Norwich's most surprising pub.

Alright? I hope you’re enjoying this deceptively warm Sunday afternoon we’re having.

Welcome to the -checks notes- 807 of you who have joined us this week. Blimey. There’s still some complimentary tea and coffee in the corner, and I’ve laid out some cheese-based snacks (Ritz, Mini-cheddars and Tucs: the holy triumvirate) too. Please help yourself.

Today, we’re talking about a historical goldmine hidden in plain sight.

Fair warning: this newsletter contains some gruesome and upsetting details about murder.

Three guesses

Once upon a time, in the days before I suffered from 48h hangovers, I used to run historical tours of Norwich’s pubs. We’d meet on the steps of the City Hall, where tour-goers would receive a quick eulogy about the tour rules (‘try not to get too pissed, please’) and be offered the chance to guess which pub we’d be visiting first.

Understandably, the guesses were for pubs like The Murderers, The Adam and Eve and The Coach and Horses on Bethel Street. One wrong ‘un even guessed The Bell Hotel (which isn’t entirely unreasonable, but that’s for another newsletter).

But of the ~1000 or so people who were brave enough to attend one of my tours, nobody - not one - guessed The Lamb Inn. Today, I’ll tell you why it thoroughly deserved to be our first stop.

I know what you’re thinking: ‘Hang on, doesn’t The Lamb exist solely as a refuge for Aviva staff to enjoy a post-work drink?’

But look past the quarter-zips, pints of Neck Oil and recent refurbishments and you’ll discover a wealth of fascinating - and tragic - history.

The Norwich Massacre

The Lamb Inn’s story dates back to the late 12th Century, when a pub called The Holy Lamb would’ve served Norwich’s residents on the same site as today’s pub.

This was around the same time that much of Norwich’s Jewish community - once an integral part of Norwich’s Norman population - was massacred in 1190.

The climate for these attacks stemmed from the brutal murder of William of Norwich in 1144 (actually, the 881st anniversary of his death was yesterday), a 12-year-old boy whose mutilated body was found on Mousehold Heath and erroneously blamed on the city’s French-speaking Jewish community.

Incidentally, the skeletons of 17 of these persecuted Jews (6 adults, 11 children) were discovered at the bottom of a well shaft in 2004 during the construction of Chapelfield shopping centre.

You can still see a rather innocuous plaque to commemorate them on one of the shopping centre’s walls, and the remains have since been laid to rest at the Jewish Cemetery at Earlham Cemetery.

The bloodshed continues

Jump forward nearly 600 years to 1787, and I’m afraid the history of The Lamb Inn gets no cheerier.

John Aggas, the landlord of the pub, had found himself reluctantly housing his brother-in-law, a man called Timothy Hardy, after he’d fallen on hard times.

Timothy was the housemate from hell. Amongst other things, he enjoyed sneaking down to the bar in the evenings to help himself to what I’m sure was a primitive version of some locally brewed hipster IPA, which angered his new co-inhabitants no end.

It was during one of these night-time excursions that Timothy was confronted by his disgruntled sister (John’s wife). In an attempt to intervene in the ensuing argument, 51-year-old John Aggas was fatally stabbed by Timothy, who fled to a nearby pub (presumably waiting for it all to blow over).

Unfortunately for Timothy, the authorities didn’t mess about in 1787. He was hanged around the corner from The Lamb just days later, at the bottom of the trench surrounding the castle.

Some say that John’s ghost still haunts the pub today. Apparently he’s a pretty smiley poltergeist, which somehow makes it creepier.

The artist formerly known as The Rat and Parrot

Several disasters later - including a flood in 1917 and a fire in 1939 - and the modern Lamb Inn has never quite reconnected with its heritage. In many respects, it’s the original “Murderers”, but you won’t find any acknowledgement of its past on the official website.

Still, it took a step in the right direction 14 years ago. Formerly known as “Henry’s”, and, before that, “The Rat and Parrot”, The Lamb Inn was renamed in 2011 - a call back to its historical origins.

Next time you’re there, have a look at the artwork that lines the walls of the entrance alleyway leading from Gentleman’s Walk. You might just see an acknowledgement of the murdered John Aggas painted into the stone.

You’ve made it this far, so you should know that I’m assembling a team of secret-finders that I’m provisionally calling The (Sc)Avengers. If you like this newsletter, and reckon you know a thing or two about Norwich’s best-kept secrets, you’re exactly who I’m looking for.

Just reply to this email with the word “Secret” and I’ll give you some more information.

See you next Sunday,

Secret Norwich.