Five Norwich Lives

Five Norwich names that cover the worlds of art, literature, architecture, commerce…and crime. Five interconnected lives that thrust Norwich into the national consciousness.

Simon Wilkin: Scholar, businessman and publisher, his was a life spent constantly flirting with financial disaster, but he left a legacy in the city’s museums and newspapers.

Jack Thurtell: Son of a city Alderman who fell far from grace. Hanged for murder, his trial was a national sensation.

George Borrow: A nineteenth century literary superstar who coined the phrase ‘a fine city’, but still had his books burned by the City Library.

Catherine Maude Nichols: An internationally acclaimed artist, who lived all her life in Norwich and drew heavily on the city for inspiration. Her comments however would not always endear her to its citizens.

George Skipper: The architect who created buildings such as Royal Arcade, Surrey House, and Jarrolds, that altered the face of the city. He has been referred to as the ‘Gaudi of Norwich’.

Five lives that span over a hundred and fifty years of the city’s history. Individually each of them is inextricably linked to Norwich. Now, best-selling local author Pete Goodrum takes a fresh look at their stories. Five Norwich Lives brings into focus, for the first time, how the lives of these five extraordinary individuals were extraordinarily connected.