than Norfolk’s 31 is West Yorkshire. Norwich hosts the county’s annual beer festival every autumn. Norwich is really at the heart of Norfolk, providing the
road and rail arteries that give life to the rest of the county. For many years, it was considered the most important city after London, and at the time of the Norman Conquest, was one of the largest, with a population of more than 5,000. Although the city was already well settled by the
11th century, the Normans left two significant impressions in the shape of the castle and cathedral. From 1096, Bishop Herbert de Losinga masterminded the cathedral, which has the second-highest spire in England after Salisbury. With its many parks and greens, and an exciting maze of cobbled streets little altered in 600 years, you could be forgiven for thinking Norwich has always been a genteel destination. But as with anywhere, the city
NAVAL HEROES, HISTORIC HOUSES AND TV TRAILS
Blicking Hall (National
Trust), Norwich. Magnificent Jacobean house famed for its Long Gallery and Anne Boleyn
connections. Tel: (01263) 738030;
www.nationaltrust.org.uk.
Cley Smokehouse, Cley,
Holt. Stock up on delicious fresh fish, shellfish and meats, all smoked or cured on site at this much-loved smokehouse.
Tel: (01263) 740282;
www.cleysmokehouse.com.
Dad’s Army Trail, Thetford.
Fans of the BBC wartime sitcom, Dad’s Army, will love the free trail around Thetford, where the series was largely filmed between 1967-77. Maps
available from the town’s travel
centre. Tel: (01842) 751975;
www.explorethetford.co.uk.
Dragon Hall, Norwich. Visit
this Grade One-listed trading hall, built circa 1430, for historical insight into the lives of Norwich’s powerful merchants.
Tel: (01603) 663922;
www.dragonhall.org.
Holkham Hall, Holkham.
A sumptuous 18th-century country house by the sea, built in the Palladian style by William Kent for Thomas Coke, 1st Earl
of Leicester. Tel: (01328) 710227;
www.holkham.co.uk.
Methwold Old Vicarage,
Methwold, Norfolk Fens.
Delightful timber-framed late-15th-century Landmark Trust property, sleeping up to five people. Has a fine example of a detailed brick gable-end unique
to Norfolk. Tel: (01628) 825925;
www.landmarktrust.org.uk.
Row 111 and the Old Merchant’s House (English
Heritage), Great Yarmouth. Visit the early-17th-century- built home of a wealthy merchant and the tenement dwellings of fishermen.
Tel: (01493) 857900;
www.english-heritage.org.uk.
Royal Norfolk Regimental
Museum, Market Hall, Norwich. Explore 300 years of
Above: 18th-century Holkham Hall is the seat of the Coke family and was designed in the Palladian style by William Kent
n
m
The National Trust's Jacobean Blickling Hall
the regiment’s history at home and at war, in its Shire Hall
home. Tel: (01603) 493649;
www.rnrm.org.uk.
Strattons (4-star), Ash Close, Swaffham. Described as “the best boutique hotel in Norfolk”, Strattons regularly scoops top awards for its stylish
accommodation, chic restaurant and environmental
awareness. Tel: (01760) 723845;
www.strattons-hotel.co.uk.
The Lord Nelson, Burnham
Thorpe. A traditional pub, with a restaurant menu packed with
local produce. Tel: (01328) 738241;
www.nelsonslocal.co.uk.
BRITAIN 17
PHOTOS: VISITBRITAIN IMAGES/NTPL, NICK MEERS
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