The visitor to this ancient city will by no means wish to confine his attention to the Cathedral and its precincts; but the space at our disposal will not permit more than a list of other monuments which are worthy of attention. Among these the Castle naturally comes first. Occupying the site of a very ancient—probably British—stronghold, the first building was erected in early Norman times. For many years it was the principal fortress of the Bigods, Earls of Norfolk, and under them experienced many vicissitudes of fortune at the hands of both Flemings and French. The last event of importance connected with it was the hanging of Kett in 1549. The keep is in dimensions 96 x 92 feet, its height being 72 feet (see p. 99). The Guildhall contains many interesting relics of the civil life of Norwich during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including those of the famous Guild of S. George, established in 1385 and dissolved in 1731 (see p. 103). St. Andrew's Hall, a fifteenth-century building, was formerly the nave of the Church of the Blackfriars. It contains some good pictures of the English School. Among the Churches, that of St. Peter, Mancroft (fifteenth century), is well worth a visit. Its tower, 98 feet in height, contains one of the most famous peals of bells in England, and has always been the headquarters of a notable band of change-ringers. Of the others, St. Gregory, Pottergate, has some interesting antiquities; St. Giles', St. Helen's, and St. John the Baptist are all of importance: the latter has some good mural painting and monumental brasses, which At Pull's Ferry the water-gate to the precincts is still standing. It is an interesting piece of flint work. The ferry itself, of which a view is given here, is a favourite sketching place. THE ENDREFERENCES TO PLAN.
|