Twenty Stories. One City. The City of Stories.
Sir Thomas Browne (1605 – 1682)
Thomas Browne lived in Norwich from 1637. A polymath, physician and philosopher, he was knighted by King Charles II in 1671 when the Mayor of Norwich declined and proposed Browne instead. When his library was sold in 1711, editions were purchased to form part of the founding collection of The British Library.
Did you know Sir Thomas Browne has over 700 first-used words in the English Oxford Dictionary? Examples includes ‘ambidextrous’, ‘carnivorous’, ‘coexistence’, ‘coma’, ‘computer’, ‘electricity’, ‘literary’ and ‘locomotion’.
Step Into The Story
- On Hay Hill see a statue of Sir Thomas Browne.
- At St Peter Mancroft church on Hay Hill visit his grave.
- Norwich Story Walks will tell you more on a Weird & Wonderful Story Walk of Norwich (£10, private tours also available).
- Visit Eaton Park (close to the Sainsbury Centre) to see Homage, a series of sculptures in his honour by French artists Anne and Patrick Poirier.
- org.uk/
Marking twenty years of championing the city, VisitNorwich presents an ambitious year-long cultural celebration: Twenty Stories. One City. The City of Stories. Written by local guest authors our stories range from medieval rebels and mystics to pioneering reformers, artists, entrepreneurs and unsung heroes, these are the people who shaped Norwich – and whose legacy can still be discovered across the city today. Read the stories so far.
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