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Monday 21 February 2011

Wanted: 1960/70s Wensum photos

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PETE Chambers has been in touch via the Wherryman’s Web blog to wish me well for “RIverside Norwich”. He writes:
“I think it's a great idea for a book Steve. In my youth it always seemed odd that the city had turned it's back on the Wensum.
The riverside was ugly and unloved from Whitlingham to Taverham. The last 15 years have seen the City slowly turn to face the river once more and whilst not being a total success it has provoked much thought about the very existence of Norwich and it's relationship with the river that has been it's very lifeblood.
Lets face it, with no riverside there would have been no Norwich.
I really look forward to following your new adventure.”
Hear, hear. I quote Pete, because it got me thinking. Us newcomers (well since the mid-1990s in my case) and anyone under 30, has no idea of how different the river through Norwich used to look. It’s an idea I’ve touched on once before when I quoted a Jonathan Mardle column in the EDP from the 1950s, but Pete makes it much more forcefully. This book has got to include some photos of grotty river scenes from the 1960s or 1970s hasn’t it? Something that really shows how much of a change there’s been. Can anyone help?
*In the meantime we’ll have to make do with a surviving King Street warehouse overlooking the Riverside development.The trouble is that I actually quite like this building. In fact I like it more than I like most  of the “could be anywhere” Riverside architecture. I like its scale, I like the fact that’s it clearly had to earn its keep over the years and I even quite like at peeling paintwork look.

3 comments:

  1. Not quite as early as you're looking for, but worth contacting? Interesting info in the comments, perhaps.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/40472712@N02/3845513308/

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  2. It's actually all the more powerful for being later. Thanks Katy. I'll have a word with boaty granny

    Steve

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  3. I was going to suggest the same Steve - she has lived on Riverside since the 1980's at least. I expect you have already contacted Jill but if you need any more information, I have her email and phone number.

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