Edith Cavell

The grave of Edith Cavell can be found just outside Norwich Cathedral.

Edith Louisa Cavell (/ˈkævəl/ KAV-əl; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for treating wounded soldiers from both sides without discrimination during the First World War and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium. Cavell was arrested, court-martialled under German military law and sentenced to death by firing squad. Despite international pressure for mercy, the German government refused to commute her sentence, and she was shot. The execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage.

The night before her execution, she said, “Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone”. These words were inscribed on the Edith Cavell Memorial^[1] opposite the entrance to the National Portrait Gallery near Trafalgar Square. Her strong Anglican beliefs propelled her to help all those who needed it, including both German and Allied soldiers. She was quoted as saying, “I can’t stop while there are lives to be saved.”^[2] The Church of England commemorates her in its Calendar of Saints on 12 October.

Cavell, who was 49 at the time of her execution, was already notable as a pioneer of modern nursing in Belgium.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Information from The Assembly House website:

Designed by architect Thomas Ivory in 1754 on the site of a medieval chapel, no expense was spared in the construction of the House, which historians view as one of the most important buildings in Norwich.

The Assembly House stands on land that was once crofts and fields on the outskirts of the Norman settlement in Norwich’s French quarter.

In 1248, John Le Brun founded the Hospital of the Blessed Virgin Mary here, a key civic space where assemblies were held. After the Dissolution in 1544, King Henry VIII granted the site to its last dean, Miles Spencer, who made part of it his private home. Fragments of this medieval past remain—bricked-up Tudor windows, hidden foundations, and remnants of medieval walls.

In 1573, the estate was purchased by Thomas Cornwallis, an MP involved in suppressing Kett’s Rebellion. He transformed it into Chapel of the Field House, adding a grand hall, gallery, kitchen, stable, and formal gardens. The property passed through notable owners, including Sir Henry Hobart, who expanded the estate to include what is now Chapelfield Gardens.

By the 18th century, the site had fallen into disuse until, in 1753, Norwich aldermen secured a 500-year lease to create a fashionable venue for assemblies, cards, and balls. Under architect Sir Thomas Ivory, The Assembly House opened in 1755 and became a hub for entertainment, hosting celebrations for Nelson’s Trafalgar victory, Queen Charlotte’s birthday, and Madame Tussaud’s waxwork exhibitions.

In the 20th century, it housed Norwich High School for Girls before being saved from demolition in 1935. During WWII, it became the Eastern Command Camouflage Office, narrowly escaping the Baedeker Raids.

A devastating fire in 1995 led to a restoration funded by the National Lottery, and in 2009, Richard Hughes and Iain Wilson took over the business arm of the House, adding luxury bedrooms and creating a vibrant multi-use venue. Today, The Assembly House remains a vibrant centre for arts, hospitality, and celebration in Norwich.

A more detailed history of the Assembly house can be found in a PDF document available here.

We were a little later than usual to breakfast because Mr C wanted to pack his bags beforehand so that we could check out of the hotel as soon as we had finished eating. At breakfast I discovered the delights of the pancake machine that I had intended to try earlier during our stay, but with our hectic schedule I forgot about it. The first two were so tasty that I went for seconds and found a young French boy was processing pancakes. He turned to me and said ‘are you waiting?’ to which I replied ‘yes’. He then said ‘two more’ indicating that he was going to cook another two after the first two had popped out of the machine. I smiled and said OK and when he had finished collecting his pancakes he smiled at me as he took his tasty delights back to his table.

We loaded our car and drove to Stonehenge which we had been looking forward to since before we set off on our holiday adventure. It being the school holidays there were queues for entry but I remembered that there is a fast track for English Heritage members and located that entry kiosk. We were admitted within minutes.

The weather was glorious and sunny giving me the perfect excuse to wear my new wide brimmed, straw sunhat. I was a little bit apprehensive that a gust of wind might carry it away but my hat behaved itself. I was glad I chose to wear this hat, it kept my head cool and my hair intact whereas my other hats overheat my head and I end up with ‘Hat Hair’.

On this occasion our walk to the stones, was not optimal and we were left disappointed. As we approached the stones we saw two coaches and the remains of the old visitor centre much more prominently than the iconic stones.

After we had passed the eyesore and were approaching the stones, we were tempted to an ice cream. There was a bit of a queue which left us plenty of time to decide one or two scoops… We had already chosen the flavour, Bramley apple crumble and custard. By the time we got to the kiosk we had settled on two scoops each. The scoops we saw were very small, but when our cones arrived the scoops were twice the size of the scoops other people had been receiving. The ice cream was delicious and melting around the edges causing sticky fingers. Yum Yum!

It is always a joy to see the stones within the wide landscape, although it was much busier than on our previous visit. Our time was limited so we opted to catch the bus back to the visitor centre rather than walk back (which we usually do).

Rather than eat out on our return home we decided to pick up a chicken and some veg so that we could have a roast dinner. There are always several supermarkets en-route but on this occasion, there were none to be seen. As time was running out, we resorted to googling for the nearest supermarket which turned out to be in an obscure location. We arrived with fifteen minutes to spare before it closed, but thankfully were able to pick up everything we needed for dinner along with bread and milk.

Dinner was delicious and much more relaxing than dining out after a long drive home. I missed being able to call my mum on a Sunday which has been the norm for many years…

It was Mr C’s special day so we did a little bit of what he fancied which meant that after breakfast we started the day with ‘The Long Walk’. The weather was warm but the sun had not yet broken through the clouds, a perfect time of day for walking. As we set off on the walk it was odd to hear the roar of jet planes as they approached the runway at Heathrow and not be able to see them until they emerged from the clouds. The deer in Windsor Great Park were shy and elusive, unlike our previous visit when they crossed the pathway near to me. As we walked back someone noticed the herd in the distance.

Back in town after our walk of almost five miles, Mr C had hoped to have lunch in The Pancake House but there was a 40 minute wait for food. Mr C chose not to wait so we went in search of another suitable eatery nearby. We settled on Heidi’s Bakery which had lots of tempting treats on offer. Mr C chose a quiche, this option also caught my eye but the call of a blueberry and frangipane tart was too much for me to resist. It was delicious! Whilst eating we heard loud roaring and then were visited by a dinosaur that had a few kids in tow.

Next we visited the Brooke Taverner store, one of Mr C’s favourite places for clothes, especially shirts. He came away with a few purchases. We browsed around Waterstones where I purchased a facsimile copy of a book on English Cathedrals that was written in 1934. The book is charming and delightful with its insight into history.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped off at Wetherspoon’s where I enjoyed chilling out on the terrace with a glass of rose wine.

Later we had an aperitif in the hotel bar before dining in A La Russe which was every bit as good it was on our previous visits. After dining, we returned to the George Inn for one last nightcap before retiring to our room for the night.

We reverted to our normal breakfast time of 8.30 before driving the Hampton Court Palace.

Hampton Court is currently undergoing some restoration which meant the iconic view of the main entrance was covered with scaffolding. The size of the building is impressive but somehow the history of this amazing place didn’t come alive for me.

The one exception was the Chapel Royal which has stunning architecture and is also one of the areas that has maintained its original use since it was built. Maybe I was feeling the atmosphere of a ’space’ that has remained constant but flowing throughout the years…

The artwork displayed at Hampton Court both on the walls and in frames is impressive and we each had our favourite pieces that we lingered over.

We didn’t explore the gardens as much as we would have liked. It was rather hot and we were also running out of time. We did however walk to see The Great Vine, the largest grape vine in the world and also The Royal (real) Tennis Court which dates to 1625. A garden I would have loved to visit is the Magic Garden, I love a bit of fantasy and it has a dragon! But sadly, adults are not allowed in unless they are accompanied by a child. It was suggested that we could borrow a child and come back another day…

We were a little late back to the hotel so we chose to book into the hotel restaurant, allowing us to chill out after our long day out. The food quality was good but the combinations of dishes didn’t quite work for us. When Mr C’s sirloin steak arrived it was a thick cut more like rump, he did query if he had been served the right cut as did another customer. Both were informed that it was sirloin but cut thicker than usual!

Rather than stay in the hotel for a night cap we strolled across Windsor Bridge to the George Inn which was a lot livelier than our previous visits and presumably because it was a Friday there were no calls for last orders as there had been the previous nights.