| Mousehold Heath Mousehold Heath is an area of woodland and heath land
measuring approximately 200 acres which lies in north-east
Norwich. Originally, the heath was much larger and
stretched as far as South Walsham. Today it is an
important recreational area for the people of Norwich
containing footpaths, football pitches and Zak's
restaurant.
Britannia Barracks in
the Snow
Mousehold Heath by John Sell Cotman
In 1144 the body of a boy named William of Norwich was
found on the heath and his death was attributed to
ritual murder carried out by Jews. Eight hundred years
later, this 'blood libel' became the subject of a play
by Arnold Wesker which
was first performed at the Norwich Playhouse in 1996.
Wesker first moved to Norwich in the 1950s when he came
to work as a kitchen porter at the Bell Hotel on
Timberhill.
Today, there are a number of
stones on the northern side of the heath (close to
Mousehold Lane) which mark the location of St. William's
Chapel which was originally consecrated in 1168. The
chapel was supposedly built on the site where the boy's
body was discovered. At one time there was a rood screen
depicting St. William inside the St. John Maddermarket
Church in Norwich - but this was
moved to Holy Trinity at Loddon. Mousehold Heath is also famous
for being the location of George Borrow's meeting with
the Romany Jasper Petulengro in Lavengro. The
book, which is an intriguing blend of fact and fiction,
recounts Borrow's early years in Norfolk including his
birth at Dumpling Green
and his subsequent move to Norwich at the age of 13. 'Lavengro'
is actually Romany for 'word-master' and is the title
conferred upon Borrow by Petulengro. Borrow was a
skilled linguist - conversant in many languages
including Welsh - and also a competent boxer. Here is
one of the famous speeches made by Petulengro while on
Mousehold Heath:
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Supported
by Norfolk Tourism