Foot street was a giant step forward

May 19, 2004

LONDON STREET

IT was 35 years ago when this ancient thoroughfare became world famous as a pioneering “foot street” — traffic was banned.

Celebrations to mark 150 years of London Street and, inset, a view of the street from more than 100 years ago.

This controversial experiment was hailed a great success and it paved the way for The Walk to be given over to pedestrians.

In a report on the scheme in 1969, the Norwich Corporation proudly announced: “The final result can be a sort of vast outdoor living room where shopping and other activities can be carried out in attractive and peaceful conditions.

“This is our ultimate aim for the centre of Norwich and it is hoped that our experience can be of benefit to other towns and cities.”

But the history of London Street goes way back before cars, or even Norwich, come to that, arrived.

Long before our streets were formed, soft, rich grass grew in the Wensum valley, the rains coursing down the hills cut channels into the clay and formed the streams that were still used as sewers until the middle of the 19th century.

London Street had been called Latoner or Tinmen’s Row and Cutler’s Rows, and it was Hosiergate in 1258.

The sewers became known as Cockey’s — a derivation of Saxon and Celtic, meaning a channel of running water — and finally that name took over. It was Cockey Lane.

Historian John Kirkpatrick, who died in 1726, said part of this lane had been known as London Lane — possibly because it was so busy and narrow that it reminded people of London streets. Cockey Lane took on the title of London Street in 1828 and soon became our very own “Bond Street”.

The star of London Street has always been department store Jarrolds, a Norwich institution that opened in 1823 during the last years of Cockey Lane.

Further up was Garlands, lost in a fire, and then there was a collection of high-class shops selling all manner of things along with cafes and restaurants.

By the 1960s the street was clogged with traffic.

It was suggested widening the road but, in the end, thank goodness, the planners came up with the controversial proposal to ban the cars.

The scheme cost £17,000 . . . and turned out to be money well spent.

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