Paul Dickson Tours Norwich Guided Tours – English Tourism Week, March 18th to 27th 2022

To mark English Tourism Week, March 18 to 27, Paul Dickson Tours is offering a series of different guided tours, in Norwich and the Broads. The programme includes a new Pastons in Norwich tour, which celebrates the life and times of the 15th century letter-writers.

For more information and to book tickets go to www.pauldicksontours.co.uk, email [email protected] , or call 07801 1003737.

Friday, March 18 at 10am, Norwich, the City of Stories. Ticket £10

Norwich is a UNESCO City of Literature. Celebrate the writers who have lived in the city and those who have written about Norwich on this walking tour, which starts outside The Forum and ends at the Maids Head Hotel with a cup of tea or coffee. Listen to readings and hear stories about writers from Julian of Norwich to Parson Woodforde, Amelia Opie, Harriet Martineau, Anna Sewell, JB Priestley, Ian McEwan and more. There’s Shakespeare at the Erpingham Gate, the tale of Will Kemp’s ‘Nine Days Wonder’ at the Maddermarket, excerpts from the Paston Letters and the proud history of libraries, newspapers and booksellers in the city.

Tuesday, March 22 at 9.30am, Fairhaven Garden and the Cathedral of the Broads. Ticket £18

A half-day guided tour exploring part of Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, the village of Ranworth and surrounding countryside, including St Helen’s Church, known as ‘the Cathedral of the Broads’. St Helen’s Church dates from the 14th century. The church has a magnificent 15th century rood screen, one of the finest in the country and the superb 15th century Ranworth Antiphoner, a richly illustrated liturgical book. There is also the oppportunity to climb the church tower and enjoy fabulous views of the Broads landscape. Ticket includes a drink and cake at Fairhaven and a donation to St Helen’s Church.

Wednesday, March 23 at 10am, The Pastons in Norwich. Ticket £7.50

This 2-hour guided tour follows in the footprints of the letter-writing 15th century Pastons. Discover the story of the Pastons, exploring 15th century Norwich and hear readings from their famous letters, the earliest and largest collection of documents detailing everyday lives. Find out how John Paston I, his wife Margaret and their sons battled to secure their inheritance from Sir John Fastolf. Learn about a family scandal and the impact of the Wars of the Roses. Listen to the first Valentine and much more. The tour starts outside St Andrews Hall and finishes above Norwich Market.

Thursday, March 24 at 10am, Norwich, an Introduction. Ticket £7.50

Discover more than 1000 years of Norwich’s history on this tour starting at The Forum and finishing outside Norwich Cathedral. Explore the ancient Cathedral Quarter, and find out about the city’s historic woolen cloth and shoe making industries. Hear stories of Norwich Castle, the Royal Arcade, Norwich Market, the 15th century Guildhall, City Hall and Jarrold’s department store. Pass the Museum of Norwich, and find out about Norwich’s former chocolate industry, followed by Cinema City and St Andrews & Blackfriars Halls and visit Elm Hill and the River Wensum.

Friday, March 25 at 10.30am, Historic Pubs of Norwich. Ticket £9

Get a taste for the history of Norwich pubs on this guided walking tour. The tour starts outside the Maids Head Hotel in Tombland and finishes back at the hotel with a half pint of beer. See where Ralph McTell had his first professional gig and Paul Simon sang solo; explore where Monsieur du Pain entertained drinkers by dipping his feet in boiling lead; visit Alan Partridge’s favourite Norfolk bar and discover where 18th century diarist Parson Woodforde used to drink. Hear stories of gruesome murders, Sixties music heroes, student sit ins and much more.

Saturday, March 26, at 10am, Norwich, a Black History. Ticket £7.50

This tour celebrates the diverse contribution of black people to the history of Norwich and Norfolk, from street traders in the 18th and 19th centuries to Pablo Fanque, the UK’s first black circus impresario, the American servicemen who brought rhythm and blues and soul music to the city and Lucas the 1960s US airman, who settled in Norfolk, and gave soul to the Orford Cellar. The tour also looks at slavery – those involved in the slave trade and the abolitionists from Norfolk like Thomas Fowell Buxton, Amelia Opie and Harriet Martineau. We also explore the work of 19th century Norfolk boxing hero Jem Mace with black boxers.

For more about English Tourism Week see www.visitbritain.org/english-tourism-week