Patrick Comerford
As we were strolling around the Cathedral Quarter in Norwich during our recent visit, we came to Pulls Ferry by the banks of the River Wensum, one of the ‘signature’ views of the city and the riverside. The channel running up to the ferry point is far older than the ferry house and was built even before the cathedral.
The ferry and the ferry house are a picturesque part of the Cathedral Quarter and cherished landmarks in Norwich, still closely linked with the cathedral, and they were saved almost 80 years ago through a bequest to the cathedral from the Norwich-born poet and artist Camilla Doyle and fundraising by the Norwich Girl Guides.
Pulls Ferry was once the water gate to Norwich Cathedral and its story goes back to the 12th century, when the monks cut a canal from the River Wensum that ran under the arch, so that building materials could be unloaded on the spot.
Heavy building materials were difficult to transport in the Middle Ages. Roads were poor and building materials were often transported by boat. Before work began on Norwich Cathedral in the 12th century, a narrow chance or canal was cut from the River Wensum to the building site to bring in stone, timber, and iron used in building the cathedral.
The stone from Caen was brought up the rivers Yare and Wensum to the canal and from there to the cathedral site, along with timber from the Baltic and iron from Sweden, as well as peat from the fens in East Anglia, which uses as fuel in the priory kitchens.
An arched gateway guarding the approach to the cathedral was built across the canal in the 15th century, and the gateway remains the most obvious historical feature of Pulls Ferry today.
The Priory at Norwich Cathedral was dissolved along with other monastic houses at the Tudor Reformation in the 16th century. The current Ferry House, a flint building, was built in 1647, incorporating the earlier gateway. The house was both an inn and a home for a ferryman carrying people across the Wensum.
Thomas Howes, or Holmes, was the first ferryman, and the building was once known as Sandling’s after an early ferryman. The 12th century canal was filled in ca 1772-1780, and the only reminder of it is the course of the modern slipway leading from the river to the mediaeval arch.
The name Pulls Ferry comes from John Pull, who ran the crossing from 1796 until he died in 1841 at the age of 73. He was probably the last licensee to run the Ferry House as a pub.
The ferry continued to operate until 1943, when the buildings had fallen into dilapidation. The ferry house and the watergate were saved in 1947 thanks to a bequest from the poet and painter Camilla Doyle and fundraising by the Norwich Girl Guides.
The poet and artist Honor Camilla Doyle (1888-1944) is best-known for her poem ‘The Town Rabbit in the Country’ published in volume of poetry, Poems, in 1923. She was born into a family of Irish descent in the Cathedral Close in Norwich and lived there for most of her life.
Her books include 16 New Poems (London, 1920), Poems (Oxford, 1923), and The ‘General Shop’ and other poems (London, 1937). She was also known as an artist and craft designer, and her paintings and furniture were exhibited widely. Her painting ‘Lock 75, Cassiobury Canal’ is in Norwich Castle Museum.
Camilla Doyle died in Norwich in 1944 and in her will she left half her estate for the maintenance of Norwich Castle Museum. Both the Ferry House and the archway were restored in 1948-1949 by the architect Cecil Upcher (1884-1972), who was involved in all aspects of restoration in churches around Norfolk. His other works include the World War I Memorial Cottages at Mousehold, to provide support for wounded soldiers and a Chinese-style boathouse in Cawston Park.
The restored Ferry House at first became offices for Upcher’s architectural practice and the watergate became the headquarters of Norwich Girl Guides Association in 1949.
Pulls Ferry and Ferry House are a five-minute walk from Norwich Railway Station and are privately owned. The only real reminder of the history of the site is a small plaque at the top of the drive leading down to the ferry. The Watergate Room can be hired for a variety of activities including meetings, parties, award presentation ceremonies, sing songs and picnics by the river. A footpath leads along the river from Bishop Bridge, but perhaps the best view of the ferry is from the facing side of the river, off Riverside Road.
