Norwich
England's second city in medieval times (wool), Colman's mustard from 1814 (2,300 jobs at peak), Flemish refugees brought canaries now the football mascot. Constant reinvention.
Norwich was England's second city when London was first—a status earned by wool. By the 18th century, 30,000 people worked spinning, combing, and weaving worsted cloth. Flemish refugees fleeing Spanish persecution in the 16th century had brought advanced textile techniques and, incidentally, pet canaries—the latter becoming the city's mascot and the emblem of Norwich City Football Club.
The textile trade collapsed when Yorkshire's cheaper labor won the market. Norwich pivoted. In 1814, Jeremiah Colman founded his mustard mill four miles south of the city, blending brown and white mustard seeds into a condiment that would become synonymous with English roast beef. The yellow tin became globally recognized. At its peak, Colman's employed 2,300 people at Carrow Works—one of the region's largest employers for over 160 years until production moved in 2019.
The city's third reinvention came through media. DC Thomson, publishers of The Beano and The Dandy, established printing here in 1905. Eastern Daily Press made Norwich a provincial journalism hub. The University of East Anglia, founded in 1963, added education and research to the economic base.
Today Norwich is East Anglia's largest settlement, its economy built on services, tourism, and the university rather than any single industry. The Museum of Norwich at The Bridewell tells the story of constant adaptation: textiles to mustard to shoes to chocolate to services—each peak followed by decline and transformation.
By 2026, Norwich will continue its diversification, the canary mascot a reminder that even refugees bring gifts that outlast the crises that displaced them.