The City of Norwich Trivia Quiz

Answer: True

Postcodes date back to 1959, when trials began in Norwich. Before the trials began, it was decided that the code should be a six-character code. In this case, the first three letters would be the area, which is Norwich, "NOR," and the following three characters would be two numbers and a letter to distinguish each letter individually.

In July 1959, when the trial began, Ernest Marples, the Postmaster General at the time, arrived in Norwich to start the trial. Although there were some initial problems, the trial would eventually be expanded throughout the rest of the country by 1965, but the plan would take up to ten years to complete.

Nowadays, we all take postcodes for granted. If you're driving your car to a new destination, you just enter the postcode in the Sat-Nav, or when you order something on the internet, you just look up the address by postcode. So simple!

Answer: Rivers and lakes

Excavating peat for fuel was a common activity in the area centuries ago. The peat pits experienced flooding when the sea levels began to rise. Even though ditches and windpipes, a type of windmill, were used to try to stop the flooding, it still continued. The formation of rivers and lakes was the outcome of this. Subsequently referred to as 'The Broads'

The broads cover an area of 117 square miles, the majority being in Norfolk, but they do overlap into Suffolk. The broads consist of seven rivers and 63 broads. As of 2023, there are thirteen broads in use, open to navigation. The waterways are lock-free, not like the canals, but they do have five bridges that can only be used by small boats of a certain height.

The broads are used for fishing and all types of small watercraft, including yachts, motor cruisers, and narrow boats. The broads are also very good for bird watches. The Norfolk Broads became "Broads National Park" in January 2015. It now has the same status as an English National Park.

Answer: Colman's

In 1814, Jeremiah Colman, a flour miller, established Colman's of Norwich, which is located four miles south of Norwich. To produce his own blend of mustard, Jeremiah blended brown mustard with white mustard to create a tangy flavour. In 1823, his adopted nephew became involved in the business, leading to the renaming of J. & J. Colman, and the company flourished. Coleman's also makes flour, starch, laundry powder, and corn flour. Unilever has been the owner of Colman's since 1995.

In January 2018, after 160 years in Norwich, it was announced that the mustard production would move to Staffordshire in the market town of Burton upon Trent, or Burton, as the locals call it. Coleman's mustard production was brought to a close in 2019. The site was still responsible for the production of other products until early 2020, when it closed permanently.

Answer: True

Norwich Cathedral can be traced back to 1096, when construction began. The cathedral was built within the city's walls. When the cathedral was finished, it was the largest building in East Anglia. The cathedral sustained damage in the riots of 1272, and repairs were finalised in 1278. Work started on the cloisters in 1297, and when completed, they were the second largest in England. A cloister is a covered, open gallery running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth.
Built in 1480, the spire as we know it today is the second tallest in England at 315 ft (96 m) and is made from stone.

A few facts that Norwich Cathedral can boast about are that it has the most mediaeval roof bosses of any cathedral in the Christian world. And at one time, Norwich Cathedral had the earliest astronomical clock in England. The first bishop of Norwich was Herbert de Losinga, who was born in France. Losinga was also responsible for the founding of St. Margaret's Church in King's Lynn and the Church of St. Nicholas in Great Yarmouth, both of which are in the country of Norfolk.

Answer: Green and yellow

Norwich City has played all of its home games at Carrow Road since 1935. Norwich City's nickname is "The Canaries." The area had a history of breading canaries, so the name was adopted with the green and yellow strip. Norwich City's trademark song is "On the Ball, City." It has the distinction of being the oldest football chant in the world. It was written in the 1890s and is still sung by fans today. At the time this quiz was written, in 2023, Norwich will play in the Championship Division after being relegated from the Premier League in the 2021-22 season.

Norwich City's stadium is close to the railway station and the River Wensum. The stadium was constructed in just 82 days and opened on August 1, 1935. Norwich City's ground has been an all-seater since 1992, with a current capacity of 27,359. Before football stadiums became all-seaters, a game between Norwich and Leicester City (a FA Cup match in 1963) saw a crowd of just under 44,000.

Answer: 900

Norwich Market is one of the oldest markets in the country, as well as the largest. Norwich Market is located in the city centre and is very visible with its 189 colourful stalls. The stalls have canvas tops that are striped: red and white, green and white, and blue and white, just to name a few. The market offers a wide range of goods, including clothing, flowers, plants, and fresh foods.

Norwich Market was founded in the 11th century, supplying goods to local people and settlers new to the area. By the time the 14th century arrived, Norwich Market had become one of the largest and most prosperous cities in England. In the year 1930, a modification was made to the arrangement of the market stalls, whereby they were arranged in parallel rows. This new arrangement persisted throughout the remainder of the 20th century.

By the 1990s, the market was in a dilapidated state. In 2003, new proposals were made to rebuild the site more in line with modern shopping, but these were abandoned. In 2004, a new market scheme was introduced that retained the parallel row of stalls. The new proposals included the removal of the old stalls, which were very old and in very poor condition, and their replacement with modern steel stalls.

The canvas roofs were retained in their distinctive colours. The market was completely rebuilt by 2006.

Answer: True

Records show the Adam & Eve Pub, located in Bishopgate, was on this site in 1241 or 1249 as a brewhouse. It is claimed to be the oldest pub in the city. When Norwich Cathedral was being built, workmen from the building site used the brewhouse. The brewhouse was owned by Benedictine monks near the medieval hospital (Great Hospital).

In 1884, Norwich had around 600 pubs; however, by 1904, the decline began with the Licencing Act, World War 11, and as in many other towns and cities during the slum clearances of the 1960s, many of the pubs were demolished. King Street was the biggest loser, having gone from 58 to just one.

The pub is now called "The Last Pub Standing."

Answer: The first pedestrianised street in the country

The first pedestrianised street in the UK was in Norwich City Center. It was opened for pedestrians only on July 17, 1967. As the first pedestrianised shopping street, it enabled shoppers to shop without worrying about traffic and made it easier to keep their children safer. St. Benedict's Street and Exchange Street were later pedestrianised. The idea caught on and revolutionised the way we shop, spreading across the country. Norwich continues to work hard to make its city centre pedestrian-friendly.

Answer: Maid's Head Hotel

Since Anglo-Saxon times, there has been some kind of property on the site. What we do know is that the first records of the building being named as a pub date back to 1287, when it was called the Murtel Fish Tavern. The Black Prince dined at the Murtel Fish in 1359 while travelling to a joust at Norwich. The name "Maid's Head" was first recorded in 1472 when Sir John Paston wrote that Maid's Head was a good place for a visitor to stable his horse.

Other famous visitors to stay or dine at the Maid's Head included Cardinal Wolsey, and Catherine of Aragon, the wife of Henry VIII. In 1889, Walter Rye, a wealthy London solicitor, leased the site and rebuilt the hotel. Over the next few decades, other properties were added and refurbished. The Maid's Head has been built up over different periods of English history. The oldest parts of the hotel are Grade II listed.

One interesting fact about the hotel is that it is said to be one of the most haunted places in Norwich, haunted by harmless ghosts.

Answer: Second

Known for its wool and cloth trade, Norwich flourished during the Middle Ages. At the time, Norwich was the second-largest city in Britain (after London). Norwich became a city in 1194 when Richard the Lionheart granted it a charter for its expanding wool and cloth trade. When Norwich received its charter in 1404, it was able to elect a major and build a guildhall. When the guildhall was built, it was the second-largest in England after London.

By 1760, the city's fortunes had declined as the Industrial Revolution took hold. Small cottage industries could no longer compete with the mass production of goods made in factories and the use of steam-powered engines. New towns and factories were being built in the north that had coal and better water supplies to feed the new steam engines. Yorkshire's wool and Lancashire cotton industries had a huge impact on Norwich's wool and cloth trade.

In 1780, Norwich shawls became very fashionable and were of the highest quality. This trend lasted for almost a hundred years and became a very important part of the industry, but towards the end of the Victorian era, fashions changed and the sales of shawls declined. Nowadays, Norwich is home to a wide range of businesses, including retail, digital industries, leisure, and marine businesses. Norwich employs an estimated 117,000 people in over 8,000 businesses. It contributes over £3 billion a year to the national economy.