Norwich has lots of stunning, old architecture, but the local community and council are keeping it relevant by adding murals. This Norwich Walk will give you a guide to explore this city which is best seen on foot.
City Streets
Starting at the Assembly House, a beautiful Georgian house which hosts afternoon tea, weddings and regular art sales. Walk down Rampant Horse Street to see your first mural, by Beverley Coaraldean.
Coraldean is my favourite artist and I have two of her pieces up in my house. Her art quite often depicts cities in a way that’s both structural and abstract. You can see several of Norwich’s landmarks in this design.
Lurking Dragon
Take your Norwich walk down the hill, at the bottom, a lurking dragon will catch your eye. By Malca Schotten, it has a slogan “Should twenty thousand dragons rise, I’d fight them all before your eyes.” I love the colours this dragon has such a mischievous look.
Independent Norwich
Westlegate has recently been pedestrianised and it’s much more open now. The blue lines beneath your feet track lost, underground rivers. At the top, turn left round the corner and opposite you, above Pymm and Co, you’ll spot the City of Stories mural by Poppy Cole.
Take note of the buildings she’s painted, because you’ll see quiet a few of them on the rest of your Norwich walk.
Now you’ve reached Timberhill you’re beginning to get into Norwich Lanes’ independent territory.
Norwich has a great independent scene and won Britain’s Best High Street award in 2014.
As you walk down this hill, there are places to stop and break up your journey. Timberhill Bakery has a café to enjoy lunch as well as bread to take away. Donnellis Pizzeria has a traditional pizza oven and serves Italian-style thin-crust pizzas.
If you fancy something a bit bigger, Middleton’s is a great steak restaurant.
The Murderers is one of the city’s best pubs, especially if you like watching sport. It always has a wide variety of draught beers and ciders which change frequently.
Once you make it to the bottom of the hill, turn right onto Castle Meadow.
Market Place of the Iceni
The Iceni tribe covered what is now Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. Their Queen, Boudicca, led a rebellion against the Romans in AD60.
Joey LaMeche’s mural depicts characters around the pre-Roman marketplace which spills onto the ceiling above you.
Straight ahead of you is the Royal Arcade. It’s definitely worth taking a moment to look at the stained glass and art deco-style tiling on the entrance. Inside, there’s an opportunity for pudding in Macarons and More which is run by Tim Kinnaird. Try and resist a cake if you can!
Turning right on Castle Street, you’ll see the 4th mural by Derek Jackson on your left. It depicts recognisable Norwich buildings as books, which is convenient as you’re about to reach London Street with Norwich’s famed Book Hive, the independent bookshop.
Once you reach the Book Hive, turn left and look up. Ella Goodwin’s cats are watching, in typical cat fashion, just out of reach.
Her Instagram (@missellaillustrator) is full of kittens, bunnies and Japan.
Turning left onto Bedford Street is perhaps the best part of this journey. One of my favourite streets in the city, it really epitomises Norwich Lanes. There’s an independent shop, bar or café for every taste along this street. You can read more about it in this Norwich City Guide.
Carrying on straight and up the hill, the final picture on your journey is opposite the Belgian Monk. By Julia Allum, it represents Norwich being both a city of stories and also the UNESCO city of literature.
From here, you’re in an ideal spot to explore the rest of independent Norwich and head onto 2019’s Best Outdoor Market.
Bonus mural: Riverside
The latest mural to decorate the city, it depicts city living. Too big to capture in a photo, it’s super bright and lively in Norwich’s Riverside complex.
Want to hear more about city breaks? Norwich features in my 4 Alternative City Breaks.
