Today millions of us are turning to Twitter to spread the word but in days of old the twitters of Norwich had their very own court

There is nothing new about twitters – they had their own court in Norwich years ago.

Those were the days when social networking amounted to a nod and a wink to a friendly face in the street. There were hundreds of courts and yards in old Norwich with weird and wonderful names, and this rare picture above has a name which has taken on a whole new meaning in the 21st century.

Twitters Court stood near the corner of Thorn Lane and Ber Street, on the edge of the 'village on the hill' which ran down to ancient King Street. In those days this was a thriving, bustling community where thousands of men, women and children lived, often in courts and yards scattered around the place.

There were shops, factories, schools, pubs and churches full of colourful characters, and although the people weren't rich, there was an enormous sense of community spirit with people keeping an eye out for each other.

Many of the courts and yards were little communities in their own right and this old picture gives us a glimpse of what they looked like.

The area was destroyed by 'slum' clearance schemes and knocked about by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War before the planners finished the job in the 1950s.

Twitters Court disappeared and was replaced, first by Warminger's waste paper depot run by the much-loved Norwich businessman Alfred Warminger, and when that closed the good looking Warminger Court, providing housing with support, came along. This building, built in 2005, adds some style to the area.

The picture comes from a book, Former Norwich by Andrew Cluer and Michael Shaw, which was published by Archive of Attleborough 40 years ago.

It is a fascinating look at life in 19th century Norwich, so look out for it in the second-hand book shops.

Watch this space for more travels through 19th century Norwich and we'll meet some of the colourful characters who were part of city life.

If you have any memories of Twitters Court, off old Ber Street, drop me a line at derek.james@archant.co.uk or write to me at Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich NR1 1RE.