Boredom

Intense, soul-crushing boredom.

Abandoned Boozers of Norwich #5: The Woolpack

Not entirely sure if this one counts: only fairly recently empty, and still in decent enough condition, the ‘To Let’ signs adorning the outside walls suggest it is perfectly feasible that The Woolpack will be open and serving again in the near future. However, its current limbo state in itself speaks volumes. The past few years do seem to have been punctuated by periods in which The Woolpack has been forced to close its doors for months on end.


Although situated opposite the large Norwich Union building on Colegate, with all the potential post-work drinking this could bring, The Woolpack has strong (and seemingly healthy) competition with the nearby Playhouse Bar and Golden Star respectively.

The Site of the Chapel of the Boy Martyr

A site of an extraordinary, if horrifying, turning point in Norwich’s history. In 1144, in Norwich’s Thorpe Woods (in an area now known as northern Mousehold Heath), the body of the 12-year old William of Norwich was found, and whose death at the time was attributed to Norwich’s Jewish community. The murder was seen as evidence of ritualistic sacrifice, apparently the first medieval instance of a blood libel against Jews. An increasing sense of anti-Semitism in the area (as well as the country in general) was to culminate in 1190, when the majority of Norwich Jewish community was massacred.



Local miracles attributed to the murdered boy quickly saw William regarded as a saint. A wooden chapel was erected on the site on which William’s body was originally found. This chapel never survived the sixteenth century, and is almost entirely forgotten today. The only remaining signs of its existence are four small moss-covered stone markers indicating its former boundaries. I managed to find three of the four. William of Norwich’s clear relationship to violent medieval anti-Semitism means he is little known today, even in his home city.

Abandoned Boozers of Norwich #4: The King's Arms

With thanks to Dawn, who lives next door, and who very kindly brought out a stepladder so I could have a view over the boardings!


The King’s Arms on Mile Cross Road has stood empty since the late 1990s – I have heard either 1997 or 1999. Apparently the council is unclear about who currently owns the building, and thus any attempts to have the property cleaned up have so far gone nowhere.

How to Freak Yourself Out at 7am on a Sunday Morning: The Cumberland Hotel

I don’t know when The Cumberland Hotel last closed its doors, but a quick search on Google still provides travel sites with reviews and photographs of its prior existence, so I would imagine not so long ago. Now, however, it stands decimated, giving off a tremendous low-budget horror film location atmosphere and all-round general bad vibes. Even wandering round there on a warm Sunday morning, it is spooky as all hell.