My Norwich Favourites: Interview with the Dean of Norwich

Dr Andrew Braddock is the 40th Dean of Norwich where his role involves overseeing the day-to-day life and work of the cathedral which welcomes more than half a million visitors each year.

Originally from Stockport, Dr Braddock was ordained at Norwich Cathedral in 1998. In 2008 he took on a role at Gloucester Cathedral before returning as the Dean of Norwich in January 2023. 

Looses Emporium 

Looses Emporium in Magdalen Street (Image: Newsquest) "They have an extraordinary amount of things in there - we've bought some wonderful bargains.

"If I'm ever in Magdalen Street I love to pop in and have a wander around because you never quite know what you might find. 

"It's a fascinating mix of odds and ends and there's some really random stuff - I think I saw some kind of Egyptian mummies upstairs once. 

"We've got some chairs and a very nice set of nesting tables in the Deanery. 

"We'd been looking for a nice set of side tables for years and then suddenly there they were sitting in Looses."

Plantation Gardens

The Plantation Gardens (Image: Newsquest)

"The Plantation Gardens are absolutely beautiful.

"I hadn't really discovered them until this summer when I visited with my family. 

"They're tucked away and are just this really wonderful example of a Victorian garden, with the fountains and the wall at the end all carved out of the quarry.  

"It's a nice little place to retreat to and watch the world go by."

Independent bookshops

The Book Hive owner Henry Layte (Image: Denise Bradley) "I'm amazed at how many independent bookshops Norwich still has.

"You've got City Bookshop, The Book Hive, Tombland Bookshop, the one in St Giles Street, and many others I've probably forgotten.

"To be able to dip in and out of those shops is lovely and I'll often find a bargain or something interesting.

"They're part of the city's character and part of the wider culture Norwich has from being a City of Literature to Julian of Norwich, the first woman we know of to have written a book in English.

"I obviously read a lot of books on theology and religion, but I read history at university and also enjoy books on architecture and music. Fiction-wise I recently got into the novels of Eric Ambler, a pioneer of spy stories."

Riverside Walk

Pull's Ferry is one of the stops along the Riverside Walk (Image: Denise Bradley)"I think we are the only cathedral which has a boundary with a national park because of the River Wensum and The Broads.

"It's beautiful in the spring when the snowdrops come out and then you get the crocuses and the daffodils.

"There's always interesting activity to watch on the river with people canoeing or paddle boarding. 

"It's such a gift to have so much beautiful, tranquil green space in the middle of the city."

Norwich Cathedral 

Norwich Cathedral (Image: Newsquest) "It's a huge privilege to be Dean and to have that sense of responsibility for just a short time to lead the life of a great church, which has been here for over 900 years.

"It attracts so many different people and people respond to the beauty and sense of wonder. 

"At our best, people can find a sense of peace and sanctuary in the cathedral and somewhere which is an uplifting place to be, it kind of speaks to the human spirit about there being something more to life.

"I've actually climbed up to the very top of the spire before. It gets more and more narrow, and eventually, there's just space for one person to stand.

"You can look out from a little window and see this amazing view across the whole city and out to the countryside - you can see the sugar beet factory down at Cantley."