Site contents © Copyright Michael Crouch, 2000. |
Site contents © Copyright Michael Crouch, 2000. |
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Norwich City TimeLine
575AD The possible establishment of the first settlements on the banks of the Wensum River by Uffa, king of the East Angles 850 Northwic becomes the dominant settlement 870-917 Probable occupation of Northwic by the Danish 1004 Northwic is completely destroyed by Sweyne the Dane 1018 Sweyne's son, Canute, rebuilds the settlement 1066 Following the Norman Conquest, Norwich becomes one of the most important boroughs in the kingdom. The marketplace moves from Tombland to its current position forming a new trading centre in the town. Norwich Castle is built at this time. Originally a wooden construction, it was replaced 60 years later by the present stone keep. 1,297 city walls and 12 gates, mainly of flint are built around the town, some parts of which still remain. The gates remained until the 18th century 1096 Work begins on building Norwich Cathedral 1194 Richard I signs a decree making Norwich a city 1280-1340 Construction of the city walls 1348 About 50,000 people died of pestilence in and around the city 1350-1530 Cow Tower, the Guildhall and almost all of the city's churches are built 1381 The Peasant's Revolt - an army of rebels set fire to the homes of lawyers and wealthy citizens in the city 1404 A Charter allows Norwich to elect its own mayors and aldermen 1505 Norwich is almost totally consumed by fire 1507 Over 1,000 dwellings are lost in two fires. A decision is made that all new buildings should have tiled roofs 1549 A Wymondham farmer, Robert Kett, leads a rebellion of 20,000 men, causing further destruction in the city 1565 Religious refugees from the Netherlands, known as Strangers, are given housing in Norwich. They introduce new methods of cloth production, boosting Norwich's ailing worsted manufacturing industry. They also bring with them a love of gardens and canary-breeding that becomes a part of the city's heritage (today, Norwich City Football Club are nick-named the canaries) 17th Century Norwich becomes fashionable for social events due to road improvements and the development of horse-drawn carriages. The lowest street of the market is set aside as a promenade for visitors and becomes known as Gentleman's Walk 1648 Civil War riots 1660 Norwich is by now one of the largest provincial towns in Britain, the "Second City" of England 1775 Henry Gurney starts a bank which becomes a part of modern-day Barclays 1792 Thomas Bignold, a wine merchant and banker starts an insurance business that becomes Norwich Union 19th Century Norwich's population rises to over 80,000. By Victorian times, the cloth industry has boomed again 1801 There are by now six large breweries in the city 1827 On May 28th, a bill of parliament is passed making Norwich a port. The bill becomes effective from 3rd July but meets with hostility from authorities in Yarmouth 1930s The Norwich slum clearances 1938 City Hall is opened by George VI in October 1963 The University of East Anglia admits its' first students |
