NORFOLK MUSEUMS

Due to its rich history, Norfolk has plenty to showcase in its museums, including its life and industry throughout the ages. Norwich has three outstanding museums, that showcase its life and industry - all are within walking distance of each other and should form part of your agenda for your visit to Norwich. The Norfolk Coast is a key part of the county and you can see how people lived and worked in coastal resorts such as Cromer, Mundesley and Great Yarmouth. The Norfolk Broads are also a key part of Norfolk and the museum of the Broads showcases life in the region. Finally, the museums in Wymondham, show the life and times in the area, including its restored railway station.

The Bridewell Museum shows Norwich life and industry. The building was a former merchant's house dating from 1325 and then a prison for tramps and women (a bridewell). You can see displays covering the Norwich food industry, iron foundries and examples of early fire appliances. Highlights of the museum include a fine collection of old shoes, all manufactured in Norwich and also a recreation of a 1930's pharmacy, one of the most complete examples in the country. Make sure you do not miss the undercroft - it is one of the best examples in the whole of Norwich and the wall of the museum building is one the best preserved examples of a flint construction. You will find a complete guided tour of the Bridewell Museum on PocketNorwich.

At nearby Strangers Hall, one of the oldest buildings in Norwich, there is a museum of English domestic life. The house is set out as a series of rooms, showing how people lived from Tudor to Victorian times. There is a warren of passages, staircases and interlinked rooms, including several dining rooms, a music room and a room made completely from paper! Highlights of the museum include a stone vaulted undercroft, dating from 1320 and now housing a collection of old transport and also the magnificent Tudor Great Hall, with its stone mullioned window and screen. You will find a complete guided tour of Strangers Hall on PocketNorwich.

One of the most famous Norwich landmarks, Norwich Castle was built by the Normans as a Royal Palace 900 years ago. Used as a prison from the 14th century, the Castle became a museum in 1894. One of Norfolk's principal museums, the Castle is packed with treasures including outstanding collections of fine art, archaeology and natural history - some exhibits are of national importance including the world's largest collection of ceramic teapots. You will find a complete guided tour of Norwich Castle on PocketNorwich.

Cromer, on the North Norfolk Coast, also contains a number of museums charting its history over the years, including the Cromer Museum (adjacent to the church). The Cromer Museum contains a Victorian fisherman's cottage and shows what it was like to live in Cromer at the end of the 19th Century. There is a picture gallery, with a collection of historic photographs and illustrations of the town, and a Geology gallery where you can see an amazing collection of fossils.

In the centre of Little Walsingham is the Shirehall Museum. Walsingham Shirehall was built in the early 16th century and was used as a hostel for important visitors to the Priory. It was converted into the Shirehall for a court of quarter sessions, which were held there until 1861, with petty sessions continuing until 1971. The courtroom has survived since it was last used and is now part of the museum, which includes a comprehensive display on Walsingham as a place of pilgrimage, as well as local artifacts and photographs.

Located in Mundesley on the East Norfolk Coast, is the smallest museum we have ever seen! Using a collection of old photographs and memorabilia, the museum charts the history along this section of the Norfolk Coast. The museum also shows the work of the coastguard. The museum is manned by hard-working volunteers that not only staff the museum, but watch the activity on the beach and in the water and look out for anyone in need of assistance - they then call the coastguard.

Great Yarmouth has a couple of museums, charting life in a great sea faring town, including a row of preserved houses (Row 111) and the Norfolk Nelson Museum.

The Museum of the Broads showcases the life and times of the Norfolk Broads. The Norfolk Broads, one of England's unique landscapes, were formed by medieval peat diggings, which became shallow lakes, linked by winding rivers. Today they are a haven for both wildlife and recreation, but behind the tourist industry lays a myriad ways of working and living, much of which is on display in the museum. The museum is split into a number of themed buildings, with larger exhibits displayed out in the yard.

There are two museums in Wymondham. The Heritage Museum at the Bridewell, was a former prison (until 1827), women's house of correction (until 1878), a police station (until 1963) and a magistrates court (until 1991). It is now a museum showing local Wymondham history. Wymondham railway station, built in 1845 and on the Norwich to Ely line, is an award wining station that has been restored and one of its buildings houses a railway museum.

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TOUR INDEX

Norwich
Cromer
Walsingham
Mundesley
Great Yarmouth
Norfolk Broads
Wymondham