Pulls Ferry
Please note that this area is likely to be even busier this summer with dinosaur seeking muggles on the prowl. Why not have your photo taken with TEO T-REX?
Pulls Ferry is a former ferry house located on the River Wensum in Norwich, Norfolk. It is a flint building and was once a 15th-century watergate. Medieval transportation was a problem, roads were poor so it was preferred to transport heavy goods by water. Before work began on Norwich Cathedral in the 12th century, a narrow chance, or canal, was dug from the River Wensum to the building site. Stone imported from Caen in France was transported up the rivers Yare and Wensum. A canal, specifically built by the monks, used to run under the arch and this is where the Normans ferried the stone and building materials to be unloaded on the spot. In addition, timber from the Baltic came up the canal as did iron from Sweden. It was not only building materials that came through the Watergate; peat from the great East Anglian fens was brought here to be used as fuel in the priory kitchens. In the 15th century an arched gateway was built across the canal to guard the approach to the cathedral. This gateway still stands today and has become one of the most iconic historical features of the Norwich landscape.
When the priory at Norwich Cathedral was dissolved by Henry VIII in the 16th century the current Ferry House was built, incorporating the earlier gateway. The house was constructed in 1647 as a home for the ferryman carrying people across the Wensum. There was demand for a ferry carrying foot passengers at this time as the nearby Bishops Bridge was a toll bridge and more expensive to use. The house also served as an inn for tired and thirsty travellers and locals alike. The 12th century canal was filled in around 1792. The only reminder of it is the course of a modern slipway.
Pulls Ferry as depicted by John Sell Cotman 1782-1842
The first ferryman was Thomas Howes or Holmes but the Ferry was never named after him. When 28n year old John Pull took over as ferryman it had been known as Sandling's or Sandins for a good two hundred years probably after a previous 17th century predecessor. John Pull was ferryman from 1796 until his death in 1841. As well as ferryman, Pull continued to operate the Ferry House as a pub. The pub ceased trading around 1900. The ferry operated until 1943. Post World War Two the house and arch fell into disrepair but following a bequest by Cammilla Doyle and fundraising by Norwich Girl Gudes Association, both house and archway were restored in 1948-9 by R.G. Carter Builders with Cecil Upcher as architect. They are privately owned.
Pulls Ferry in the late 19th Century
The only real reminder of the ancient history of the site is a small plaque at the top of the drive leading down to the ferry. There is a footpath along the river from Bishop Bridge, but perhaps the best view of the ferry is from the opposite side of the river on Riverside Road. This view has been used in innumerable tourist brochures, so many that Pulls Ferry has become one of the 'signature' postcard views of Norwich.
The cache is best retrieved on foot via the Riverside Walk footpath (please note the footpath is only open during daylight hours) or by walking through the Cathedral Close. As the area around this lovely historic building is very popular with locals and visitors, please use extreme stealth when retrieving and replacing the cache. You are looking for a black nano. The cache is not on the gates or fences on the house this is private property. Please only cache during daylight hours so not to disturb the residents.
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