Friars Quay (Norwich) Friars Quay (Norwich) Friars Quay is a residential development and an example of a high density, urban design of the 1970s. The development is located in the Colegate area at the centre of Norwich, Norfolk, bounded on one side by the River Wensum and by a park and two notable bridges to the east and west. Several historic churches surround the site creating an attractive and varied landscape. The population is included in the Mancroft ward of Norwich City. The original design consists of an arrangement of terraces that include a series of open spaces winding through the scheme culminating
Norwich named "Venta Icenorum", literally "the marketplace of the Iceni". The Roman settlement fell into disuse around 450 and the Anglo-Saxons settled on the site of the modern city between the 5th and 7th centuries, founding the towns of "Northwic" (from which Norwich gets its name), "Westwic" (at Norwich-over-the-Water) and the secondary settlement at Thorpe. According to a local rhyme, the demise of "Venta Icenorum" led to the development of Norwich: "Caistor was a city when Norwich was none, Norwich was built of Caistor stone." There are two suggested models of development for Norwich. It is possible that three separate early