Norwich | The Perfect City
Having lived in Sydney and Melbourne, spent time in Singapore and London and having bustled my way through Ho Chi Minh and Bangkok I can safely say that I believe Norwich is the perfect city. It might not have the global appeal of Singapore, or the same number of tourists as London but perhaps that is why it is so perfect.
Norwich has been left alone for many years slowly growing, quietly behind the scenes building, developing and creating, constantly innovating new areas, shops, attractions and restaurants. Like that quiet kid in school who sits at the back of the classroom not shouting or saying too much, simply going unnoticed. And then all of a sudden that kid grows up and it’s Elon Musk. Okay, that could be a slight exaggeration, but we’re at the very least one of those off Dragon’s Den. Never has there been one solid reason why Norwich is so popular, there is instead hundreds, if not thousands of little reasons. People don’t realise this East Anglia gem even exists, never mind realise all it has to offer.
I’m going to upset half of the city here, but the football club, whilst has had moderate success in recent years is by no means well renown on the international stage. We have few famous celebrities, with our perhaps most well-known one, Alan Partridge, not even actually existing. Norwich doesn’t have the biggest population, the highest buildings and certainly not the most convenient transport links. I promise at some point this post will become positive.
Norwich is brilliant because we’ve never had one singular huge major talking point, which means you don’t know about Norwich until you’ve been. London has parliament and Big Ben, Liverpool has its football team, Brighton has its beach, Edinburgh has its festival. They all have one distinguishing landmark, event or feature which everyone else around the world knows it for.
You have to spend a day in Norwich, to feel the romanticism of the city, the beauty of the architecture or the nostalgia of walking around Norwich lanes. I feel like Norwich is perfectly resembled by its most famous busker, The Puppet Man. Now if you have ever tried to explain to someone what the puppet man does, why he’s loved by the city or where he came from, the person you’re talking to would simply walk away. Some things just can’t be explained to outsiders, you can’t tell people what’s the best bit about Norwich or what the main attraction is.
You will fall in love with the city, much like the city has fallen in love with the puppet man, he’s consistent, joyful, unique and always doing his best at whatever it is he does. He’s not following the crowds or trying to compete with anyone, he’s not trying to prove any kind of point, he’s simply doing his thing and an entire city love him for it. Norwich hasn’t followed other cities in allowing gentrification to steamroll through its heart and soul. Norwich is constantly upbeat, always improving but never forgets it’s heritage, it’s charm, it never loses that spirit that so many cities have lost.
Norwich has embraced the modern world, without selling its soul. I often think Norwich is so brilliant because it’s constantly changing and improving, but in reality, it’s because in the areas that count, it hasn’t changed a bit.
Credit: Feature image – photo taken by Jon Williamson.