Anglia Square

Stump Cross and Botolph Street The area where Anglia Square stands today was part of the Saxon settlement of Norwich, which was defended by Anglo-Scandinavian defensive ditches running along what is now Botolph Street and Anglia Square car park. Magdalen Street and St Augustine's, which are two of the oldest streets in Norwich, date back to those times. During the 19th century, a Crepe Manufactory – a factory which produced a fabric often worn when mourning, was built where Anglia Square now stands. The area was badly bombed during the Baedeker raids in April 1942, during World War II and the area was deemed suitable for post-war development. Redevelopment The 1945 Norwich Plan, prepared for the city council by C.H. James, Rowland Pierce and Norwich City Engineer H.C. Rowlet, envisioned an urban dual carriageway encircling the city centre, creating ambitiously titled “gates” (aka roundabouts) at every major intersection. Although it was unrealised in its entirety, the western and part of the northern sides of this ring road became the Inner Link Road, constructed between 1968 and 1975. Many historic buildings were cleared in the making of Anglia Square and the subsequent inner-ring road. One of the oldest was the Kings Arms public house on Botolph Street, which on its gable end in large iron characters were the letters "I" and "C" and the date "1646", now preserved in one of the Norwich museums. Also demolished was the Regency bank at the junction of Magdalen Street and Botoph Street, some other Georgian and Victorian buildings along St George's Street, that survived the war bombings, as well as gabled and jettied Tudor buildings. The cleared areas near where The Shuttles pub stood were never built on, and remain an empty wasteland today. The centre was designed by Alan Cooke & Partners who handled the whole development. == Facilities ==

Shops The single storey shops included discount supermarkets and a wide range of privately owned and high street stores. The covered square featured a selection of street stalls. Cinema Built on a concrete raft and rising above the centre was the former Odeon cinema which opened on 8 July 1971, replacing a nearby 2,000 seat pre-war cinema. Later part of the local Hollywood Cinemas chain, in July 2013 the cinema hosted the world premiere of Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa following an "Anglia Square Not Leicester Square" campaign. In 2019, the cinema closed permanently. == Regeneration ==

building|alt= Anglia Square and the surrounding area were intended to be the centre of a major redevelopment, with a suggested name of Calvert Square (Calvert Street is nearby). During 2008, the public were invited to view the proposals. Work was due to start in 2009 but plans were scaled down due to the credit crunch. The multimillion-pound plans were to be part of the Northern City Centre Area Action Plan. In January 2011, new plans for the square were lodged and the developers hoped to gain approval before the end of April 2011 In 2014, after the previous developers failed to begin any redevelopment, the centre was bought by investment manager Threadneedle Investments for £7.5 million. Threadneedle, and their partner Weston Homes, announced in November 2016 they have been holding talks with chief officers at Norwich City Hall over redevelopment plans. Plans submitted included the demolition of Anglia Square, the former stationery office and Gildengate House, with more than 1000 homes to be built above shop units and a new public square. By early 2018, the regeneration plans for the site were submitted. These include 1200 homes, of which 120 will be affordable, a major supermarket, hotel, green squares and central courtyards, along with a 20-storey tower. The project was opposed by Historic England, civic watchdog the Norwich Society and the Dean and Chapter of Norwich Cathedral. The plans were rejected but later revised in 2023, which were approved by the council despite concerns over the affordability of the housing. The plans were estimated to cost £300 million. However, in February 2024, Weston Homes announced it had pulled out of the project and the plans were subsequently scrapped. == Demolition ==

File:Anglia_Sq_from_Ringroad.JPG|Sovereign House File:Anglia Sq Close View.JPG|Sovereign House