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Norwich and the Region
Norwich has everything you would want of a university city – it is a major commercial and thriving cultural centre which is steeped in history. The city has many historic buildings including two cathedrals (one pictured left), a Norman Castle and well preserved city walls. Located in the beautiful East Anglian region, with its own international airport and easy access to London, the city has a lively and cosmopolitan atmosphere. It’s also a safe and friendly place to live. The city centre is just two miles from the University campus and frequent buses ensure easy access, though many choose to walk or cycle.
The Independent named Norwich as one of the top 10 "coolest" places to be a student in the UK.
Our students love Norwich so much that many of them want to stay and work here after they graduate.
Shopping
Norwich is in the top five shopping destinations in Britain. It has a vibrant blend of independent stores, small specialist shops and major high street chains, the newest of which can be found in the recently developed £275 million Chapelfield Shopping Centre. Norwich also has the country’s largest six-day open-air market set amidst a maze of pretty medieval cobble-stoned lanes and alleys.
We are sure you will want to explore Norwich for yourself. Here are web references for good sources of further information
Norwich and the Region
www.visitnorwich.co.uk
www.visitnorfolk.co.uk
www.visiteastofengland.com
Theatres
www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk
ww.maddermarket.co.uk
www.norwichplayhouse.co.uk
Museums
| Learning for earning: |
| University of East Anglia – Faculty of Science |
Norfolk and Norwich Festival
The Forum
Arts and culture
For film lovers there are two multiplex venues, and one of the finest art house cinemas in the East of England – Cinema City. Norwich has six theatres including the Theatre Royal, one of the most successful regional theatres in the country which puts on major touring shows, opera and ballet; the Playhouse, which offers big names from the world of stand-up comedy; and the Maddermarket Theatre Company which, according to actor Simon Callow, “performs a repertory that would shame the National Theatre”.
Museums and galleries in the city centre include the contemporary Norwich Gallery and the Castle Museum (pictured left) which has touring exhibitions as well as a gallery devoted to works by artists of the Norwich School. Events not to miss include the annual multi-venue Norfolk and Norwich Festival, the carnival and firework display for the Lord Mayor’s celebrations, the largest annual real ale festival outside London and the Norfolk Comedy Festival.
Entertainment
In addition to the University’s renowned live music venue (LCR), many pubs and clubs in the city host live music. Amongst the best known and best loved are the Norwich Arts Centre and The Waterfront, a city centre venue run by our Student Union.
The Forum (pictured left), which houses the finest regional public library, also hosts regular concerts, jazz brunches and comedy nights. Classical music is well represented with internationally acclaimed orchestras and musicians visiting the city’s main concert halls. From mainstream pop, rock and r&b, to more alternative indie and electro styles, the wide range of venues in Norwich means every musical taste is catered for.
The Riverside area is a leisure quarter which attracts thousands of people to its nightclubs, restaurants and cinemas each weekend. The city is reputed to have one pub for every day of the year – from cosy real-ale inns to stylish pre-club bars. So it is well worth exploring beyond the campus bars.
Eating and drinking
Norwich has its fair share of cheap and cheerful eateries – and gourmet restaurants. Italian, Japanese, Lebanese, Indian, Moroccan and Thai are just some of the international cuisines which the city offers. There are also independent coffee houses where you can catch up with friends and vegetarian and vegan restaurants are easy to find.
Norfolk – out and about
“Norwich is a fine city. None finer. If there is another city in the United Kingdom with a matchless modern art gallery, a university with a reputation for literary excellence which can boast Booker Prize-winning alumni, and an extraordinary new state-of-the-art public library then I have yet to hear of it.”
Stephen Fry, actor and writer
Norwich is situated close to some of the most popular tourist areas in the country. The very different seaside resorts of Cromer, Southwold and Great Yarmouth and the wild perfection and solitude of the North Norfolk coast are no more than thirty miles away. You can tour the waterways of the Norfolk Broads by boat from the city centre or sample half-time cuisine by cookery writer Delia Smith at the Norwich City Football Club.
Norwich International Airport is only 15 minutes from the city centre and makes worldwide links via daily flights to Amsterdam. There are trains every half hour to London and Cambridge.
Article provided by the University of East Anglia
