When shoe manufacturer Sir Henry Holmes gifted the Bridewell to the city in 1925 as a museum to celebrate the rich heritage of trade and industry in Norwich, he did so with the hope that it would “provide a source of pleasure and pride to the citizens” and “inspire the younger generation to realise the greatness of their heritage.”
I first visited the Bridewell Museum back in the 1970s on a trip organised by my primary school. In the early 1990s we did the rounds of most of the museums in Norfolk and Suffolk which included a return visit to the Bridewell. My memories of the museum were a little sketchy, and having read some great reports after a major refurbishment last year, a wet and windy Saturday afternoon in March provided the perfect opportunity to reacquaint myself with the Bridewell. I was very impressed – having allowed ourselves a couple of hours to look round we found that we could quite easily have spent another two hours in there exploring everything that the museum has to offer. Whilst still focusing on the history of trade and industry of the city, the Bridewell also covers the wider history of life and leisure in Norwich through the ages. The building consists of numerous rooms of differing sizes and interconnecting galleries and a lot of thought has obviously gone into the lay out and how the exhibits are displayed. There are also plenty of interactive activities to keep young and old amused as you make your way along.
One of the galleries is dedicated to the rather dark, but fascinating history of the building itself. In 1583, the city purchased what had begun life as a medieval merchants house for the sum of £240 to be used as a “house of correction” where the idle and troublemakers of Norwich could be sent to work or punishment. Unemployment was not tolerated in Tudor times – unless you were extremely ill or very old, you were expected to work from cradle to grave! Despite this, a census taken in 1570 had revealed that nearly one fifth of the population were living on charity, partly provided by a tax which had been introduced in 1540 to assist the poor. Those who were paying those taxes were becoming rather disgruntled so the city leaders decided to introduce new measures in an attempt to control the situation. The new house of correction became known as the Bridewell, named after a similar institution of this kind which had been established at St. Bride’s Well in London.
Various wall panels and flip sheets give some insight into life within the Bridewell during this period. The threat of being sent to the Bridewell was intended to encourage “industry, honesty and sobriety” and life for the inmates was extremely harsh. You were expected to work from 5am to 8pm during the summer and from 7am to 6pm during the winter – refusal to do so would result in punishment. An inventory taken in 1622 gives an idea of the sort of punishment which was metered out by the wardens and included: a pair of stocks, two whipping posts, one chair for unruly persons, post and chains in the cellar and two pairs of shackles. Such treatment would be considered barbaric today, especially when you consider that many of the crimes which led to people being interred or punished would be deemed rather petty today. Others were sent to the Bridewell because they were suffering from severe mental illness. Living in sin or giving birth to illegitimate children could also result in a spell in the Bridewell and in 1621 Margaret Caly was brought here after she “did revile and miscall Christopher Gyles, and often clasped her hand on her backside, and badd him kiss there” … who knew that particular rebuke went back so far! After a fire destroyed most of the building in 1751, it was rebuilt and opened as a prison. It was closed in 1828 when the inmates were transferred to the new City Gaol, the building then became a tobacco and snuff factory, followed by a leather warehouse and, finally, Bowhill’s shoe factory up to 1923.
I couldn’t possibly cover everything that there is to see, but hopefully the following photo gallery will give a small taster of what the museum has to offer:
Part of the gallery dedicated to shopping and trading in Norwich over the years. Many of the display cabinets have drawers underneath which contain further artifacts to view.
This display cabinet celebrates the flamboyant hat maker Rumsey Wells who introduced the legendary “Doggie” caps, a very large example of which can be seen in the centre on the top row above. This was apparently a duplicate of one made for Machnov, the “Russian Giant”, in 1899.
The wonderful grocer’s shop display. My grandmother’s bakery and grocery shop was still fitted out like this until she retired in the late 1980s! There are many other display cabinets and plinths within this area to explore. As with every section of the museum, there are also listening posts where you can learn more about various aspects of the City’s history through eye witness accounts from the museum’s sound archives.
After passing through a room which outlines the history of Norwich from its first mention as “Northwic” in the 10th century right through to the major events of the 20th century, you are then presented with an eclectic range of objects of interest from the city’s past, displayed on plinths as seen above and below. From well known manufacturers such as Colman’s, Boulton and Paul, Start-rite, Caley’s and the breweries of Steward and Patteson and Bullards, to some of the innovative and creative people who were born in Norwich.
This plinth celebrates some of the successful insurance, food, retail and service industry companies which were founded in Norwich.
The 1920s pharmacy is one of the most popular displays at the museum and was certainly one of my favourites. This incredible collection was gathered together by Norwich pharmacist John Newstead who eventually donated it to the Bridewell in 1984.
Another series of rooms contain a range of displays relating to the history of manufacturing and industry in the city. There are just far too many to list, but include items from Boulton and Paul, Caley’s chocolate factory, Colman’s and a 19th century loom weaving loom. There is also a rather fine model of a trading wherry. Norwich has also had a long association with shoemaking and there are some fabulous shoes and boots on display – the long leather boot seen above was apparently a prototype made by the Norvic Shoe Company for nurses serving during WW2 and was designed to protect them from snakes and leeches in the Burmese jungle.
I mentioned two of the Norwich breweries, Bullards and Steward & Patterson, but the other two big names of the late 19th and 20th centuries were Morgan’s and Youngs, Crawshay and Youngs. The history of brewing in the city is reflected in this recreation of the bar of a public house. Sadly, the beer pumps didn’t actually work!
The last section of the museum is dedicated to life, leisure and the major events of the 20th century – the Norwich yards, the 1912 floods, the two world wars and Norwich City Football Club are all covered here. Once again, you can listen to snippets from the sound archives of people recalling nights out in the city during the 1960s and Norwich speedway to name just two, but it’s the eye witness accounts of the air raids during the Second World War which are the most poignant.
The 1960s sitting room. Take a seat and watch video clips about the changes to life and attitudes during the 1950s and 1960s – another of my favourites!
Childhood and toys of the 20th century – another wonderful display which will have people of a certain age reminiscing for ages!
There really is so much of interest packed into the Bridewell Museum and I can highly recommend a visit. Details of opening times and admission prices can be found on the Norfolk Museums & Archeology Service website.
