Top 6 places to visit in and around Norwich

Take a trip to the UK’s most complete medieval city for culture, heritage and a diverse selection of vintage stores

1 Norwich Cathedral

One of the finest Romanesque cathedrals in Europe, Norwich Cathedral sits within 44 acres of beautiful grounds, and boasts both the second tallest spire (after Salisbury) and largest monastic cloisters in England. Its star piece of historic art is the 1380s Despenser Retable – a magnificent wooden panel painting designed to stand at the back of an altar. But other wonderful details abound, including over a thousand medieval roof boss sculptures, plus medieval graffiti etched into stonework around the building.

2 The Plantation Garden

Just a couple of hundred metres outside the historic centre, the Plantation Garden is a secret English Heritage green treasure. Carved from an abandoned chalk quarry in the 1850s by Henry Trevor, these Grade II-listed gardens feature a huge Gothic fountain, Italianate terraces, palm trees, woodland walkways, plus a ‘medieval’ terrace wall artfully constructed using broken tile fragments.

3 Mousehold Heath

For a pastoral view over Norwich, take a short walk through the cathedral grounds and over Bishop Bridge to Mousehold Heath. The heath has over 184 acres of woodland and heathland to enjoy along with the splendid city view.

4 Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts

One of the earliest buildings designed by Norman Foster’s practice, the magnificent Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts mainly focuses on contemporary art, with a permanent collection having its full quota of A-list names. There’s also a programme of special exhibitions, offering plenty to please modern design fans. The gallery is a half-hour bus ride (routes 25/26) from the city centre.

5 Venta Icenorum

Four miles from the centre of Norwich, ancient-history fans can explore the ruins of the Roman regional capital known as Venta Icenorum at Caistor St Edmund, on the 36-mile Boudicca Way long-distance footpath from Norwich to Diss. You can get a bus from the city centre.

6 Wymondham

Take a short train ride from Norwich central station to the historic village of Wymondham. Admire the ruins of its 12^th-century abbey, potter streets lined with Insta-perfect houses from the 15^th to 17^th centuries, then grab refreshments at the station’s vintage tea room – which served as the Walmington-on-Sea station in the classic BBC comedy Dad’s Army. There’s also a heritage train line that runs from its own special station at Wymondham Abbey into the Norfolk countryside.

WORDS: NORMAN MILLER