green plaque · Norwich

City Wall The

Photograph at the City Wall The green plaque
Photograph via Wikipedia (Stowe Gardens, CC BY-SA).

This green plaque commemorates the historic City Wall of Norwich. The plaque specifically highlights a section of the city's fourteenth-century defensive structure, marked by a band of flints nearby. This architectural feature indicates the original course of the ancient wall, providing a tangible link to Norwich's medieval past. The site also holds significance for its later use, as it incorporated the location of a tower that was integrated into the nineteenth-century Drill Hall, demonstrating the evolving architectural and functional history of this urban space. This marker serves to remind residents and visitors of the layered history embedded within the city's fabric.

The Norwich City Wall was a crucial defensive fortification built around the city during the medieval period, primarily in the fourteenth century. These walls were a common feature of important European cities, essential for protection and control, reflecting a period of frequent conflict and strategic urban development. The presence of the wall in Norwich underscores its historical importance as a major urban and commercial centre. Later, the site adapted to new uses, with a tower incorporated into the Drill Hall. This Drill Hall served local Volunteer and Territorial Units until 1950, reflecting the long tradition of civic and military organisation in Norwich, before its demolition in 1964.

The memorial is a green plaque located on a wall adjoining 1-6 Cleveland Road in Norwich. Visitors can observe the plaque and the nearby band of flints, which visibly indicate the course of the historic City Wall. The site is situated within an urban area, making it accessible for those exploring Norwich's historical landmarks. Respectful visitation is encouraged, allowing time to contemplate the layered history of the site, from its medieval origins as a city defence to its later role in military training.

Inscription

City Wall The band of flints nearby marks the course of the fourteenth century City Wall. It includes the site of a tower subsequently incorporated in the nineteenth century Drill Hall used by the Volunteer and Territorial Units of Norwich until 1950 and demolished in 1964.
Transcribed from the green plaque at On wall adjoining 1-6 Cleveland Road.

Background

City Wall The band of flints nearby marks the course of the fourteenth century City Wall. It includes the site of a tower subsequently incorporated in the nineteenth century Drill Hall used by the Volunteer and Territorial Units of Norwich until 1950 and demolished in 1964.

Source: Open Plaques. Geographic data via OpenStreetMap.

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Data sources

Location records are drawn from open, licence-clean datasets, kept here with attribution and gratitude to the people who maintain them.

  • Open Plaques, dedicated to the public domain (CC0). See openplaques.org.
  • Wikidata, available under the CC0 1.0 Universal dedication.
  • © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence.
  • Historic England, National Heritage List for England, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. War memorial records are drawn from open community datasets (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, NHLE) - never from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which is excluded.

Editorial descriptions, photography and tribute links are original TributeLegacy work, layered on top of the open data.

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