Did you know Norwich is England’s first UNESCO City of Literature? Well, now you do.
We’ve got centuries of bookish history, binding us to historical firsts, incredible authors and a proud independent spirit. From Julian of Norwich to the National Centre for Writing (NCW), the City of Stories is named so for a reason.
Here, we speak to Peggy Hughes, CEO of NCW and leader of Norwich UNESCO City of Literature, about Norwich UNESCO City of Literature’s five-year strategy and the importance of storytelling for our fine city’s communities, perspectives, voices and creativity!
Norwich is proudly known as the City of Stories
Norwich is England’s first UNESCO City of Literature. What makes the aptly named City of Stories stand out when it comes to literary heritage?
Norwich was designated as England’s first UNESCO City of Literature in 2012, a forever accolade which honours our incredibly rich literary legacy! The first book written by a woman in the English language came from the pen of Julian of Norwich in 1395, when a series of visions led her to compose Revelations of Divine Love – an extraordinary contemplation of universal love and hope in a time of plague and religious schism. The first English provincial library (1608) and newspaper (1701) originated here, and Norwich was the first place to implement the Public Library Act of 1850. We have a history of radical reform and retain a proud spirit of independence, with a roster of change-making thinkers, including Harriet Martineau, Thomas Browne and Anna Sewell.
However! Past glories are only one part of the story! A UNESCO designation lives and breathes in its present moment and is only possible with a shared commitment to a future as bright as our past. Today you’ll find in Norwich a UNESCO City of Literature that dares to dream.
We’re a city built on stories, and by people who believe that reading, writing and their lifelong benefits should be for everyone. Renowned figures, from Kazuo Ishiguro and Ian McEwan to Eimear McBride and Sarah Perry, have called the fine city home. Creativity thrives here in everyday life through the tenacity and imagination of our residents. Norwich is a city with libraries at our heart, two universities and two city colleges, the world’s oldest arts festival and the country’s newest book festival, alongside many beloved bookshops and a thriving independent publishing scene. Norwich contains multitudes, of innovators, readers, and writers, and possibilities.
Norwich UNESCO City of Literature’s five-year strategy will bring the power of storytelling to the city’s communities
When a city bids to become part of the UNESCO City of Literature network, it must build its case, telling the story of what makes it special and why it deserves membership of this select family. (We were only the 6th city of literature back in 2012, now our network is 53 cities strong across 6 continents.) Most importantly, what does the city want to achieve. Fasting forward to today, many of the dreams and ambitions of our bid have been realised, but there is much more to do, so this felt like the perfect moment to check the city’s pulse: what do we want to do together now?
It takes a whole city, so this new strategy needed to be a collective document: a shared vision and tapestry of many voices and perspectives. Following conversations with the people who live, work and study here, we reached four priorities:
We’re working together to bring these ambitions alive. Right now, we’re creating a fundraising strategy that’ll help us deliver plans, including the creation of a network of City of Literature Champions to build on successful community-based reading and writing projects. We’ve launched a Norwich UNESCO City of Literature Creative Writing in the Community PhD with our friends at UEA (open for applications in November)! We’re working on a campaign to animate the city’s events and public spaces through partnerships with Norfolk Libraries, Norwich BID, VisitNorwich and others. And we’ll be convening partners doing brilliant work in reading and literacy around 2026 as a National Year of Reading.
Get involved by attending events like UEA Live Image: Rachel Innes
First thing’s first- sign up for our UNESCO City of Literature newsletter for all the latest news direct to your inbox. This bi-monthly newsletter brings you a curated snapshot of the latest opportunities, collaborations, events, and fresh creative writing from across the city and beyond. (Follow us on Instagram too!)
We’ve partnered with our friends at VisitNorwich to produce a curated City of Literature section on their What’s On calendar, showcasing the city’s vibrant events and activities. The more they’re shared, the more visible it’ll be (upload yours here)!
Become a partner! If you’re working in the city to celebrate the joys of reading and writing, or would like to, then get in touch so we help connect you with like minds.
Come to an event! Buy a book from one of our many brilliant independent bookshops! Read a little every day, for yourself, or aloud – to your family, your friends, your granny, your dog: a little bit of reading every day strengthens the spirit, heart and soul.
The historic Dragon Hall is home to the National Centre for Writing
We’re delighted to have been awarded this grant and are grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for their continued support. This will help us unlock even more of Dragon Hall’s stories and potential.
As custodians of a beautiful and extremely important grade I listed building, we recognise our practical responsibility to keep the building fit for the future and open to all, and to ensure the many and myriad stories of the building are captured and shared. : This grant will allow us to do both of these things, by supporting programme delivery for families and young people, and a new cohort of ‘Storymakers’, as well as enabling us to commission a new Conservation Management Plan for the building.
The exciting thing with a programme like this is we simply don’t know what stories might come to the surface. But what we do know is that Dragon Hall has been a centre for stories and drama for centuries.
Built by Robert Toppes, a wealthy merchant, in 1427, it was a trading hall for only a short part of its history and has seen all manner of life and tales since then: butchers, bakers, men of the cloth, traders, people working off the river, brewers – all and more have made their lives and livelihoods here. Covered in 17th ‘witchmarks’ to ward ill spirits away; boasting just one remaining dragon in the spandrels when there would have been 14 (where did the others go…?): where once were traded textiles and spices, we now exchange stories, words and ideas. The possibilities of what might emerge are endless, so watch this space!
The Book Hive, one of Britain’s most curvaceous bookshops, is a literary treasure trove
I’m contractually obliged not to have favourites, but if you pushed me, I would give honourable mentions to three:
Book Hive: I love their wise curation; I love truffling for a surprise; I love their weekly Page Against the Machine quiet reading party; I love their events and annual festive oyster hijinks…
Located on Elm Hill, Dormouse Books is an absolute must for treasure seekers, a Tardis that boasts a wide range of second-hand and rare stock. I’m the proud owner of an almost full set of 1970s-era Puffin editions of Tove Jansson’s Moomin series thanks to Dormouse…
Bookbugs & Dragontales are a specialist children’s bookshop, with a wide and fabulous range of titles, and a huge-hearted commitment to supporting every child’s reading journey: pop in for the browse, stay for the coffee and cookies…
Discover more about Norwich UNESCO City of Literature, including their new five-year plan, on the National Centre for Writing’s website. Get involved with UNESCO events via the VisitNorwich What’s On page!
