Lost Norwich - Upper St Giles Street/Cow Hill/Willow Lane

[@pauld2862]

I was born at 13 Willow Lane in 1950 at my grandmother’s house. My mother and grandmother worked 2 doors up the lane at Phillip Mason’s where they manufactured pharmaceutical goods. The company relocated in Cow Hill in the sixties.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you, I hope the video brought back some memories for you.

[@pmcfarlane7660]

And another wonderful video, John. Really interesting. That's a lovely part of the city.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you. It is indeed a lovely area.

[@glynluff2595]

I think Churchman House was renovated in the late fifties early sixties but they did this with curved glass in the sash windows. Taylor’s in the fifties had limbs and hernia trusses displayed in the windows. The confluence of Willow Lane and Cow Hill had a wonderful antique shop in the fifties. Well that was being polite but there were all sorts if bits a pieces for sale. The was another similar shop opposite where the Chantry Car Park is now. I still have one or printed plates purchased from there!

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks very much for adding all those details and descriptions!

[@overeastcoast]

I used to attend st John's Catholic school in willow lane from 63-65. I remember the area well

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

That's great - thanks for commenting 👍

[@adrianrutterford762]

Wonderful, as ever. Thanks John.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you Adrian, I appreciate you commenting 👍

[@dangerduo9179]

So nice to see parts of Norwich which haven't been bulldozers over the years!

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Very true! Ironically it's adjacent to Grapes Hill which was completely changed out of all recognition.

[@simongee8928]

As I went to school in Willow Lane and my dad had his office in Bethel St., I'm very familiar with much of this area and the many shops and buildings that have changed purpose. Great to be reminded of the happy days of my youth John - ! 😊

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks very much Simon

[@MultiAndrew1971]

Really great video again. Brought back some memories. The catholic school at the top of willow lane. I was working for the building company Riley builders Ltd and was part of the team that converted it to the solicitors office it is now. And churchman house was where I got married. So memories both good and bad ha ha.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks so much for your comment. I'm surprised how many people remember the school!

[@The_Brit_Girls]

It's so good to see that not much has changed in this area over recent years and that most of the attractive historic buildings were still in place. It was very interesting to discover what the buildings were used for in the past and to compare past and present photographs. Brilliant. thank you!

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you - yes it's a little corner of the city that's been largely untouched!

[@cubes123]

As always, a great video.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks Mark 👍

[@simongee8928]

No. 76 stayed as a pharmacy run by one Terence Lincoln who, by coincidence, qualified in 1936. He was our family pharmacy as my dad had his office at no.64 Bethel St..

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks for adding that detail, good to see continuity!

[@kanarykev]

Hi John,great presentation again,Cow Hill hall was our home table tennis venue in the seventies,a cold soulless place from what I remember! We sometimes popped in the Queen’s Head on upper St Giles after playing and it was a lovely little pub,couldn’t say the same for the brewery though! Apparently John Mills carved his initials in the school wall somewhere and would often visit there when filming Tales Of The Unexpected.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks so much. I played badminton in that hall and agree with your description! Thanks for the other details too!

[@robertyoung9611]

As usual another excellent and informative video. Always inspires me to go exploring the city. Keep up the good work.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you, it's a city worth exploring!

[@InArcadiaSum]

Not too much damage or destruction of this part of Norwich, but even so, it's heartbreaking to see some of the buildings that have been swept away in the names of "modernisation" and "progress". There used to be an excellent antiquarian bookseller, Thomas Crowe, on St. Giles, and although I haven't been up there for a while, the shops seemed to change from one thing to another with amazing regularity. I used to buy stamps from the Sub Post Office there, but I think that's now long gone.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

I agree, there can be a rapid turn over of shops, and there isn't a post office anywhere near as far as I'm aware.

[@mancroft]

Excellent research as usual. Thank you.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you 👍

[@ricardo-lq4bq3pp3l]

Another great video John. I am led to understand that the late film actor, John Mills, was once a pupil at the Norwich High School for boys that you feature in this video.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Ah thank you, that's interesting 👍

[@IDreamOfGaming]

Another superb video. Thank you.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks very much, glad you liked it.

[@garyedwards5955]

Interesting fact did you know number 94 has an old rifle range under it?

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

I had literally no idea of that!

[@garyedwards5955]

@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich yes it use to be the old boys school we did some work there a few years back and were surprised too

[@davegoldsmith4020]

Another interesting Video John. I used to walk up St Giles to the book shop, back in the day when I used to read hard copies of such things. I can't remember ever walking in the other two roads. You mention the gravestones being removed, I wonder if the removed the bodies as well, or are they still there to be found in the future?

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Interesting thought Dave! Who knows!? Maybe someone can enlighten us on here!

[@cbarton64]

Fascinating as always John - Thank you 😀 Regarding Walter Kett stores... typical Norwich surname? Or a strong coincidence?

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Interesting. I certainly have known a couple of Ketts, so I imagine it could well be a local surname that's survived through the centuries - even if Robert didn't!

[@susanwestern6434]

I know someone who is married to a Kett. ​@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you, it must be interesting to see their family tree! ​@@susanwestern6434

[@63mckenzie]

Wow. That's where my great grandfather was born.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

The title thumbnail? Just below the church? That's graet! Thanks for commenting.

[@63mckenzie]

@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich All I know is it was St Giles St. He was born in 1867 so info is a bit sketchy. I would think most people were born at home at that time.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

@@63mckenzie thanks. Try this video too. St Giles Street has been divided into St Giles and Upper St Giles, so it could be on this video, or this one kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2O9oYureap-qJI

[@63mckenzie]

@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich Will do. Thanks. Fascinating stuff.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

@@63mckenzie thanks very much.

[@futzak]

Just found this channel and love it And chance you could do a video on Bowthorpe in Norwich?

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you. I'm not sure to what extent there would be historic photos of Bowthorpe, but it's certainly something I'll investigate, and if I can find sufficient archive material, then I will.

[@futzak]

@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich Legend,thankss

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

@@futzak you're welcome. I've had a quick look. Bowthorpe certainly has a lot of history. I'll have to think about how I can adapt it into a video.

[@aseeley6231]

Another interesting video. Out of interest, why did you skip over 95 and 93 Upper St Giles?

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thank you. It's a question of whether I can find historic pictures, I'm afraid. Did you have any particular interest in those properties?

[@kanarykev]

@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich I can’t supply you with any photos of 93 or 95 St Giles sadly but according to my 1933 Kelly’s directory the occupancy of 93 was a Miss Bowtell who was a milliner and number 95 was owned by various members of the Barker family who ran businesses from there, they included a tailors,dry cleaning,confectioners and a house agency! Certainly had their fingers in a few pies!!

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

@@kanarykev they certainly did! Adding details like that mbrings the whole thing to life. Thank you.

[@lewis72]

2:54 Number 91 made a prominent appearance in the 1988 episode of Tales of the Unexpected - "The Verger" An excellent episode. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKXCaGxnnbqoic0

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Fantastic! Thanks so much for adding that.

[@lewis72]

@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich I was expecting you to have already seen and referenced it !

[@lewis72]

@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich Norwich & Wymondham feature in many episodes of Tales of the Unexpected.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

@@lewis72 if only....! I love finding out stuff that I've missed.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

@@lewis72 I occasionally watch episodes and love it when I notice a location. Someone suggested I do a Lost Norwich video on the subject but (a) it would take a phenomenal amount a research (watching TV!) and (b) there may well be copyright issues.

[@jackblue4078]

Actor sir John Mills attend the school for boys.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

Thanks very much for adding that detail.

[@jokennedy2943]

Not quite so much 60’s development in this area - thank goodness, apart from Grapes Hill of course

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

we should turn a blind eye towards Grapes Hill!

[@theoloyla]

@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich At 2.30 you show the building on the corner of Grapes Hill and Earlham Rd. I saw another old photo the other day of this building and it was an hotel. I think it was bombed/demolished in WW2. In the 60's it was a yellow coloured brick building with Hunter & Oliver wine merchants, where I had a Saturday job, with flats above. It is of course no longer there and I have yet to find a photo of it.

[@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich]

@@theoloyla it certainly was a hotel, and it features in a bit more detail in this video.kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnLMg6yBnLlmlc0

[@theoloyla]

@@JohnAtkinsLostNorwich Yes at 3.07. You can just see the shop front with the large entrance where the delivery vans came and went from. There wine cellars underneath and flats above. I had a Saturday job there mid 60's