Norwich City Wall and Cow Tower

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Norwici

In the civil parish of Norwich.
In the historic county of Norfolk (Modern Authority of Norfolk, 1974 county of Norfolk).

Remains of City Wall. City obtained royal grants of murage in 1297, 1305, 1317, and 1337. Walls said to date from 1253 but northern part of town may have been defended from saxon times. As early as 1385 Norwich had a substantial arsenal of artillery, more than 40 guns being placed on the walls. Cow Tower (TG23960918) is one of the earliest blockhouses to have been built and is an impressive example of the use of brick in the medieval period. It was originally the toll house for a monastery founded in 1249. It was ruinous by 1378 and converted to form part of the city's defences in the late C14 (completed by 1390). It was further altered in C15. Boom towers, at the southern end of the defences, controlled access along the river

This site has been described as a;
Urban Defence
Artillery Fort
Chain Tower.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Major remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is TG232085

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 901244, 132254

• Web site links
  • http://www.norwich.gov.uk/webapps/citywall/index.html
    http://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/culture/towns/norwich1.html
    http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conProperty.17
    http://www.the-plunketts.freeserve.co.uk/citywallsandtowers.htm
• Books
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p18, 24, 41, 43, 48, 60, 68, 70, 93, 95, 115-8, 124, 130, 134-5, 143, 149, 150, 156, 174, 178, 182, 186, 192, 202, 212, 215, 237, 240, 241, 243-4, 246, 263, 279
    Salter, Mike, 2001, The Castles of East Anglia (Malvern) p67
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p161-2
    Ayers, B., 1994, English Heritage Book of Norwich (London: Batsford/English Heritage)
    Ayers, Brian, 1994, 'Norwich' in Wade-Martins, P, (ed), An Historical Atlas of Norfolk (2edn Norwich; Norfolk Museums) p74-5
    Kent, Peter, 1988, Fortifications of East Anglia (Lavenham: Ternence Dalton)
    Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report) p92-116
    Ayers, B.S., 1987, Digging deeper: recent Archaeology in Norwich (Norwich: Norfolk Museums Service) [espec p 16–23, Cow Tower and castle keep]
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p311
    Wilton, J.W., 1979, Earthworks and Fortifications of Norfolk (Weathercock Press) p28-30
    Campbell, J., 1975, 'Norwich' in Lobel, M.D. (ed) The Atlas of Historic Towns Vol2 (London: Scolar Press/Historic Towns Trust)
    Barley, M.W., 1975, 'Town Defences in England and Wales after 1066' in Barley (ed) Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA research reports) pp57-71 plan p65
    Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p129-38
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1962, Buildings of England: Norwich and north-east Norfolk (Penguin) p258-9
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co) p227
    1910, The Walls of Norwich, being Report of City Committee as to the City Wall (Norwich) [commonly called Collins, The Walls of Norwich]
    Dugdale, William [Caley, J., Ellis, H. and Bandinel, B. (eds)], 1817-30, Monasticon Anglicanum (London) Vol4 p14
    Blomefield, Francis [continued by Charles Parkin], 1739-75, An Essay towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk (Fersfield and Lynn) Vol2 p63-4, 71 [for old surveys]
    Kirkpatrick and Ninham, n.d., The Gates of Norwich (Norwich and London) [being drawings made in 1720]
• Journal Articles
  • Anon, 2007, 'Norwich City Walls under Siege' Castle Studies Group Journal Vol20 p139 [news report]
    Ayers, B.S., Smith, R. and Tillyard, M., 1988, ‘The Cow Tower, Norwich: a detailed survey and partial reinterpretation' Medieval Archaeology Vol32 p184–207
    Saunders, A.D., 1985, ‘The Cow Tower, Norwich: an East Anglian bastille?‘, Medieval Archaeology Vol29 p109–19
    Kenyon, J.R., 1981 'Early Artillery Fortifications in England and Wales: a Preliminary Survey and Re-appraisal' Archaeological Journal Vol138 p211-12
    Atkin, M.W. and Sutermeister, H., 1978, 'Excavations in Norwich, 1977-8: the Norwich Survey, seventh interim report' Norfolk Archaeology Vol37 p19-55
    1977, Fort Vol4 p83
    Atkin, M.W. and Carter, A., 1977, 'Excavations in Norwich, 1976-7: the Norwich Survey, sixth interim report' Norfolk Archaeology Vol36 p287-304
    Atkin, M.W., Carter, A., Baxter, M., Donaldson, P. and Roberts, J.P., 1976, 'Excavations in Norwich, 1975-6: the Norwich Survey, fifth interim report' Norfolk Archaeology Vol36 p39-71
    Carter, A., Roberts, J.P. and Sutermeister, H., 1974, 'Excavations in Norwich, 1973: the Norwich Survey, third interim report' Norfolk Archaeology Vol36 p39-71
    Carter, A., Roberts, J.P. and Sutermeister, H., 1973, 'Excavations in Norwich, 1972: the Norwich Survey, second interim report' Norfolk Archaeology Vol35 p443-68
    Hurst, J.G., 1965, 'Excavations at Barn Road, Norwich 1954-55' Norfolk Archaeology Vol33 p131-179 esp 139-43
    1964, Medieval Archaeology Vol8 p267
    Hurst and Golson, 1957, Norfolk Archaeology Vol31 p24-48
    Jope, 1952, Norfolk Archaeology Vol30 p294-300
    Jope, 1949, Archaeological Journal Vol106 p75-6
    Tingey, 1914, Norfolk Archaeology Vol18 p129-48
    Pettigrew, 1858, Journal of the British Archaeological Association Vol14 p215-22
    Britton, 1847, Proceedings of the Archaeological Institute (at Norwich) p132-8
• Guidebooks
  • Wood, A.A., 1970, Norwich City Walls (Norwich: Norwich City Council)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • Speed, John, 1611-12, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain [http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/Cities20.htm]
    William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/norfeng.html#norf5]