This morning I took an informal walking tour of Viking Norwich. Did you know the name Norwich comes from Norvik or Northwic? These were settlements named by Vikings from Denmark and the Anglo-Saxons. There are places around the city that have plaques with information about this Viking heritage. We started our walk in the Tombland area right outside Norwich Cathedral.
As Tombland comes from tom, so do street names like Bishopgate, Pottergate, and Fishergate come from the Norse word for street, gata, and not from the English word gate. The 10th century marketplace was in this Tombland area until the Normans moved it to its present location, still the Norwich Market today. The Cathedral and Castle were not built in Viking times—but here's a picture of the castle anyway! Renovations are currently taking place to restore the interior of the castle to how it most likely appeared during the time of King Henry I.
Not as much is visible in Norwich of the Viking settlement as in other English places (such as York), but it was a good walk nevertheless! I'm hoping to visit Strangers' Hall on Sunday to learn more about the weavers and dyers (the Strangers) who came across with their craft from Belgium and the Netherlands in the 1500s.
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