This was Anglia Square…and it has been in the news ever since.

Now the demolition teams have moved in again and the buildings are disappearing in clouds of dust.

The Lost End of Calvert Street. Life before Norwich’s first Anglia Square edited by Matthew

Later this month a book painting a vivid picture of what it was like living in this part of Norwich before their homes came tumbling down and Anglia Square rose into the sky.

The Lost End of Calvert Street.

Life before Norwich’s first Anglia Square, by Matthew Williams and Jason Cork, is based largely on the memories of Jason’s father Derek, who was born in 1941 on the street, not at the city end you can see today, but on the now “lost” northern half.

That part disappeared forever beneath the ring road, Sovereign House and the brutalist concrete of Anglia Square…now being flattened.

Many retired employees of HMSO remember the happy times in and around the iconic office block and going back even further, there are others who like to talk about the “good old days” of tight-knit communities living there after the war.

This book hits the spot by telling us what it was really like.

Memories of Calvert Street. Derek Cork, photographed by his son Jason (Image: Supplied)

A hard life for many tenants having to make ends meet, made worse by the aftermath of wartime bombing and the long-term neglect of buildings which the planners had already decided needed to go.

It was called “slum clearance.”

That doesn’t mean to say there wasn’t a strong community spirit (especially around the pubs), moments of joy to be found amongst the graft, to say nothing of a rich mix of local eccentricity, amusement and occasional tragic happenings.

Local historian and author Matthew Williams has previously published a book of old photographs of the area and is well placed to know its intricacies.

He has worked with Jason to produce an evocative read, supported by plans and family photographs.

Derek’s own father, Cyril, was a bricklayer by day, but went out as a poacher by night, and the book includes a chapter describing his exploit and an interview he gave our own James Ruddy which appeared in the Evening News in 1986.

The King’s Arms public house dating from 1646 (Image: Lince Collection)

This is one of the book’s several highlights. We learnt all about the man they called “Tiddles” and how he made a life by night in the Norfolk countryside.

Derek grew up as part of a teenage gang that used to play on a nearby bombsite when they weren’t going to the old Odeon Cinema, before moving on to Lonnie Donagan and the new fad – rock ‘n’ roll.

He ultimately moved away from Calvert Street in the late 1950s, married a local girl, and went on to work as an electrician, travelling extensively – but he never forgot about the lost end of Calvert Street.

Derek says, “There were some lovely buildings around there, such as the old Methodist chapel on our street.” Some of the places they demolished were considered sacrilege.

And Jason recalls: “As a child, I’d stay up late listening to my parents tell vivid stories about an old area of Norwich with kit characters, places, and events.” “As I grew up, the tales seemed even more Dickensian compared to my life, speaking of hard times but a real sense of community.”

“It wasn’t until Matt’s photo book was published that I was able to put some of these stories into context: my father would point out buildings and streets associated with certain recollections.

“It seemed like an excellent idea and an essential historical record to connect the two, so I called Matt.

“What it includes seems much more tragic today that the region is being demolished again.

“I hope people enjoy the memories as much as I have, and maybe reflect on what has been lost,” Jason interrupted. ” Matthew explained:

“I’ve always been captivated by this historical but somewhat neglected part of the city, and as a boy, I remember being escorted to the old Odeon after the rest of the street had been demolished.

“It’s a privilege to learn first-hand what it was like to live during what turned out to be the final years of a community that had existed here for many decades,” according to the historian.

And the book asks a question. Is a building in danger concealing a piece of the city’s nearly ten-century history? More to come!

A sketch map depicting the 1950s street layout, with an outline of 1970s Anglia Square and Inner Ring Road added in pink and yellow. (Image: Supplied).

The Lost End of Calvert Street. Life before Norwich’s first Anglia Square costs £9.50 and will be available at City Bookshop, Norwich and other local stores on November 25/26, or via direct mail order from.

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