48-524: The Norwich Theatre Circuit was a prominent network of theatrical venues in East Anglia established in the eighteenth century. It remained one of the foremost institutions of provincial theatre in England until the mid nineteenth century. Aside from Norwich , the circuit also included King's Lynn , Great Yarmouth , Cambridge , Bury St Edmunds , Ipswich and Colchester . The Norwich Company of Comedians
96-630: A NUTS 2 statistical unit in the East of England region . Other definitions of the area have been used or proposed over the years. For example, the Redcliffe-Maud Report in 1969, which followed the Royal Commission on the Reform of Local Government, recommended the creation of eight provinces in England. The proposed East Anglia province would have included northern Essex, southern Lincolnshire and
144-467: A bishop in 1109, creating the Isle of Ely a county palatine under the bishop. An act of parliament in 1535/6 ended the palatine status of the Isle, with all justices of the peace to be appointed by letters patent issued under the great seal and warrants to be issued in the king's name. However, the bishop retained exclusive jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters, and was custos rotulorum . A chief bailiff
192-515: A blue background has been used as a symbol of East Anglia for centuries. The coat of arms was ascribed by medieval heralds to the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia and the Wuffingas dynasty which ruled it. The arms are effectively identical to the coat of arms of Sweden . The three crowns appear, carved in stone, on the baptismal font (c.1400) in the parish church of Saxmundham , and on
240-519: A few remain in use, the most prominent being Norwich International Airport . Pillboxes were erected in 1940 to help defend the nation against invasion, and they can also be found throughout the area at strategic points. Similarly, but from the Napoleonic Wars , a number of Martello towers can be found along the coast. East Anglia is bordered to the north and east by the North Sea , to the south by
288-597: A number of local rail services, such as the Bittern Line from Norwich to Sheringham . East Anglia is ideal for cycling and National Cycle Route 1 passes through it. Cambridge has the largest proportion of its residents in the UK cycling to work with 25% commuting by bicycle. The city is also home to the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway , which at 13.3 miles (21.4 km) was the longest stretch of guided bus-way in
336-543: A small part of Northamptonshire as well as Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. The kingdom of East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk , but the Isle of Ely also became part of it upon the marriage of East Anglian princess Æthelthryth (Etheldreda). It was formed around 520 by merging the North and South Folk, Angles who had settled in the former lands of the Iceni during
384-655: A strong genetic affinity with Anglo-Saxon era skeletons, but differ substantially from Iron Age and Roman era ones, which are more similar to the Welsh. This was taken to support a major influence of the Anglo-Saxon migrations on the genetic makeup of East Anglia. In a 2022 study by Joscha Gretzinger et al., the populations of Norfolk and Suffolk were found to be the group with the lowest amount of Iron Age/Roman period British Isles-related ancestry, with only about 11-12.7% of their ancestry being derived from that group, while having one of
432-580: A type of swamp. It was coveted as an area easy to defend, and was controlled in the very early medieval period by the Gyrwas , an Anglo-Saxon tribe. Upon their marriage in 652, Tondbert, a prince of the Gyrwas, presented Æthelthryth (who became St. Æthelthryth), the daughter of King Anna of the East Angles , with the Isle of Ely. She afterwards founded a monastery at Ely, which was destroyed by Viking raiders in 870, but
480-680: A year and this is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. Sunshine totals tend to be higher towards the coastal areas. Transport in East Anglia consists of an extensive road and rail network. Main A roads, such as the A12 and A47 link the area to the rest of the UK, and the A14 links the Midlands to the Port of Felixstowe . This is the busiest container port in the UK, dealing with over 40% of UK container traffic and
528-535: Is a historic region around the city of Ely in Cambridgeshire , England . Between 1889 and 1965, it formed an administrative county . Its name has been said to mean "island of eels ", a reference to the creatures that were often caught in the local rivers for food. This etymology was first recorded by the Venerable Bede . Until the 17th century, the area was an island surrounded by a large area of fenland ,
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#1733115818472576-638: Is a major gateway port into the country. There is very little motorway within East Anglia. Rail links include the Great Eastern Main Line from Norwich to London Liverpool Street and the West Anglia Main Line connecting Cambridge to London. Sections of the East Coast Main Line run through the area and Peterborough is an important interchange on this line. The area is linked to the Midlands and north-west England by rail and has
624-750: Is among the oldest and most famous universities in the world. Other institutions include the University of East Anglia (in Norwich ), University of Essex , Norwich University of the Arts , Anglia Ruskin University (based in Cambridge), University of Suffolk (based in Ipswich) and University Centre Peterborough . Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone, an enterprise zone initiated by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership,
672-654: Is generally dry and mild. Temperatures range from an average of 1–10 °C in the winter to 12–22 °C in the summer, although it is not uncommon for daily temperatures to fall and rise significantly outside these averages. Although water plays a significant role in the Fenland and Broadland landscapes, the area is among the driest in the United Kingdom and during the summer months, tinder-dry conditions are frequently experienced, occasionally resulting in field and heath fires. Many areas receive less than 700 mm of rainfall
720-484: Is gently undulating, with glacial moraine ridges providing some areas of steeper relief. The highest point in Norfolk is the 103 metres (338 ft) Beacon Hill ; the supposed flatness of Norfolk is noted in literature, including Noël Coward 's Private Lives – "Very flat, Norfolk". On the north-west corner East Anglia is bordered by a bay known as The Wash , where owing to deposits of sediment and land reclamation ,
768-402: Is one of the clubs competing for the informal football title Pride of Anglia , but not Southend United F.C. from further south in the county. Culturally, north Essex has much more in common with Suffolk and the rest of East Anglia due to its similar rural landscape, when compared to the south which is much more urban given its proximity to London . However, the county of Essex by itself forms
816-512: Is sometimes set around this period. In 1139 civil war broke out between the forces of King Stephen and the Empress Matilda . Bishop Nigel of Ely , a supporter of Matilda, unsuccessfully tried to hold the Isle. In 1143 Geoffrey de Mandeville rebelled against Stephen, and made his base in the Isle. Geoffrey was mortally wounded at Burwell in 1144. In 1216, during the First Barons' War ,
864-564: The Mercians defeated it twice over the next 40 years, and East Anglia continued to weaken in relation to the other kingdoms. Offa of Mercia finally had king Æthelberht killed in 794 and took control of the kingdom himself. Independence was temporarily restored by rebellion in 825, but the Danes killed King Edmund on 20 November 869 and captured the kingdom. Edward the Elder incorporated East Anglia into
912-703: The Second World War , the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force constructed many airbases in East Anglia for the heavy bomber fleets of the Combined Bomber Offensive against German-occupied Europe . East Anglia was ideally suited to airfield construction, as it includes large areas of open, level terrain and is close to mainland Europe. Many of the airfields can still be seen today, particularly from aerial photographs, and
960-542: The Thorney Rural District going to Huntingdon and Peterborough . In 1894 the county was divided into county districts, with the rural districts being Ely Rural District , Thorney Rural District , Whittlesey Rural District , Wisbech Rural District , North Witchford Rural District , and the urban districts were Ely , March , Whittlesey and Wisbech (the only municipal borough ). Whittlesey Rural district consisted of only one parish (Whittlesey Rural), which
1008-631: The University of East Anglia . The flag of Cambridgeshire (adopted in 2015) includes the three gold crowns on a blue field. The East Anglian flag as it is known today was proposed by George Henry Langham and adopted in 1902 by the London Society of East Anglians (established in 1896). It superimposes the three crowns in a blue shield on a St George's cross . East Anglia features heavily in English literature, notably in Noël Coward 's Private Lives and
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#17331158184721056-454: The estuaries of the rivers Orwell and Stour , and shares an undefined land border to the west with the rest of England. Much of northern East Anglia is flat, low-lying and marshy (such as the Fens of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk ), although the extensive drainage projects of the past centuries actually make this one of the driest areas in the UK. Inland, much of the rest of Suffolk and Norfolk
1104-576: The 15th-century porch of Woolpit church, both in Suffolk. They also appear in local heraldry and form part of the arms of the diocese of Ely and the arms of the borough of Bury St Edmunds , where the crowns are shown pierced with arrows to represent the martyrdom of Edmund the Martyr , the last king of East Anglia. Other users of the arms include the former Isle of Ely County Council , the Borough of Colchester and
1152-517: The 1630s, thousands of Puritan families from East Anglia emigrated to New England in America, taking much East Anglian culture with them that can still be traced today. East Anglia based much of its earnings on wool, textiles, and arable farming and was a rich area of England until the Industrial Revolution caused a manufacturing and development shift to the Midlands and the North. During
1200-564: The 6th century, originally consisted of the modern counties of Norfolk and Suffolk and expanded west into at least part of Cambridgeshire , typically the northernmost parts known as The Fens . The modern NUTS 2 statistical unit of East Anglia comprises Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire (including the City of Peterborough unitary authority). Those three counties have formed the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia since 1976, and were
1248-612: The Isle of Ely are held by Cambridgeshire Archives and Local Studies at the County Record Office in Ely. Chapelries are listed in italics. Parishes are listed by hundred . The title Marquess of the Isle of Ely was created in the Peerage of Great Britain for Prince Frederick . The title of Duke of Edinburgh was first created on 26 July 1726 by King George I , who bestowed it on his grandson Prince Frederick, who became Prince of Wales
1296-512: The Isle was unsuccessfully defended against the army of King John . Ely took part in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. During the English Civil War the Isle of Ely was held for the parliamentarians. Troops from the garrison at Wisbech Castle were used in the siege of Crowland and parts of the Fens were flooded to prevent Royalist forces entering Norfolk from Lincolnshire. The Horseshoe sluice on
1344-513: The Kingdom of England, and it later became an earldom . Parts of East Anglia remained marshland until the 17th-century drainage of the Fens, despite some earlier engineering work during the Roman occupation. The alluvial land was converted into wide swaths of productive arable land by a series of systematic drainage projects, mainly using drains and river diversions along the lines of Dutch practice. In
1392-475: The Wash at King's Lynn. Major urban areas in East Anglia include the cities of Norwich , Cambridge and Peterborough , and the town of Ipswich . Other towns and cities include Bury St Edmunds , Ely , Lowestoft , Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn . Much of the area is still rural in nature with many villages surrounded by a mixture of breckland , fens , broads and agricultural land. The climate of East Anglia
1440-592: The business. East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England , often defined as including the counties of Norfolk , Suffolk and Cambridgeshire . The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles , a people whose name originated in Anglia , in what is now Northern Germany . Definitions of what constitutes East Anglia vary. The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia , established in
1488-526: The coastline has altered markedly within historical times; several towns once on the coast of the Wash (notably King's Lynn) are now some distance inland. Conversely, over to the east on the coast exposed to the North Sea the coastline is subject to rapid erosion and has shifted inland significantly since historic times. Major rivers include the River Nene and Suffolk's Stour , running through country beloved of
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1536-501: The crown. Following the 1837 Act the Isle maintained separate Quarter Sessions , and formed its own constabulary. Under the Local Government Bill of 1888, which proposed the introduction of elected county councils , the Isle was to form part of Cambridgeshire. Following the intervention of the local member of parliament , Charles Selwyn , the Isle of Ely was constituted a separate administrative county in 1889. The county
1584-559: The end of the century. From 1109 until 1837, the Isle was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Ely who appointed a Chief Justice of Ely and exercised temporal powers within the Liberty of Ely. This temporal jurisdiction originated in a charter granted by King Edgar in 970, and confirmed by Edward the Confessor and Henry I to the abbot of Ely. The latter monarch established Ely as the seat of
1632-455: The following year. The subsidiary titles of the dukedom were Baron of Snowdon, in the County of Caernarvon; Viscount of Launceston, in the County of Cornwall; Earl of Eltham, in the County of Kent; and Marquess of the Isle of Ely. The marquessate was apparently erroneously gazetted as Marquess of the Isle of Wight although Marquess of the Isle of Ely was the intended title. In later editions of
1680-434: The highest amounts of Continental North European (45.9-46.1%), and the highest amount of Continental West European (41.2-43.1%) ancestry in all of England. East Anglia was the most powerful of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England for a brief period following a victory over the rival kingdom of Northumbria around 616, and its King Rædwald was Bretwalda (overlord of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms). However, this did not last;
1728-402: The history of its waterways and drainage forms the backdrop to Graham Swift 's novel Waterland . The area also figures in works by L.P. Hartley , Arthur Ransome and Dorothy L. Sayers , among many others. "Suffolk pink" and similar pastel colours of whitewash are commonly seen on houses in Suffolk, Norfolk and their neighbouring counties. East Anglia has holiday resorts that range from
1776-576: The painter John Constable . The River Cam is a tributary of the Great Ouse and gives its name to Cambridge, whilst Norwich sits on the River Yare and River Wensum . The River Orwell flows through Ipswich and has its mouth, along with the Stour at Felixstowe . The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads form a network of waterways between Norwich and the coast and are popular for recreational boating. The Ouse flows into
1824-406: The previous century, and it was one of the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy kingdoms as defined in the 12th-century writings of Henry of Huntingdon . East Anglia has been cited by a number of scholars as being a region where settlement of continental Germanic speakers was particularly early and dense, possibly following a depopulation in the 4th century. A 2016 study found that modern East Anglians share
1872-403: The river at Wisbech and the nearby castle and town defences were upgraded and cannon brought from Ely. The Fens were drained beginning in 1626 using a network of canals designed by Dutch experts. Many Fenlanders were opposed to the draining as it deprived some of them of their traditional livelihood. Acts of vandalism on dykes, ditches, and sluices were common, but the draining was complete by
1920-552: The subject of a possible government devolution package in 2016. Essex has sometimes been included in definitions of East Anglia, including by the London Society of East Anglians. Although the Kingdom of Essex to the south was a separate element of the heptarchy of Anglo-Saxon England and did not identify as Angles but Saxons , many people in Essex today still consider themselves to be East Anglian. For example, Colchester United F.C.
1968-617: The traditional coastal towns of Felixstowe and Lowestoft in Suffolk and Great Yarmouth and Hunstanton in Norfolk, to towns like Aldeburgh and Southwold in Suffolk. Other tourist attractions include historic towns and cities like Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge and Ely as well as areas such as Constable Country , the Broads and the North Norfolk coast. 52°30′N 1°00′E / 52.5°N 1°E / 52.5; 1 Isle of Ely The Isle of Ely ( / ˈ iː l i / )
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2016-402: The world when it opened in 2011. The only major commercial airport is Norwich Airport , although London Stansted Airport , the fourth busiest passenger airport in the UK, lies just south of Cambridge in north-west Essex. The University of Cambridge , established at the start of the 13th century and in the town of the same name, is East Anglia's best-known institution of higher learning and
2064-453: Was added to Whittlesey urban district, in 1926. The Isle of Ely parliamentary constituency was created as a two-member seat in the First and Second Protectorate Parliaments from 1654 to 1659. The constituency was re-created with a single seat in 1918. In the boundary changes of 1983 it was replaced by the new constituency of North East Cambridgeshire . Original historical documents relating to
2112-849: Was announced in 2011 and launched in April 2012. It includes six sites with a total area of 121 hectares (300 acres), which have attracted a number of energy-related businesses. The sites are Beacon Park and South Denes in Great Yarmouth, Mobbs Way, Riverside Road and South Lowestoft Industrial Estate in Lowestoft and Ellough Business Park in Ellough near Beccles. There is also an enterprise zone in Cambridgeshire, Alconbury Enterprise Campus in Huntingdon . A shield of three golden crowns , placed two above one, on
2160-439: Was appointed for life by the bishop, and performed the functions of high sheriff within the liberty, who also headed the government of the city of Ely. In July 1643 Oliver Cromwell was made governor of the isle. The Liberty of Ely Act 1837 ( 7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. 53) ended the bishop's secular powers in the Isle. The area was declared a division of Cambridgeshire , with the right to appoint justices revested in
2208-431: Was for many years the principal troupe to use the circuit. They carried their costumes, scenery and musical instruments from venue to venue. At each location they would spend six to eight weeks generally timed to coincide with a special event in the town. From 1786 for and initial 7 year contract the circuit was leased by John Brunton until, in 1799, William Wilkins – who had been an investor since 1768 – took over running
2256-576: Was rebuilt and became a famous Abbey and Shrine . The area's natural defences led to it playing a role in the military history of England. Following the Norman Conquest , the Isle became a refuge for Anglo-Saxon forces under Earl Morcar , Bishop Aethelwine of Durham and Hereward the Wake in 1071. The area was taken by William the Conqueror only after a prolonged struggle. The story of Tom Hickathrift
2304-597: Was small in terms of both area and population, and its abolition was proposed by the Local Government Boundary Commission in 1947. The report of the LGBC was not acted upon, and the administrative county survived until 1965. Following the recommendations of the Local Government Commission for England , on 1 April 1965 the bulk of the area was merged to form Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely , with
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