Changing face of St Stephen’s

December 11, 2007

ST STEPHEN’S STREET
(Red Lion Street to St Stephen’s Road)

When the controversial scheme to re-develop St Stephen’s in Norwich was finally given the go-ahead the developers didn’t mess about – they moved in and demolished buildings that had been around for centuries.

Early 20th century: Bustling St Stephen’s Street.

The properties on either side of the narrow entrance to the city were swept away as the bold new boulevard was created half a century ago.

It was decided that the old gateway to Norwich from the south was a mess. It could no longer handle the amount of traffic coming into the city and it had to go.

Homes, shops, businesses and pubs that all stood in the way of progress disappeared in clouds of rubble as the old St Stephen’s disappeared and the new one emerged.

Mind you, the Luftwaffe had started the job in the Blitz of 1942 by blowing the city end of St Stephen’s to smithereens. One casualty was the beautiful thatched Boar’s Head on the corner of Surrey Street.

The name St Stephen’s was taken from the glorious church in Rampant Horse Street – the last great medieval church to be built in the city – that has now been opened up by the Chapelfield development. If you haven’t been inside it is well worth a look.

A stroll down the St Stephen’s of yesteryear.

Stephen, a man “full of faith and power” was the first Christian martyr, and was stoned to death for his faith, just outside the door in the wall of Jerusalem, now known as St Stephen’s Gate.

Our St Stephen’s Gate was demolished between 1791 and 1808 along with the rest of the twelve gates that enclosed Norwich with the city wall – sections of the wall can still be seen at the top of St Stephen’s.

The gates and the walls were built between 1297 and 1334.

They were well fortified and supplied with great catapults. St Stephen’s was originally called Needham Gate that led to Needham Street and Surrey Street was Newgate Street.

They were crowded with quaint, irregular dwellings that any city of today would have rushed to preserve…but in those days they were fearful places to live in.

Work on roundabout: 1964.

Leaning over in medieval weariness, the thatched pointed gables blotted out the sun all the way from Needham Gates and the wheels of rough carts passing down to Horse Market (Rampant Horse Street) squelched in the mud and rubbish of 16th century squalor.

In fact it was reported that when Queen Elizabeth I passed down Needham Street on her arrival in Norwich, she covered her nose because of the smell of decay.

It was one of the busiest streets in old Norwich.

It was during the late 1950s and early 60s that what was left of the old street came tumbling down to be replaced by the first multi-storey car park, along with a roundabout, subway, shops and offices.

These pictures illustrate the way St Stephen’s has changed over the years…how do you think we have treated it?

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