Certain tales from the region's history have been well documented. Each month, we will instead focus on one lesser told.
Lined with independent boutiques and adorned with colourful mosaics, the Royal Arcade is today as much a beauty spot as a shopping destination.
The Victorian arcade, which dates back to 1899, was designed by local architect George Skipper, who was once described as being 'to Norwich what Gaudi was Barcelona'.
Along with other familiar buildings in the city centre, including Aviva's Surrey Street headquarters, Jarrold and the Haymarket Chambers (today Pret a Manger), the architect was also behind Cromer Town hall, Cliftonville Hotel and the Sandcliff Hotel.
Today, shoppers and visitors heading to the arcade from the Castle may spot, high above the stained glass window, the bust of an angel.
Perhaps missed by most in a hurry, the angel is a nod to the arcade's history at the heart of the city's thriving pub industry.
From the 15th century, the site was home to the Angel Inn, an ancient hostelry which regularly hosted unusual entertainment – including a pair of elephants in 1685, and, in 1825, a visit from Monsieur du Pain, who, according to legend, dipped his feet in boiling lead.
At its peak, the Angel was arguably the most popular of four coaching inns along Gentleman's Walk, with the King's Head, Star Inn and White Swan also nearby.
Their importance grew as coaching traffic increased, with the market area acting as something of a bus stop.
While this saw pubs add business space and salerooms, it also meant the area was squalid, with horse manure trapped in the cobblestones.
In 1815, the Angel Inn played its part in civil unrest when Lord Albemarle and TW Cooke, a Norfolk MP, were chased into the pub by an angry mob. They were only able to leave when the military were called in.
During the 1830s the coaching inn became the headquarters of the Norwich Whigs – often linked to the Liberal Democrats – who had a brawl with the Conservatives. The story goes that the commotion was so large the mayor had to call in the military to restore order.
But despite its popularity, in 1840 the Angel closed – news marked by a note in the Norfolk Chronicle.
It soon reopened as the Royal Hotel, a spot for lavish parties – including a banquet celebrating the christening of the Princess Royal.
But in 1897 it moved to a new venue on Bank Plain and, just two years on, the Royal Arcade was opened in its place.
Today, the arcade stretches from Gentleman's Walk to the Back of the Inns, named after the historic coaching inns.
Market square was full of pubs
According to Norwich Pubs and Breweries: Past and Present, by Michael and Frances Holmes, during the late 19th century there were more than 30 pubs around what is today's market square.
This included six where City Hall is today and two at the Sir Garnet pub site.
While it is widely believed that Norwich used to have a pub for every day of the year, historians believe the figure was actually upwards of 600.
Do you have an interesting story about the history of an area in the region? Let us know for our next Hidden feature by emailing lauren.cope@archant.co.uk
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