Norwich: The Beauty Of A City In Lockdown.

~ beetleypete

Julie found this nine-minute You Tube film on Facebook. It is lovingly filmed in 4K High-Definition video. The deserted city is shown in detail, and despite the eerie feeling of seeing so few people, and no traffic, it really is a peaceful and quite beautiful experience to watch.

Norwich is the largest city in Norfolk, and the closest city to Beetley, at just over 18 miles to the east. It has a population of 213,000 including its suburbs, and is home to the largest hospital and university in the county. Most days, it is also packed with shoppers heading for the three large malls, and the extensive covered market in the centre. Traffic in and around the city can be a nightmare at times, and it can also be impossible to find a space to park in one of the many city car parks.

The city is dominated by an impressive Norman castle, and home to a magnificent Gothic cathedral. Roman, Saxon, and medieval walls can still be seen, and the narrow streets are home to many surviving houses from centuries ago, as well as an Art Deco City Hall, and Brutalist style car parks and shopping complexes. The side streets are full of attractive small shops, restaurants, pubs, and bars. At the weekend, they are popular with people from all over the county, who flock to the entertainment centre of Norfolk.

There are also theatres, galleries, exhibition centres, cinemas, and an attractive historical riverside to enjoy too.

To see this huge city devoid of people and traffic is to see it revealed in all its glory.

67 thoughts on “Norwich: The Beauty Of A City In Lockdown.”

  1. Norwich: A Fine City. It was that back in 1972 when I started at UEA and it still is. Much seems to have changed, but there is also a lot in this beautiful video that is reassuringly familiar. Thank you for pointing me towards this, Pete.

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  2. As someone who actually studied abroad in Norwich myself (at UEA) and still maintain some ties to the city (I have friends from studying at UEA for a semester, and I’m a Norwich City supporter), I have so many feelings and emotions watching this video. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Great to hear that you studied at UEA, Brendan. You probably know Norwich better than I do!
      I agree, this is a great film, a rare chance to see the city so quiet.
      I don’t follow football now, but as I am originally from London, I nominally still support Spurs. Norwch were doing very badly before the games were closed down. 🙂
      Thanks very much for following my blog too.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. Maybe. I studied there in Fall 2014, so the place has probably changed at least a little bit since I was there.

        Norwich were doing badly. Ironically, Norwich may end up staying up because of the pandemic. Though that would be a sucky way to stay up…I’d rather have us have to fight for it.

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          1. Too funny. We live a few blocks from one. When my daughter was little she complained that there were no “famous restaurants” in our neighborhood. They were all independent ones. She wanted KFC, McDonald’s and the like.

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  5. Parts of the city are lovely, and remind me a lot of York. I thought the fast zooms were wrong, though. I imagine there will be a lot of similar films taken at the moment, which will be very useful for future historians! Cheers, Jon.

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  6. We managed to see many of those sights on our one day visit to Norwich in the rain! We used the park ‘n ride scheme which works well. One of the most unexpected parts of the city centre (which has its fair share of bog standard high street stores) is the lovely Art Nouveau Royal Arcade which I didn’t see in the film. Elm Street and around the cathedral and the riverside walk are really wonderful. And the cathedral is very beautiful. The city seems a decent size with lots of history.

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  11. I think you’ve got the ideal living situation, Pete. You have the pleasure of living in a quaint village like Beetley, but you are also close to a bigger city when you are looking for a little more action.

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    1. When you know somewhere quite well, it is very strange to see it like this. I finally got to appreciate that is is a pretty wonderful place. Until the people and the traffic come back. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  15. As Harold Godwinson once said to Guilliaume le Conquérant, “You Wensum, you lose some…” Oh, and that view of Haymarket tickled my brain. But, seriously, Norwich is a beautiful city with an intriguing mix of modern and medieval.

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    1. It is certainly a place where you can see every style, from Roman times, right up to the last few years. And I have never seen it devoid of traffic and people before, so that as a bonus. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  19. Maybe I’m strange, but I have enjoyed the slower pace of things. It brings back memories of childhood, when stores were closed on Sunday, and families were home together more. That video is a great example of returning simplicity. Our only modern problem now, is we are used to running on the razors edge of making that dollar. So slowdowns are devastating.

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  20. My wife and I really liked Norwich, when we were there – well, the sightseeing [on two days] that is. I didn’t like the third day that much when I needed to see a dentist. 😉 But it proved to be painless: just putting in a crown again that hat come out. Luckily I didn’t swallow it.

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    1. Yes, it’s pedestrianised in the centre, except for buses and taxis, and cars queue on the edges of the city for spaces in the car parks. In this film it is unimaginably quiet.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  23. Lovely to see it like that. It was our nearest town when we lived at RAF Coltishall, my Mum took me with her shopping there, and was particularly fond of Elm Hill, which used to have a shop called Samarkand in one of those old buildings. She did an oil painting of the street which is still up on my wall here.

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  25. I don’t often go to Norwich, as BSE is nearer. I’ve been to the Holiday Inn there for various functions, but can’t remember ever going shopping there. I have a friend who lives in Eaton, and we usually meet halfway at the Pulhams.

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    1. It is packed with history, Stevie, and this short film shows it off wonderfully. I tend to go in by bus, as I get too stressed trying to find a space in one of the car parks. And I use my bus pass for free travel too. 🙂 Bury is lovely, but a bit of a mission from here, over 75 minutes driving, instead of 20 or so to Norwich.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. About the same to Norwich for us – 75 mins, and about 25 to Bury. I used to go to the skin clinic in Unthank Road, but that’s as far as my trips to Norwich went. However, we like the North Norfolk coast, especially Cromer and Sheringham, but again haven’t got up there for a few years now as we tend to go to the IOW.

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