Famous street has a colourful history

February 7, 2003

ELM HILL (Princes Street to Wensum Street)

A GRAND place for a punch-up — that was old Elm Hill where the blood often flowed as men emerged from the four pubs to settle their differences.

Elm Hill as we know it today.

Today this picturesque and peaceful cobbled backwater with its quaint buildings is the most famous street in Norwich.

But it has survived by the skin of its teeth over the centuries as the planners tried to pull it down as part of various slum clearance schemes.

The Hill, named after successive elms which have stood in the square since the days of Henry VIII, probably dates back to 1200.

Much of it was destroyed in a fire back in 1507 — only the churches and the Briton Arms survived.

It was rebuilt and became a popular and fashionable quarter for the rich merchants of Norwich in their large and luxurious houses — no less than 14 mayors or sheriffs lived in posh Elm Hill.

But behind the houses were the cramped courts and yards and the wharves and weaving sheds where hundreds of people worked day and night to make the rich richer.

With the decline of the weaving industry towards the end of the 17th century the character of Elm Hill changed dramatically.

Those in the fine houses couldn’t afford to live in them anymore.
They became empty or were turned into warrens for the families of craftsmen — woodcarvers, upholsterers, basket-makers, shoe-workers and the like.

Elm Hill, once so rich and respectable, became poverty-stricken and seedy.

BYGONE DAYS: An image of quaint old Norwich.

One man who was born on Elm Hill in 1884 was W H Ringer who wrote about it in the Evening News back in the 1960s. “I have seen the transformation of a slum into one of the most visited places in Norwich,” he said.

Most people lived in Monastery Court, Crown Court and Towlers Court — rough old places leading down to the river.

He recalled how there were four pubs, The Turkey Cock, The Crown, The Briton Arms and another which he couldn’t remember the name of.

“An enormous amount of beer was consumed by those who lived on The Hill.

“As a boy of six or seven I witnessed many bloody battles between the men after the pubs had closed.

“Men with bare fists who would fight till one was ‘hors de combat’ with blood all over the place.

“I was absolutely terrified,” he wrote.

“As a boy I remember going down underground passages in Towlers Court which I was told ran to the Monastery and beyond.

“Each shop had its very own smell.

“There’s was Thurston’s the baker where most of the wives would take their Sunday dinners to be cooked and also the Christmas cakes,” he added.

It was the Norwich Society that came to the rescue of The Hill when there was more talk of pulling it down — and we certainly have a lot to thank them for.

Today it is something to be cherished and is a national treasure.

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