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Tombland

Photo of old houses in Tombland in Norwich, England

© Ellen Glimstad

Tombland

Zooming in

  1. Find three old things in the picture.
  2. Find three modern things in the picture.

Zooming out

These houses are in a place called Tombland.

  1. What do you think Tombland means?
  2. Write two sentences describing the house.
  3. Guess how old the house in the middle is.

Write down your ideas. Then have a look at The bigger picture.

The bigger picture

The name Tombland comes from Old English, and means “empty land”. That’s because when this name was first used many centuries ago, there were no buildings here. The house in the middle of the picture was built in 1530, and belonged to a wealthy businessman called Augustine Steward. He had a shop on the ground floor, and he and his family lived on the top floors. He was married twice and had 11 children.

Over time the wood supporting the top floors has become bent and twisted, giving the house an interesting shape. Two fun facts about this house: There is said to be a secret passage from the house to the cathedral nearby. Some people also believe the house is haunted by a woman who died there in 1576.

  1. Write a ghost story about this house. Make it as creepy as possible!
  2. Read your story to a small group.

Tombland

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