The decision to demolish Bishop Bridge was the catalyst that brought the Norwich Society into being in 1923.  This is the story of how they managed to save this part of our Heritage.  We then take a virtual route around Norwich which also covers many of the other successful campaigns to protect Norwich’s heritage, (as well as some failures).  Without the Society’s activity, Norwich would look a lot different today.  The route follows the river to Wensum Street and then moves into the City via Tombland before ending outside the Assembly House.

Jonathan Hooton is a past Chairman of the Norwich Society (2016-18) and was involved in their centenary celebrations in 2023, which resulted in the publication of “Norwich 100: How the Norwich Society has supported Norwich for 100 years”.  He has since devised a guided walk around Norwich to point out the many places that owed their survival to the Society, which has been developed into a virtual tour of Norwich.

Jonathan Hooton

On the wall in a side-chapel of Norwich Cathedral a modest plaque reads – ‘Remember Thomas Fowell Buxton Bt. Member of Parliament Whose Efforts led to the Emancipation of 700,000 slaves on 1st August 1834.’  These simple words commemorate a towering Norfolk hero whose courage, compassion, bravery and tenacity helped change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. This presentation will bring to life the story behind this inscription. It will look at the life of Buxton himself and the Norfolk and Norwich community that inspired him and supported him though the brutal, decades-long Parliamentary battle that led finally to the end of slavery throughout the British Empire.

Dr Alison Dow was formerly a GP in Mile Cross, Norwich. She was born and brought up in Northern Rhodesia—now Zambia, the country where David Livingstone died and is still revered because of his strong anti-slavery stance. Alison is not the first in her family to undertake research on Africa-related topics—among her relatives she counts some eminent academics specialising in colonial and African history. She is particularly happy to play her part by researching the life of this local historical figure whose role in history has been much overlooked.

Dr Alison Dow