The stories behind
our street names

HOOKER ROAD (Paine Road to Frere Road)
NAMED after the little Norwich boy who grew up to survive snake bites and ship fires to become one of the world’s top botanists . . . and the man who saved Kew Gardens for the nation. William Jackson Hooker was born in Magdalen Street during the summer of 1785.
More about William Jackson Hooker

HOOK'S WALK (Lower Close)
It's more than 30 years ago that the Very Rev Norman Hook, one of the great Norwich churchmen of recent times, returned to the city for the naming of this part of the Lower Close in his honour.
By then he had retired and moved to Chichester but the city held a special place in his heart. He was Dean of Norwich from 1953 to 1969.
When he returned for the unveiling of the stone plaque he told the gathering: “I can only say that I am deeply moved by this imaginative and generous gesture.”
When he arrived in Norwich, the cathedral was still facing a financial crisis with much work to be done.
He encouraged the Friends of Norwich Cathedral and it grew to become the largest group of its kind in the country. He undertook the massive reconstruction of the tower, spire and roofs.
He was also president of the Norfolk branch of the National Association of Mental Health.
Following his death in 1976, the Dean of Norwich, the Very Rev Alan Webster, paid a moving tribute: "He will be remembered as a firm, friendly, quiet man who took real pains to help people. He carried out a tremendous amount of good work in Norwich.”
The plaque was put on a wall which was formerly the wall of the old Three Cranes public house, on the path leading from the Lower Close to Gooseberry Gardens, which connects with Bishopgate.

HORNING CLOSE (Beverley Rd, Earlham Rd)
Another city road named in honour of a village – this one the Broadland beauty spot with a rich history.
The people of Horning, now a popular holidaying spot, were the folk who lived on the high ground between the rivers — the people at the “horna” or where the Bure bends.
Saxon monks built a “house” at Horning in AD800 but in 870 the Danes destroyed it.
Then King Canute founded an abbey of Benedictine monks in 1020 at Horning, which is still there today.

HORSFORD STREET (Heigham Street)
Named after the ancient village of Horsford which in the Domesday Book is spelt Hosforda and means what it says…horse-ford.
The Lords of the Manor (Barons Dacre) once had a castle there.
In the 1970s another of Harry Carter’s village signs was put up at the top of Castle Hill. The base incorporating local flints was made by Brian Childerhouse. The village WI, which gave the sign, incorporated the local industries of weaving, brick-making, flag-cutting and milling.

HOSPITAL LANE (Hall Road to City Road)
Thomas Anguish was a man with a vision and, hundreds of years later, the children of Norwich still have a lot to thank him for. Thomas died in 1617. But before his death he made handsome provision for his family and then turned his attention to helping the poor boys and girls of the city. He gave the Corporation property in Fishergate to be used as a hospital “for the keeping and bringing up and teaching of very poor children”.
More about Thomas Anguish

HOWARD CLOSE, HOWARD MEWS and HOWARD TERRACE
THERE it stands. All boarded up. Waiting for the tender loving care it so richly deserves. A monument to one of the most famous Norwich families of all time — the Howards. Historic Howard House, at the corner of King Street and Mountergate, has survived centuries of civic vandalism and regular bashings from lorries trying to get round the junction. This property, once the handsome residence of Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk, in the reign of Charles II, has been sadly neglected in recent years.
More about Henry Howard

HOWLETT DRIVE (Rawley Road)
MUSIC and shoes — that’s what gentlemen by the name of Howlett were famous for in old Norwich.
Let’s start with music by telling the story of how a humble bombazine (that’s a worsted fabric) manufacturer decided to pack up his humdrum life and embarked on setting up a musical empire.
More about the Howletts

HOWLETT DRIVE (Rawley Road) and GEORGE WHITE MIDDLE SCHOOL (Silver Road)
IT was back in 1846 that James Howlett invested the huge sum of £10,000 in the Norwich leather-currying business of Robert Tillyard.
That was the start of a shoe-making empire that would become famous across the world and later turned into the Norvic Shoe Company.
More about the Howletts and the Whites

HUGHENDEN ROAD (Hall Road)
A tribute to the British statesman Benjamin Disraeli who died at Hughenden Manor in 1881.
The house is near High Wycombe and Disraeli lived there from 1847 to 1881.
Our Hughenden Road was made up in 1907.

HUMBLEYARD (Bowthorpe)
An old name for a modern district.
The county of Norfolk was once divided into 33 “hundreds” of which Humbleyard was one.
Each “hundred” originally consisted of about 100 families.
In 1861 the population of Humbleyard was 5,620 and
the district composed of the parishes of Colney, Florden, Hethersett etc.
The “hundred” in 1861
had its own petty sessions which were held at the Queen’s Head, Hethersett, and the World’s End at Mulbarton.
It was thirsty work!

HUNTER ROAD (Harmer Road)
HE arrived in Norwich in about 1850 as a cabinet-maker . . . and ended up as the mayor.
William Hunter was born in Bury St Edmunds in 1820, the son of a former mayor of Bury.
He travelled up to Norwich where he started work as a cabinet-maker but then changed jobs – and his life took a different direction.
By 1883 he had set up a partnership with Frederick E Hunter as an estate agent, auctioneer and valuer.
They operated from offices on St Andrew’s Hall Plain and before long he was taking an active role in civic life.
William became leader of Norwich Liberals and served on the Watch, Haven Tonnage and Street Improvement Committees.
He was elected mayor in 1881.
The road named after him was built by the corporation and adopted in 1936.

HURD ROAD (Pettus Road)
HE was a man who devoted so much of his life to helping young people, setting up Scout groups and youth fellowships across Norwich and Norfolk. Canon Richard Hurd was the vicar of Eaton for 20 years before he retired in 1969, and during that time he saw the population double to 14,000.
More about Canon Richard Hurd

HURN ROAD (Drayton High Road)
FROM building to cycling to rope-making — members of the Hurn clan have played a major role in the life of Norwich over the years.
John Hurn was a great builder and he set up his business at 37 Surrey Street in 1875 – his sons Frank, born at Drayton in 1878, and John, born in 1886, went to the Commercial School and then followed him into the business.
But his son, Charles, born on Christmas Day, 1880, had a passion for cycles and those new-fangled motor cars.
He set up the Cycle and Motor Trade at 1 Surrey Street and soon outgrew the premises. In July, 1908, he moved to bigger premises round the corner at 27 St Stephen’s — a place described as the best house in Norwich for plating, enamelling, repairs, vulcanising, petrol and accessories.
Business was booming and the following year Charles opened a branch at Earlham Road. He was also secretary of the Norwich and District Centre Cycle and Allied Trades Association.
For a time he was secretary of the Norwich branch of Farrow’s Bank.

HUXLEY ROAD AND CLOSE (Long John Hill)
IN THE early part of the last century money was tight . . . and Lakenham was a poor parish.
But when Canon John Huxley retired, the locals raised more than £205 for him, which was a huge sum in those days.
And they ordered John, such a popular and caring man, to spend the money on himself. The Rev C C Lanchester told them: “You must make it a stipulation that he does not give it away!”
John Huxley served as vicar of St Mark’s, Lakenham for 25 years and was made an Honorary Canon of Norwich Cathedral in 1919.
He was also chaplain to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital for 24 years.
He died in September 1930 while on holiday in Brussels.

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