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 The
stories behind our street names
BACON ROAD (Colman Road to the
Avenues) Richard Mackenzie Bacon (1776-1844) was editor
and powerful proprietor of the Norwich Mercury — now
the Evening News. He was largely instrumental in the
formation of the Norwich Triennial Musical Festival,
which eventually turned into the Norfolk and Norwich
Festival.
He died at Costessey. His son Richard (1798-1884) succeeded
to the editorship of the Mercury. He was a city councillor,
took an active part in the founding of the Jenny Lind
Hospital and was largely responsible for the formation
of the Norwich Waterworks Company.
On December 2, 1929, the road was named after the family
in recognition of all they had done for the city.
BACK of the INNS (Castle Street)
ABOUT the truest name in Norwich, for it was just that
— the road at the back of the inns, the fronts of which
faced the market place. Originally a little stream meandered
from Jack’s Pit and along this way to empty itself into
the Wensum. Half a dozen inns were here, with their
stables and back yards.
The historian and author Ralph Mottram wrote: “Here,
beside the stables were a heap of manure and a tap room
for the humbler frequenters. The front rooms had some
pretension to style — the back rooms had a smell!”I’ll
bet. There was the Half Moon Inn, the King’s Head, the
Bear Inn, the Royal Hotel and the White Lion, known
locally as the Blue Monkey, the Star and a little further
on the Lamb Inn, now known as the Rat and Parrot.
BALDERSTON COURT (Calvert Street)
They did a lot of good those Baldestones. Timothy was
the son of Bartholomew and was baptised in St George’s
Church, Tombland, in 1682. He was captain of the Artillery
Company.
A weaver in St George’s, Colegate, and for 35 years
one of HM Receivers General for Norfolk. He was sheriff
in 1721 and mayor in 1736 and 1751.
In 1761 the family gave £1000 to help pay for the schooling
of 20 children of poor parents belonging to the congregation
of Independents attending the Old Meeting House and
in 1766 they gave another £1000 to the Bethel Hospital.
Big money in those days.
BANK PLAIN (Redwell Street) The
Quaker Gurneys were renowned for their honesty, reliability,
and fair dealings — so people lent them their money
for safe keeping. About 1777 Alderman Poole, a wine
merchant, sold Bartlett Gurney premises near to the
red well, and Gurney installed safes for bullion. A
junior clerk slept on the trapdoor to the vaults to
safeguard the valuables. The bank issued its own notes.
Times were hard but woe betide any ragamuffins who thought
they would have a pop at the bank. A bull mastiff (complete
with brass collar) stood on guard inside the doors at
the Bank Plain premises, and there was always a blunderbuss
at the ready.
The Five Alls pub was on the plain about 1745. The sign
probably represen ted the priest who prays for all,
the lawyer who pleads for all, the soldier who fights
for all, the farmer who grows for all and the labourer
who works for all. Sometimes there was an addition —
“and the devil, at length will carry away all.”
BATES GREEN (Gentry Place)
Sidney's bravery in the face of death
When Sidney Bates left his blitzed London home for the
last time he told his mum: “Don’t think I’m brave. I’m
scared.” This cockney sparrow with a reputation as a
joker joined the Royal Norfolks aged 19 in the summer
of 1940. One day, he had arrived to do a spot of training
in the boxing ring, when his mate Tim Parker said: “Here
comes Basher Bates.” The name stuck.
BARGATE COURT (Barrack Street)
One history lesson coming up. The gate in the city walls
at Pockthorpe was variously called Barregate, Le Barregate,
Barrechate or Berggate. The gate near the existing tower
in the wall was built in 1338. It was: “For a common
way for the conveniency of the commonality, from the
King’s Way, and there unto the King’s river, called
Wensom.”
W.de Claxton gave one great plank to Barrechate which
cost four shillings (40p) and 12d were paid to the workmen
there. In 1519 the boatmen of the Mercers’ Company were
granted “the water between the walls of the city and
the Batemay at Barregates, to keep their barge there.”
The word batemay or bitmay was a local term for a small
river island, of which there were several in the upper
part of the Wensum.
BARNESDALE ROAD (Locksley Road)
We are entering Robin Hood country. Did this shadowy
figure who lived to rob his fellow men and distribute
his ill-gotten gains to the poor live near Barnesdale?
He once met an impoverished knight in Barnesdale Forest
who told him that his lands were mortgaged to St Mary’s
Abbey in York and that he had no other friend but Our
Lady who had never failed him. Robin Hood replied that
he could have no better – and lent him £400 which was
returned to him later.
BEDDING LANE (St Martin at Palace
to Quayside) Way back in 1409 the city paid John Baddying
over £15s for horse collars, rayes (traces), carte salels,
haltres, seles, whip corde and other bits and pieces.
The lane was known in the 13th century as Baddings Went
and later Bandingge Lane. A map of 1789 shows Badding’s
Lane but also in the 18th century it was called Three
Privy Lane — how picturesque and probably, how odoriferous!
In 1914 there were seven houses in the lane that disappeared
as part of a slum clearance scheme. The name reverts
to the more congenial and restful Bedding Lane although
Three Privy Lane does have a certain style.
BARRACK STREET (Pockthorpe) The
Cavalry Barracks in Pockthorpe was the first major building
erected by the Crown in Norwich since the completion
of the Castle itself. The barracks went up in 1791/3
on a site of an old manor house and was built at a cost
to the Government of £20,000. It was a massive project
at the time.
The buildings were made of brick and formed three sides
of a square — the centre being for the accommodation
of officers. The wings could house a total of 320 soldiers
and 266 horses. The wall enclosed 10 acres. The barracks
were demolished over 25 years ago and the land formerly
occupied by the Army has now been built on.
BASSINGHAM ROAD (Peterson Road)
John Bassingham was a Norwich goldsmith during the turbulent
reign of Henry VIII. The gateway to his house at No
57 London Street was taken down when the street was
widened in 1857. It was bought for £12 by William Wilde
and was erected at the Magistrate’s entrance to our
Guildhall. At the time it was said: “It is quite out
of character with the building or, at any rate, that
part of it.”
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