Lost Norwich - Through the Arches

[@roycrawford372]

Love your videos of OLD Norwich , I learn something every time I watch them. 👍

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you, it's nice of you to take the time to say so!

[@teenamakesstuff]

This has been fascinating to watch. My dad, born in 1925, lived in one of the slums behind Oak Street, before the family were moved to one of the new council houses on Burgess Road. I wonder if I am seeing his first home for the first time right here! He used to say how at 3 years old, in the hot summer, he would go to the communal tap in the center of the yard, and stand underneath it with it on full blast! I wish I could have shown him this video, unfortunately he passed away a few years ago. Really loved watching this, thank you 🙏

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you, that's very kind of you. Do you know what his address was?

[@antonchristian873]

I worked briefly at Samuel Courtaulds weaving factory opposite St Marys works, in September 79 a large fire erupted whilst I was doing a night shift in the offices above. The first I knew of it was when I happen to glance out of the window and saw a sort of cheery glow reflected in the windows of St Marys works . That glow was a fire raging under me in the factory below. Luckily my desk was right next to a fire exit, and I didn't hang around too long !

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

That's quite a story, it sounds like you were very lucky! Thanks for commenting.

[@Paul-ru2ws]

My late dad worked there until it closed, I'm trying to work out the location, was it where the newish houses are at new Mills yard?

[@antonchristian873]

@@Paul-ru2ws Yes directly opposite to the still standing St Mary's works.

[@Paul-ru2ws]

@antonchristian873 that's great, thank you

[@The_Brit_Girls]

Fascinating to see the old photographs of the yards and to compare them with the current photos. I imagine those slums were awful places to live. The Ragged School Yard named after the Sunday school for the poor was very poignant. Another brilliant video - thank you.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you. Yes it was the Ragged School Yard that got me. I've since heard that it was a common name for a school for poor children.

[@oriorda9470]

Thanks for your scholarship. A contribution to history!

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Scholarship might be a bit of a overstatement! But thanks.

[@peterjameson321]

As always John thank you so much for yet another fascinating video, I do so appreciate all your hard work. Oak Street will certainly seem much more interesting to me when I next walk it. I was delighted to see Jenkins Lane in the video. In my parents day, both Norwich folk, it was known colloquially as "Chafe Lug Alley" for obvious reasons with it's being so narrow! I do sometimes walk the alley simply to savour some of the magic and pick up "vibrations" of the past.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Great comment, thank you Peter. Somebody else remembers it being called that!

[@differenceispreadin]

This is a wonderful piece of work! Thank you ❤

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you, I really enjoyed making this one.

[@pmcfarlane7660]

Yet another fascinating video, John. Thanks for all your painstaking work. I really enjoyed it.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you, I really enjoyed making this one, it was a little different.

[@pmcfarlane7660]

@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich Thank you, John. I'm glad that you enjoyed researching and making the video. It's obvious from the comments that lots of people enjoy your work.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

@@pmcfarlane7660 thank you, I am just so pleased that my interest seems to appeal to so many people.

[@rventures1021]

Love the old photos!! Great video!

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you! Glad you liked it 👍

[@davegoldsmith4020]

John, an area I know very well, when I first moved back to Norwich after leaving the RAF I lived in the block of flats on Sussex street next to Mr Plastic, on the top floor, so I could look out from my balcony towards the city and see most of Oak street, From my kitchen window I could see, the remains of the old city wall. I remember most of the Modern houses being built. my Doctor's is in Oak street, so I often walk in the area. personally I would add ten years to your period and see the era 1900-1945, Thanks again for improving my knowledge of our city

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you Dave. I like how you have described your views, and it explains why much of this would have been very familiar.

[@danjones2409]

Another great video 😊😊

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you, glad you liked it 👍

[@fabriquetoncorps4810]

Nice sharing ❤keep it up and happy Sunday 😊see you soon ❤

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you, you're very kind!

[@martinthirkettle599]

Really interesting video John - never realised there were so many Yards just on Oak Street. The living conditions must have been horrendous!

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

They certainly look, shall we say, less than salubrious!

[@Paul-ru2ws]

Very enjoyable and interesting, thank you.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks Paul👍

[@adrianrutterford762]

Thanks John. Interesting and informative, as usual.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you Adrian.

[@MultiAndrew1971]

Great video again John. Always amazed on a lot of your videos how many pubs actually were in norwich. I know they used to say one for every day of the year. But I should think probably more then that. My dad used to say Norwich was the city of the 3 Ps pubs priests and prostitutes. What a reputation the city must have had

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Ha ha, thank you - and yes, many of those pubs had great names...the Bess of Bedlam indeed!

[@dereham1]

Lovely detail to establish that photo with a full washing-line was taken on a Monday 😊

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you - it felt inevitable 😂

[@kevintracey4644]

Great video. Thanks John.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Cheers Kevin 👍

[@IDreamOfGaming]

Great video. Super informative as always.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it.

[@jmeaton9538]

Another fascinating video John. Here's a question for you - if you could travel back in time and visit norwich at any point in history, when would you choose and why?

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you so much - that's really thought provoking. So much so, I might see if I could do a video on the subject! For me personally, I think I'd say the era of the trams, so 1900-1935. How about you?!

[@jmeaton9538]

​@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich I think it would probably be during the Elizabethan era. Because much of the medieval layout and key structures of the city remain today, it would be recognisable to a reasonable extent and I'd be able to navigate round. I'd love to see Elizabeth 1's visit to Norwich, tho it's rumoured that her entourage brought the black death with them, so that might be a problem! Wouldn't it be magical to have a time slip door hidden away up a loke, where ( like Mr Ben) you could pick a time in history, change into the right costume, and head off for an adventure, taking a camera with you, of course.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

@@jmeaton9538 that's a good call!

[@jokennedy2943]

Thanks John

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

And thank you too Jo!

[@ricardo-lq4bq3pp3l]

My mother used to refer to that very narrow Jenkins Lane as chafe Lug alley.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Chafe Lug! Something to do with being careful with your ears I assume!

[@dereham1]

Serious question, John. As you have by now built a substantial library of quality videos, have you considered asking the Norfolk Records Office to archive them so they are future-proofed for access by future generations? If they aren’t able to do this themselves they should be able to advise on who would be able to help. It would be such a shame for them to be lost when we are no longer around. Keep up the great work 😊.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you Alfred, that's kind of you. I did contact the Norfolk Records Office, but got a fairly standard reply. Ideally I'd like to say to them "here you go, have these", but it's not that simple. Meanwhile, as well as youtube, I'm uploading them onto Facebook, and backing them up on my own hard disc.

[@dereham1]

@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich they should have bitten your hand off! Well done for making the approach and long may you continue adding to your catalogue.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

@@dereham1 thanks Alfred, I have no plans to stop just yet!

[@simongee8928]

It's fascinating John how with some of your historical comparison photos, the link is obvious, but with others, it's eh - ? Is this the same place - ! 😅 Nevertheless, first class research as ever.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks Simon, yes that's the fascination I have in making these photos!

[@apjay]

Wow - so much has changed! Despite it's historical significance, it's quite surprising that the Great Hall was spared given the degree of clearance that took place around it.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

I completely agree. It somehow seemed out of place as I walked down the road.

[@mariuszzaborowski]

👍

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

👍back! Thank you 😊

[@allancrotch2953]

As a youngster 60 years ago what you call Jenkins lane I knew as cherf lug ally as it was so narrow it would scrape your ears (lugs) if they were a bit king Charles like.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks for that! A number of people have mentioned that! I'm not surprised it got its name!