Norwich also records the site of an Anglo-Saxon church in Tombland, the site of the Saxon market place and the later Norman cathedral. Norwich continued to be a major centre for trade, the River Wensum being a convenient export route to the River Yare and Great Yarmouth, which served as the port for Norwich. Quern stones and other artefacts from Scandinavia and the Rhineland have been found during excavations in Norwich city centre. These date from the 11th century onwards. Norwich Castle was founded soon after the Norman Conquest. The Domesday Book records that 98 Saxon homes were demolished to make
Elm Hill, Norwich rear. Between them and the river were the homes of their workpeople. Elm Hill has provided sixteen recorded citizens to serve Norwich as Mayor or Sheriff. With the gradual decline of Norwich as a centre of the weaving industry in the 19th century, Elm Hill lost its importance and slowly degenerated into a slum area. By 1926 where once stood the fine houses of the merchants there was only neglect and decay. The areas leading down to the river, whilst still inhabited, were scenes of poverty and squalor. The Norwich Corporation wanted to demolish and build a swimming pool on