Roger Smith will take you on a walking tour starting on Magdalen Street, via New Mills and finishing at St James Mill, drawing attention to hidden gems along the way. The tour will take about 1 3/4 hours
Neil Story will explore the dramatic events and activities in the city over the years 1914-1918. He will investigate the stories behind the mobilization of the Territorials, the recruitment and training of Kitchener’s Army, the munitions workers, Tank Week as well as local spy scares and local heroes. Concluding with the Armistice celebrations, he will tell the remarkable story of Norwich and its people during The First World War.
Neil is an award-winning author of more than 50 books and is respected as one of the foremost authorities on Norfolk's military history in the 20th century. His talk will be illustrated with images from his personal archive of original photographs and documents assembled over the last 35 years.
In 2013 Frances & Michael Holmes published a best-selling book on the Norwich boot and shoe trade. This evening they will combine anecdotes, with archive material, films, photographs and contemporary newspaper reports to tell us its story. Their talk will encompass everything from the major 20th -century factories to shoe fashions and of course the works’ outing.’
Frances and Michael have researched and written a number of local history books. They operate as Norwich Heritage Projects and full details of their work can be found on their website www.norwich-heritage.co.uk
Pablo Fanque, the circus proprietor, was born in Norwich at the beginning of the 19th century. Who exactly was he and what made him special? How did he contribute to popular culture over three centuries and what's the connection with the Beatles? This talk will explore the origins of circus and the 'industrialisation' of this form of performance; the circus apprentice system; moral attitudes towards women and children performance in the circus; the role of prejudice, race and entrepreneurism within Victorian society. These are some of the questions and themes that Gareth Davies will be investigating in his talk.
Gareth H. H. Davies is a Fellow of the Centre for History Education. The author of several books, he is the owner of Poppyland Publishing, which specialises in publishing books on East Anglian local history.
In the past few decades historians and others have paid a great deal of attention to the ‘showy’ side of the Elizabethan Court. This has included not only events in the royal palaces in and around London but also the displays put on in various parts of the country when the Queen went on ‘progress’ during the summer months. In 1578 it was East Anglia’s turn, culminating in her stay in Norwich, at that time the second city in her realm.
But what was going on behind the processions, pageants and flowery speeches? And what were the messages projected through those performances: both by the Queen to her subjects and by the citizens of Norwich to their monarch? Might an event such as this provide a ‘point of entry’ into aspects of the wider history of Norwich in this period?
Victor Morgan worked at the UEA for many years after graduating there in 1965. His research interests have focused on East Anglia and he has published many articles and books. He also has an interest in how history is taught and has been involved in much extra-mural teaching through the region.
Ticket price includes festive mulled and mince pie
