Norwich Market facts for kids
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Norwich Market is a large outdoor market in the center of Norwich, England. It has about 200 stalls. The market started in the late 1000s to serve Norman merchants and settlers. It replaced an older market nearby. This market has been operating in the same spot for over 900 years!
By the 1300s, Norwich was one of England's biggest and richest cities. Norwich Market was a very important trading place. In 1341, the King gave control of the market to the city of Norwich. This meant the city council got all the income from the market. This income was a big help for the local government.
After the King gave up control, the market was reorganized to help the city even more. In the late 1300s, Norwich and the area around it suffered greatly from plague and famine. The population dropped by more than half. After these tough years, local merchants took control of Norwich and rebuilt the economy.
In the early 1400s, a Guildhall was built next to the market. This building became the center for local government and law enforcement. It is the largest medieval civic building in Britain outside of London. It was the main government building until 1938 and a law court until 1985.
During the Georgian era (1714-1837), Norwich became a popular place for travelers. It grew into a fashionable shopping town. Buildings around the market became fancy shops and coaching inns (places where horse-drawn coaches stopped). The eastern side of the market was especially trendy and became known as Gentleman's Walk. By the 1800s, the area around the market was very crowded. However, the council could not find enough money to make improvements. Many market stalls were privately owned, so the council could not easily change the market's layout.
After the First World War, the local government started buying all the market stalls. Eventually, the entire market became publicly owned. It was completely redesigned in the 1930s. Stalls were arranged in neat, parallel rows. A new City Hall was built along the entire western side of the market square. This new building replaced the old Guildhall, which was too small. This new layout stayed mostly the same for the rest of the 1900s.
By the 1990s, the market was getting old and worn out. In 2003, there were plans for another big rebuilding project. These plans were changed in 2004. The new plan kept the parallel rows of stalls. But it replaced the old stalls with new steel units, each holding four stalls. The rebuilt market was finished in early 2006. Today, it is one of the largest markets in Britain.
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How Norwich Market Started
Norwich is the main city of Norfolk county. It sits on the River Wensum in the East of England. We don't know exactly when Norwich started. But by the time King Æthelstan ruled (924–939), it was a major trading center. It was one of the most important towns in England. The Anglo-Saxon settlement was centered around Tombland. This was a large open space where roads into Norwich met. The flat area of Tombland was where Norwich's first market was located.
After the Norman conquest of England (1066–1071), Norwich was completely redesigned. Norwich Cathedral was built just east of Tombland. Much of the old town southwest of Tombland was cleared to build the motte (mound) for Norwich Castle. A new Norman town was built west of the Castle. This area was called Mancroft. The new town at Mancroft included its own market. This market was for the Norman settlers and merchants moving into the area. It might also have supplied the castle's soldiers.
We don't know the exact date the Mancroft market started. But we know it was working by 1086, when the Domesday Book was written. In Norman England, only the King could give permission to trade. So, like most markets then, the Mancroft market operated with the King's permission. The King's Clerk oversaw all trade at the market. Taxes and rents were collected for the King.
Few records exist from the Norman market in the 1000s to 1200s. We know that a toll house was built nearby soon after the market started. This building collected taxes on trade. We don't know its exact location. But it was just north of the market, where the Guildhall now stands. This tollhouse soon became the center for the city's government. The Tombland market still had permission for an annual horse fair. But over time, the Mancroft market became the main market. In the late 1000s, the Tombland market was removed when Norwich Cathedral was being built.
Norwich Market in the Middle Ages
By the early 1300s, Norwich was one of Europe's major cities. East Anglia was very populated then. It produced lots of grain, sheep, cattle, and poultry. Much of this produce was traded in Norwich. Norwich was an inland port, meaning it was a port city not on the coast. The city also had industries like textiles (cloth), leather, and metalworking. It was also the main administrative center for the region.
By 1300, Norwich had a population of 6,000 to 10,000 people. About 20,000 people lived in the wider area. Some historians even thought Norwich's population was as high as 70,000 before 1349. It was one of the largest and richest cities in the country. It was considered the second most important city in England. Most goods made or brought into the region passed through the Mancroft market. The market usually operated on Wednesdays and Saturdays. But there is some evidence it operated daily around 1300.
Market Layout in the Middle Ages
By this time, the market looked much like it does today. It was a long, rectangular open space running north to south. The tollhouse (which became the Guildhall after 1413) was at the northern end. The large church of St Peter Mancroft was at the southern end. St Peter Mancroft was built between 1430 and 1455. It included an older church from 1075. Market merchants paid for its construction. All stallholders still have the right to get married in the church and be buried in its churchyard.
The marketplace sloped downwards from west to east. A long, straight path called the Nethererowe (later Gentleman's Walk) was on the eastern side. Another path called the Overerowe (later St Peter's Street, now where City Hall stands) was on the western side.
The medieval market was divided into sections. Each section sold a specific type of goods. The market stalls were arranged in rows. They varied in width from about 60 cm to 4.5 meters. These stalls were very valuable. In the early days, big organizations like trade guilds and religious groups owned them. They earned a lot of money from rents. They also provided a steady income for the King, and later for the city, from ongoing rents. Retail buildings surrounded the marketplace. Their construction began around 1300. These were permanent buildings, some with multiple floors and basements.
The northern part of the main market, just south of the tollhouse, had fishmongers, butchers, ironmongers, and woolsellers. This section also had the murage loft after 1294. This is where tolls were collected to pay for building Norwich's city walls. The southern part of the main market, north of St Peter Mancroft, had a bread market. It also had stalls for Norwich's important cloth and leather industries. A wide space between the main marketplace and the Nethererowe was kept clear. Country smallholders used this space to set up temporary booths and tents to sell their goods.
South of St Peter Mancroft was a second marketplace. This one sold wheat, poultry, cattle, and sheep. Pigs, horses, timber, and dye were sold in other dedicated markets in the city. Modern Norwich place names like Timberhill, St John Maddermarket, and Rampant Horse Street come from these medieval market sites.
Market Control Shifts to the City
In 1341, King Edward III visited Norwich for a jousting tournament. This was when the city's defensive walls were finished. King Edward and his mother, Isabella of France, were very impressed with the city. As a thank you for paying for the walls, Edward gave the market's rights to the city forever. The King's Clerk no longer controlled trade at the market. From then on, tolls and rents from the market went directly to the city's bailiffs (the city's rulers).
With the King's Clerk's powers gone, Norwich's bailiffs started regulating the market. They wanted to make it as beneficial as possible for the city. To encourage fair competition, it was forbidden to sell food before the Cathedral bell rang for Lady Mass (6:00 am). It was also forbidden to "forestall." This meant meeting merchants on their way to the market to buy their goods early. This practice would make goods scarce and more expensive. Trading anywhere other than the market was strongly discouraged. Only "Freemen of the city" (people with special city rights) could resell goods for a profit. The prices of bread and beer were fixed. A set of standard weights and measures was introduced. Merchants' measures were regularly checked against these standards. Soon after the market was transferred to the city, a market cross was built near the center of the main market. We don't know what it looked like.
In mid-1348, the bubonic plague, known as the Great Mortality (later called the Black Death), reached England. It had already swept across Europe. The plague spread slowly across the country, causing terrible effects. It killed an estimated 30% to 45% of the population. In late March 1349, the plague reached East Anglia. For reasons unknown, it became much more severe there. In 1349–50 alone, more than half the population of East Anglia died.
In 1369, East Anglia was hit by famine. Its farming economy had collapsed after the plague. The market continued to operate, but at a much smaller level. Many stalls were empty for years. The famine of 1369 overwhelmed Norwich's burial grounds. This meant St Peter Mancroft's churchyard had to be expanded. The southernmost rows of stalls in the main marketplace, which had sold cloth and linen, were removed to make space for a larger churchyard. By 1377, Norwich's population had fallen from at least 20,000 before the plague to below 6,000.
Even though social order was maintained during the plague years, the region's economy was ruined. However, the surviving merchants were very powerful in the city. After the disaster, they worked to increase the council's influence around the market. They bought many of the surrounding shops. The council also bought a set of wharves (docks) along King Street near Dragon Hall in 1397. They ordered that all goods entering Norwich by water had to be unloaded there. This gave the merchants, who now controlled the council, almost complete control of Norwich's trade.
The market soon recovered from the plague years. It became a major trading hub again. Records from 1565 show 37 butchers' stalls alone in the market. Norwich also became a major center for importing exotic foods. Sugar, figs, and prunes were traded in the market in the 1500s. Records show that 20,000 oranges and 1,000 lemons were provided for the 1581 St Bartholomew's Day fair.
Guildhall and New Market Cross
In 1404, Norwich received a royal charter. This gave it self-rule as "The County of the City of Norwich." The local council was reorganized. It was now led by a Mayor and managed by Sheriffs and Aldermen. The Mayor also officially became the Clerk of the Markets. But in reality, deputies always managed the markets.
By this time, the tollhouse was too small for the local government. Between 1407 and 1413, it was torn down. An adjoining site, which had a vegetable market, was also removed. A new Guildhall was built in its place. This was one of the largest civic buildings in England outside London. It housed all parts of local government and justice for the new council. The Guildhall cost between £400 and £500 to build. (This was a lot of money then, as the city council's annual income was about £120). The eastern side of the Guildhall had a unique black and white checkered design. This represented the exchequer (treasury). The basement of the old tollhouse was kept as a dungeon. A new basement served as a lock-up (small jail) from the Guildhall's opening until the 1980s.
The murage loft in the market was no longer needed after the city walls were finished. It took over the functions of the old tollhouse. It became the market supervisor's office and the place to collect market tolls and taxes.
Between 1501 and 1503, Mayor John Rightwise had the original market cross torn down. He replaced it with a fancy new cross. This new cross was octagonal (eight-sided). It stood on a base about 9 meters wide. It rose to a height of 18 to 21 meters. The central part had an oratory (a small chapel) with a priest.
Rightwise's new market cross did not stay in its original form for long. During the English Reformation in the 1530s, the rood (cross) on top was pulled down. The oratory became a storeroom. The octagonal base became a shopping arcade with small stalls. In 1549, a temporary gallows was set up at the cross. Sixty people who took part in Kett's Rebellion were executed there. They had gathered in the marketplace during their brief capture of Norwich. In 1574, a local law was passed. It said that all unemployed men had to gather at the market cross every morning at 5:00 am. They had to bring their tools and stay for an hour, hoping to be offered work. A bonesetter was hired to treat any men who claimed they were too injured to work. We don't know how successful this plan was.
By the 1600s, the building was called the Market House. It was used to sell grain and other goods measured by the bushel. A set of approved measures were chained to the pillars for public use. The old title of "Keeper of the Cross" was given to the person who swept the marketplace weekly.
The market cross was also the main spot for Norfolk's parliamentary elections. Candidates would bring large crowds of voters from the countryside by cart. They would try to get their support. Candidates paid for voters' lodging. But in close elections, more voters than usual would be brought in. Every inn in the city would fill up. This forced voters to sleep in and around the cross. Sir Thomas Browne described the voters around the market cross as "like flocks of sheep" during the very close elections of 1678. After the votes were counted, the winning candidate would be carried three times around the market. Torch-bearers and trumpeters would follow.
Even though traveling vendors liked it, the market cross was expensive to maintain. Norwich citizens did not like the cost. In 1732, the cross was torn down. The stone was sold for £125. In 2005, the base of the cross was found again during market renovations. But it has since been covered up. Its location is now marked by red stones in the market floor.
Market Square Uses in Tudor and Stuart England
Since there were few permanent buildings in the main marketplace, it was often used as a public open space when the market was closed. Before the Reformation in the 1530s, it was mainly used for religious festivals. The annual procession of the Craft Guilds at Corpus Christi was a big event. Most public religious festivals stopped after the Reformation. Many medieval guilds also disappeared. The main event on Norwich's civic calendar became the annual inauguration of the mayor. This took place every May.
The mayor's inauguration ceremony was led by city officials and the powerful Guild of St George. It was a mix of a public festival and a religious carnival. Four whifflers (city officials carrying swords) marched ahead to clear the way. Behind them, the new and old mayors rode side-by-side. Trumpeters and standard-bearers carrying the flags of England and St George went first. The city's Sheriffs and Aldermen followed in ceremonial gowns. The procession was joined by the city's waits (musicians playing loud wind instruments). There were also dick fools (clowns with wands, bells, and cats' tails on their clothes) and a man dressed as a dragon.
Besides mayoral inaugurations, the marketplace was also used for other public events. These included mourning processions when monarchs died, coronation celebrations, royal birthdays, and celebrations of military victories. Fireworks and bonfires were held on these occasions. The local militia fired guns, and church bells rang. Local residents and shopkeepers lit candles in their windows. Often, especially in the 1700s, temporary triumphal arches were built next to the Guildhall. Free beer was usually given out at these events. Sometimes, they turned into drunken chaos.
The market was also where wrongdoers were publicly punished. Stocks and a pillory were set up in a visible spot at the eastern end of the Guildhall. The stocks were used for minor offenses. These included breaking bread price rules, public fighting, or being rude to the Mayor. Sometimes, wrongdoers were paraded around the market wearing paper hats that described their crime. The pillory was for more serious crimes like sedition (speaking against the government). At least twice in the late 1500s, people convicted of sedition were nailed to the pillory by their ears. After their time on the pillory, their ears were cut off. Public whippings of criminals also happened in the marketplace. While not all executions were recorded, public hangings also took place in the market square and around the market cross.
By the 1600s, the market also hosted many traveling entertainers. Exotic animals like lions, tigers, camels, and jackals were displayed. Conjurers, puppeteers, singers, acrobats, and other performers regularly put on shows. Displays of human deformities were also popular. Records from the 1670s and 1680s show the Mayor giving permission for exhibitions. These included "a monstrous man with 2 bodies brought from the Indies," "a girl of sixteen with no bones," and "a monstrous hayrie child." Stages set up by charlatans (fake doctors) selling medicines and showing miracle cures were often near the Guildhall. Fishmongers often complained that the crowds blocked access to their stalls. At least once, a traveling doctor's license was taken away because of "possible damage to the city's economy by the distraction of 'idle minds' from their work."
Changes in the Georgian Period
Better roads in Norfolk and the growth of the stagecoach system made Norwich a more popular place for travelers. Norwich was recovering from the plague years. It was a major city with attractions and social events second only to London. Rich landowners from Norfolk and Suffolk started visiting Norwich more often and staying longer.
By the late 1600s, many strict rules about trade in Norwich were lifted or relaxed. Norwich became a fashionable shopping town. Shops for the growing wealthy classes, like booksellers, wine sellers, and gunsmiths, grew around the market. This was especially true in the large buildings along the eastern side of the market, the Nethererowe. This area became so popular with the gentry (upper class) that it was called Gentleman's Walk. Gentleman's Walk got many luxury shops. These included John Toll's drapers, where Elizabeth Gurney (later Elizabeth Fry) watched the election of 1796. There was also the wine and spirit shop of Thomas Bignold. He and other local shopkeepers started an association to provide fire insurance for the area's shops. This became Norwich Union. Saunders Coffee House was also popular, visited by the young Horatio and William Nelson.
By this time, a row of stalls next to St Peter Mancroft's churchyard had become a row of three- and four-story houses. These ran east to west. A second row of buildings running north to south went through the main market square. This row of houses cut off the main market from the eastern strip where butchers and fishmongers were. This eastern strip was known as the Upper Market. Only two narrow passages connected the two halves of the market square. (These dividing buildings were torn down in the 1930s. But one of these connecting passages, Pudding Lane, still exists. "Pudding Lane" comes from "ped," an old word for the large baskets used by traveling traders in the market.)
With more people visiting Norwich, trade boomed in the inns around the marketplace. In addition to the existing taverns, at least four very large coaching inns opened along Gentleman's Walk. By the late 1700s, stagecoaches left one of these inns almost daily for London. The inns also served as the center for frequent services throughout East Anglia.
These coaching inns had long, narrow yards. They served food and drinks and provided lodging. They also acted as temporary warehouses, auction rooms, and gambling halls for travelers doing business in the market. The most famous was the Angel Inn. Parts of it dated back to the 1400s. Besides its other functions, its yard was a popular theater and venue for performers. (Even though Norwich was a big city, it didn't have a dedicated theater until 1758.) However, in 1699, part of the building collapsed during a performance. A woman was killed, and many audience members were injured. The Angel's reputation was badly damaged. While still used for small shows like puppet shows, it was never again used for full theatrical performances.
Meanwhile, the livestock market south of St Peter Mancroft became extremely crowded on market days. Eventually, part of the eastern side of the castle mound was leveled. In 1738, livestock sales moved to this new site. The old hay market stayed at the old site for over a century. It also moved to the new livestock market site in the early 1800s. The new livestock market was one of the last big livestock markets in a British city center. It became known as "the cruelest in the country."
19th Century Improvements
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Moving the livestock market did not solve the crowding problems in and around the market. Many medieval access routes to the market were too narrow for wheeled vehicles. The narrow alleys were also dark, dangerous, and mostly unpaved. The market had been resurfaced in the 1700s. But this was with flint pebble cobblestones. These easily came loose and trapped garbage. William Chase, editor of the first Norwich Directory, pushed for city improvements in the late 1700s. He wanted to make the streets around the market more organized. However, Norwich's economy relied heavily on the textile industry. This industry suffered badly from losing export markets during the French Wars. So, funds for improvements were limited. By the early 1800s, the only major improvement was paving Gentleman's Walk. In 1805, several Improvement Commissions were set up to suggest solutions. But little action was taken. Local councils could not collect taxes to fund general city improvements. So, money had to be raised through tolls, rents, public appeals, or long-term loans. The city initially could not raise enough funds.
In 1813, the yard of the King's Head coaching inn was widened. This created Davey Place, a new street between the market and Back of the Inns. Back of the Inns was then a narrow passage running parallel to Gentleman's Walk, behind the coaching inns. (The inns are gone now, but Back of the Inns is still a street name.) In 1820, the Gasolier, Norwich's first gas lamp, was installed in the market outside Davey Place. Exchange Street, a new road running north from the market's northeast corner, was finished in 1828. A roadway was added next to the existing footpath. London Street, the main road connecting the market with older parts of the city around Tombland and the Cathedral, was widened in 1856. In 1860, the old fish market next to the Guildhall, which was over 700 years old and falling apart, was replaced with a new neoclassical building. In 1863, Gentleman's Walk was properly paved with York stone. In 1874, the market's cobblestones were replaced by timber blocks. By this time, the market operated on all working days. But Sunday trading laws meant it was closed on Sundays. The market space on Sundays was used for public assemblies and gatherings.
Meanwhile, Norwich railway station opened in 1844. Many Norwich residents were slow to use the railway. And goods carriers initially found it easier to keep collecting goods from the coaching inns. But as railway use slowly grew, fewer coaches and carts came to the inns. This reduced crowding. In 1899, the Angel inn finally closed. It had been renamed the Royal Hotel in 1840 for Queen Victoria's wedding. It was replaced with George Skipper's Royal Arcade, a shopping center in the Art Nouveau style.
City officials first did not want to install tramways in the city center. They worried about noise and disruption. But they eventually agreed. By the late 1800s, Norwich had 26 km of tram routes. This included a route along Gentleman's Walk itself. Plans to organize the market's stalls had been suggested since the 1700s. But they failed because so many stalls were privately owned.
1930s Redevelopment
After the First World War, the council's Markets Committee started buying back all the privately owned stalls. They wanted to encourage soldiers returning from the war to work at the market. Within a few years, the market was completely owned by the public. The council then took responsibility for its upkeep. The city also bought and closed many of the 30 or more inns in the area. They moved their licenses to the growing suburbs.
Meanwhile, the Guildhall was designed for a post-plague city of about 6,000 people. It was completely inadequate as the administrative center of a major modern city. As a temporary solution, the row of buildings dividing the upper and main markets had mostly been bought by the public. They were turned into city offices. In January 1914, the 1860 fish market was also enlarged and converted into offices. The Liberal welfare reforms of the early 1900s and the Local Government Act 1929 greatly increased the role of local government in public health and welfare. By the 1930s, Norwich council desperately needed more office space.
The council decided on a major redevelopment of the area around the upper market. The row of buildings from St Peter Mancroft to the Guildhall, which separated the upper and lower markets, were torn down. This opened up the marketplace. The buildings along the western side of the market were also demolished. The mix of stalls and booths in the market were all removed. They were replaced by 205 uniform stalls in parallel rows. These had multi-colored sloping roofs, known locally as "tilts." During the rebuilding, the existing stalls were moved to temporary spots nearby. This allowed them to keep trading. In 1938, the stall coverings were given the multi-colored stripes they became famous for.
In 1932, a new building was planned to replace the demolished civic buildings. It would span the entire length of the western edge of the now unified marketplace. Some local residents and businesses worried about the huge expense during a recession. But the project went ahead. Over 140 designs were submitted. A design by Charles Holloway James and Stephen Rowland Pierce was chosen. It was heavily influenced by Scandinavian architecture. The design received negative comments at the time. John Piper said that "fog is its friend." Opened by King George VI in 1938 as City Hall, the building was very successful. Nikolaus Pevsner described it as "the foremost English public building between the Wars."
Norwich's war memorial, designed by Edwin Lutyens, opened in 1927 outside the Guildhall. It was moved to a long, narrow memorial garden on a raised terrace. This was between City Hall and the enlarged market, shortly after City Hall opened. The Guildhall continued to be used as a law court until 1985. Its basement remained in use as cells until that time.
1976 Renovation
Even though the market looked much the same after the 1930s redevelopment, by the 1960s it was falling apart. It also no longer met modern health rules. A lack of money delayed improvements. Renovation work did not begin until February 1976. Hot and cold running water and refrigeration were added for food stalls. Many stalls were converted into lockable units. New electrical cables were installed throughout the market. The site was resurfaced. The elegant but old 1800s toilets were torn down.
Besides demolishing the Victorian toilets, the only major visible change was adding corrugated plastic covers over the walkways between the stalls. By this time, competition from supermarkets was changing shopping habits. And the decline of market gardening meant fewer stallholders sold their own produce. But the market survived these challenges. Many stalls started selling specialist foods, clothing, and other goods. The high number of stalls allowed the market to offer as many different goods as supermarkets.
2005 Rebuilding
The 1976 renovations helped the 1930s market last longer. But by the 1990s, the market was again becoming old and worn out. The covers put up in 1976 blocked sunlight. This made much of the market dark and poorly lit. The walkways, already narrow, became even more restricted. Stalls put up outside displays and extra weather protection. Removable shutters used to secure the stalls overnight were stacked against the sides during trading hours. This caused more obstruction. On stalls with doors, the doors opened outwards to make the most of the limited space inside. Also, the floors of the stalls followed the hill's slope, about a 1:12 gradient. This caused health problems for market workers who had to stand at this angle for long periods.
Norwich City Council decided these problems needed to be fixed. In December 2003, they asked the public to choose between three plans for a rebuilt market. These plans were very controversial. All three suggested reducing the number of stalls from 205 to 140–160 to create more space. All three also involved splitting the market into separate groups of stalls. This would greatly change its character and appearance. The Eastern Daily Press newspaper organized a campaign against the designs. They argued the designs were unattractive. They also opposed the proposed reduction in stalls, which would mean job losses and higher rents for remaining stallholders. They also worried about how such a radical redesign would change central Norwich. A petition with over 12,000 signatures rejecting all three designs was collected.
After a public meeting on January 26, 2004, the council backed down. Hereward Cooke, deputy leader of the council, said, "We are finding out what the stall-holders and people of Norwich want and we will try our best to fulfill their wishes." Architect Michael Innes proposed a new design, which the council accepted. The new design was put in place in 2005.
Innes's design kept the market's layout of parallel rows of stalls with striped colored roofs. The new stalls were built as steel and aluminum units. Each unit had four stalls, and each stall had a level floor accessed by a step. These "pods" were arranged in rows, with 2-meter-wide walkways between them. Transparent, retractable canopies were installed above the aisles. These could be opened and closed from a central control.
To allow the market to keep trading during rebuilding, temporary stalls were set up in Gentleman's Walk and nearby streets. One-third of the market's stalls at a time traded from these temporary stalls. Their stalls in the main market were replaced. This process took four months for each third of the market. The rebuilding was officially finished on March 25, 2006. While generally popular with traders and shoppers, The Times newspaper criticized the redesign. They called it "an anemic shopping mall for health and safety inspectors: straight lines, wipe-clean boxy cubicles, all life and love drained out."
Meanwhile, in November 2004, engineers found cracks in the terrace supporting the Memorial Gardens. They were closed to the public as a potential danger. Finally, in 2009, work began on renovating the gardens. Lutyens's memorial was taken apart and cleaned. It was reassembled at a higher level to be visible from the street. It was also rotated 180° to face City Hall, not the market. The terrace was strengthened. The gardens were landscaped around a new sculpture by Paul de Monchaux on the memorial's original site.
Supermarkets continued to affect shopping patterns. In 1979, fruit and vegetable stalls filled 70 of the market's 205 stalls. By 1988, greengrocers had only 28 stalls. By 2010, there were only seven fruit and vegetable stalls left. A wide variety of other stalls have taken their place. The market remains active. It is one of the largest markets in Britain. It is a tourist attraction and still heavily used by local residents. It is a central point of the city.
Images for kids
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Norwich market and surrounding buildings right after the 2005 reconstruction. This view looks west from Norwich Castle. Some buildings have been replaced or renovated, but the medieval layout is almost unchanged. From left to right (south to north), important landmarks are: St Peter Mancroft, with the tall glass structure of The Forum just behind it; City Hall with St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Cathedral behind it, Lutyens's war memorial just in front of it, and Norwich Market in front of the war memorial; Guildhall. The Sir Garnet Wolseley pub (with a pyramid-shaped roof) is just in front of the part of St Peter Mancroft's churchyard that was the cloth market before 1369. While the building in its current form is from 1861, a tavern has been on this site since the market's earliest days. The pedestrian area running from the castle to the market is Davey Place, which used to be the yard of the King's Head inn.
See also
In Spanish: Mercado de Norwich para niños
