Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell, Norwich, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell is a city history museum in a medieval flint-faced building on Bridewell Alley in the centre of Norwich. The building has served as a merchant's house, a prison and a workplace, and today it tells the story of the people and trades of the city.

The story behind it

The building dates back to the 14th century, when it was built as a house for a wealthy merchant, in a city that was then among the richest in England. Later it was taken over for civic use as a Bridewell, the old English name for a house of correction, where people accused of minor offences and vagrancy were held and set to work. The name stuck to the building and to the alley beside it.

After its days as a place of confinement, the building was put to other uses and went through several lives before it became a museum in the 20th century. It has since been renamed the Museum of Norwich, and its displays cover the working and everyday history of the city, from its trades and industries to the lives of ordinary residents.

What to look for

• Look closely at the flint-work on the street front, where the stones have been carefully shaped and set, a building tradition you will notice across Norwich.
• Notice how narrow and quiet Bridewell Alley is, and picture the building at the heart of a busy medieval trading city.
• Check the thick walls and small openings, which hint at the building's long use as a place of confinement.
• Pay attention to the way the old building sits among later shops and pubs, a good example of how Norwich layers many centuries into a few streets.

Tips for your visit

• Allow around an hour if you plan to go inside, or just a few minutes to see the exterior and the alley.
• Check current opening hours and admission details before you go, as they can change.
• The museum sits within the old streets of central Norwich, so it combines easily with a wander through the Lanes and the nearby market area.
• Go earlier in the day for a quieter alley and better light on the flint facade.

See it on a quest

You can pass the Museum of Norwich at the Bridewell on Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Norwich. You reach it on foot as one stop of a longer route through the old streets, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle right in front of you. It suits a building with such a shadowy past, and one ticket covers the whole group.