.

  • Norwich – M&S Easter Eggs

    Norwich – M&S Easter Eggs

    Well, this is very lovely. 20p each…..

    Very restrained of me I thought.

  • London – British Museum (1787 Print of Norwich Cathedral by John Sanders)

    London – British Museum (1787 Print of Norwich Cathedral by John Sanders)

    I usually visit the British Museum three or four times a year, something which is a little difficult to do with the current virus situation, primarily because it’s shut. However, they’ve placed hundreds of thousands of images on their web-site, so this will have to do me for the moment. The images can be used non-commercially, as long as the British Museum is credited. So, this is their credit.

    This plate is from 1787 and has the beautiful Norwich Cathedral at the rear, whilst a donkey chucks a boy off its back, kicks a dog and then gets whipped by its owner. Eventful to say the least…. The plate isn’t on display and was acquired by the British Museum in 1873 from George Mason, who was a bookseller.

    I’m puzzled what that wall to the right is, there’s no obvious building on any overhead map from the period. It is though the site of whether Norwich Cathedral’s bell tower once stood, but this was torn down in the late sixteenth century and the bells flogged off. The building on the left is Norwich School’s chapel, the chantry chapel and college of St John the Evangelist which was built in 1316.

    And a photo from around the same spot today. Unfortunately, no donkeys were visible to liven proceedings up.

  • Streets of Norwich – Plumbers Arms Alley

    Streets of Norwich – Plumbers Arms Alley

    Part of my Streets of Norwich project….

    Located off of Princes Street, this small alley connects to Waggon and Horses Lane, taking its name from the Plumbers Arms pub which traded between the early nineteenth century and 1881.

    The pub building still stands and is now trading as a restaurant, which doesn’t seem to make much of the structure’s heritage in their communications. But, the building is of importance, it has two undercrofts with one from the fifteenth and the other from the sixteenth century and it was originally constructed (albeit much changed since) in the fifteenth century as a residential property.

    Norfolk Museums Service have this drawing in their collection which was created by Percy Stimpson, looking back towards Princes Street.

  • London – British Museum (Cicely Ormes)

    London – British Museum (Cicely Ormes)

    I usually visit the British Museum three or four times a year, something which is a little difficult to do with the current virus situation, primarily because it’s shut. However, they’ve placed hundreds of thousands of images on their web-site, so this will have to do me for the moment. The images can be used non-commercially, as long as the British Museum is credited. So, this is their credit.

    This print was made by Thomas Bowles II in the mid-eighteenth century and it was donated to the British Museum in 1901 by Sir Sidney Colvin. The image tells the story of Cicely Ormes, a brave woman from Norwich who was burned at the stake on 23 September 1557.

    Ormes, who was born in East Dereham, lived in the St. Lawrence parish of the city and when she was aged 21, she was pressured by a Catholic magistrate to denounce her Protestant faith. She did, but she regretted this, and so she recanted. Ormes, the wife of a worsted weaver, was then arrested a few months later and ordered to shut up about her refusal to accept the Catholic faith. She said no, so the magistrate ordered that she be burned to death.

    At the stake she stood firm and said:

    “Welcome thou cross of Christ” and “my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoiceth in God my Saviour”.

    It was common for people to change their religion at this time, indeed, it was pretty essential as the Monarchs kept faffing about with their decision on what the national religion should be. But, they were allowed to just change their minds to suit the situation, which most people did for a quiet life. Cicely Ormes was clearly braver than that, she didn’t want to sacrifice her beliefs and so she died at the age of 22. She was reported to feel no pain as she died, and she was clearly very courageous, and I’m not sure that Norwich has really recognised that bravery.

  • London – British Museum (1500s Map of Nordovicum)

    London – British Museum (1500s Map of Nordovicum)

    I usually visit the British Museum three or four times a year, something which is a little difficult to do with the current virus situation, primarily because it’s shut. However, they’ve placed hundreds of thousands of images on their web-site, so this will have to do me for the moment. The images can be used non-commercially, as long as the British Museum is credited. So, this is their credit.

    Clicking on the above image will bring up a larger version. It’s one of the better known plans of Norwich (or Nordovicum), issued at some point after 1581. It’s been in the British Museum collections for so long they don’t know when they got it, but it was before 1811.

    Anyway, it’s gorgeous. At the top is Bishopgate Bridge, when it still had its gate, and Cow Tower is visible to the left of that. To the bottom, at number 14, is “Hell Gates”, which is more usually called Heigham Gate, but I prefer the version on this plan of the city. And near number 17, which is St. Stephen’s Gate, is near where the St. Stephen’s outlet of Greggs is now located.

  • London – British Museum (Ephesus Takeaway Menu)

    London – British Museum (Ephesus Takeaway Menu)

    I usually visit the British Museum three or four times a year, something which is a little difficult to do with the current virus situation, primarily because it’s shut. However, they’ve placed hundreds of thousands of images on their web-site, so this will have to do me for the moment. The images can be used non-commercially, as long as the British Museum is credited. So, this is their credit.

    This is perhaps one of the more surprising items in the collections of the British Museum, a takeaway menu from Ephesus on Rose Lane in Norwich. It was given to the museum by St John Simpson, who is a curator specialising in items from the Middle East. Perhaps I’ll send the British Museum a nice JD Wetherspoon menu for their collection. Unsurprisingly, the museum hasn’t put this on display.

  • Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day Forty-Seven

    Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day Forty-Seven

    The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was first published at the end of the eighteenth century, and given that the Coronavirus crisis is giving too much time to read books, I thought I’d pick a daily word from it until I got bored…..

    Bubble and Squeak

    This phrase still survives and is in common usage, but at the beginning of the nineteenth century it was defined as “beef and cabbage fried together”, which somehow has changed to potato and cabbage. The origins of the phrase are literal, the ingredients – well mainly the cabbage – bubble up and squeak as they’re cooked.

    A ‘recipe’ from the 1890s said to “mash four potatoes, chop a plateful of cold greens, season with a small saltspoonful of salt and the same of pepper; mix well together and fry in dissolved dripping. Cut about three quarters of a pound of cold boiled beef into neat, thin slices. Fry slightly over a slow fire for six minutes, put the vegetables round the dish and the meat in the centre. Serve very hot”. Sounds bloody awful.

    In the 1920s and 1930s the beef in the dish continued, but seemed to be replaced by sausages by the 1930s and 1940s. After the 1950s, it seemed to just become potato and cabbage, so who knows what it might become by the end of this century. Hopefully remove the cabbage and potato and just add a chicken bake.

  • Streets of Norwich – Barrack Street

    Streets of Norwich – Barrack Street

    Part of my Streets of Norwich project….

    Barrack Street at the beginning of the twentieth century and the road line is still there, although the junction at Cowgate is now a large roundabout. It’s named after the cavalry barracks that are still visible on the above map.

    Starting at the Cowgate / St. Crispins Road roundabout.

    St James the Less Church, which is perhaps better known today as Norwich Puppet Theatre. More on this church in another post, as I’ve been on a guided tour of the church and I have photos somewhere of that. This is pretty much all of old Norwich that has survived the mauling about of Barrack Street and the church looks a bit lost today.

    More recently, this has been a light industrial area with an ugly building facing the road. It’s now a housing development being built by Hill.

    At the moment, these buildings have been left looking rather forlorn. It’s the two white buildings at 77-79 Barrack Street that are interesting, they’re listed (which probably annoys the owners) and are terraced houses dating from the beginning of the nineteenth century. As long as no-one has nicked them, the interiors are also important, with a cast-iron hob grate within a timber surround and a rare fireplace inside them. The premises were used as a fish and chip shop until recently, they’re really not in a good state externally.

    Opposite these properties on the other side of the road is Bargate Court, but more on this in a later post.

    This is now the head office of QD.

    And the other side of the building and the paved area on the right is the entrance to what was once Pockthorpe Brewery, which was a substantial complex of buildings. When they built houses here in 1976, they did an archaeological survey and probably started with some high hopes of finding something new. The report stated “we revealed no finds or features of archaeological interest”. Thrilling. But best to check.

    A few years ago they pulled down some council housing, which was in perfectly good nick, and then left the site vacant for years. It wasn’t a good look…. It’s part of the same Hill housing development which is now finally under construction and it’ll be known as St. James’s Quay.

    Now a dentists, this was the Sportman pub from the early nineteenth century until its closure in 1995, when it was used as a solicitors. It replaced a pub of the same name which was located across the road.

    And yet more of the Hill site that will be housing in the next few years. There’s not a huge amount of history lost here, as previously it was a light industrial site for some time and before then it was a timber yard and wharf area.

    The former barracks site, now turned into generic looking housing. It’s a little unfortunate that they demolished the barracks in the 1960s, as the site would have made for an impressive museum location. Although the city council would probably only turned it into another bloody car park, so perhaps it’s better that it’s housing.

    The barrack site again, it was built on the site of Hassett House at the end of the eighteenth century and was known as Cavalry Barracks and then Nelson Barracks.

    Former barracks site on the right, there’s now a gym over on the left-hand side. Again, there wasn’t much here before, unlike the other end of Barrack Street, they haven’t demolished a load of housing.

    A pretty mundane looking wall which has been brightened, or worsened depending on your point of view, with some paint.

    This is a better looking wall, it’s from Hassett House.

    And, this was a former entrance to the barrack buildings, although it has been landscaped so there’s now nothing behind here other than soil. It’s also where the entrance to Hassett House would have been, and for a period of time, the tower over the other side of the Wensum River was known now as Cow Tower, but as Hassett Tower.