4 Comments CherryPie on Oct 16th 2025
Filed under Faith Foundations, Holidays, Norwich & Windsor 2025
The Chapel of Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Comments Off CherryPie on Oct 14th 2025
In the light of God and eternity I have realised that patriotism is not enough I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.
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.
2 Comments CherryPie on Oct 12th 2025
Filed under Faith Foundations, Holidays, Norwich & Windsor 2025
Cherie’s Place – Thought for the Week
Perhaps these ancient observatories like Stonehenge perennially impress modern people because modern people have no idea how the Sun, Moon, or stars move. We are too busy watching evening television to care what’s going on in the sky.
Neil deGrasse Tyson
5 Comments CherryPie on Oct 5th 2025
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.
2 Comments CherryPie on Oct 5th 2025
