A Walk Through Deep Time with Roxanne

Come and wrap yourself in deep time and then unravel it all over a drink in the historic Garnet pub together afterwards! We begin in the imagined, pre-Wensum, warm undersea world that formed our chalk beds and acquifers, dodge a 2km ice block, rise to the grand heights of a glacial bank and Norman keep and fit in a medieval brawl, viking raids and Armada ship remnant along the way. We'll walk the line of the Anglo Saxon defences, meet the authors -and their angels - of the best collection of medieval letters in England (probably Europe), the best monastic building we have left and a Wild Man. 

We’re so lucky to have one of only 271 chalk rivers in the world with Ice Age archaeology hard to rival, the best collection of medieval churches in Europe, a unique Norman palatial royal residence, a virtually intact Tudor street, second highest spire in the country, and so many stories. Let's immerse ourselves in  these together, working out how they layer on top of each to build the puzzle of the city we know and love today, nestled so beautifully in the Wensum Valley.

Your guide will be Roxanne Matthews; art historian, forest school leader, director of Treow Woodland Project, local history geek and storyteller .Roxanne is the long-time guide of the Assembly House, has worked in museums and arts orgs across the region and world, is an avid medieval church enthusiast and lover of play, creativity, green spaces and rivers. She's not only interested in people, communities and stories but in how geology and the more-than human-world can interrupt our anthropocentric ways of being, opening our minds and hearts to greater, slower ponderings. She's also pretty entertaining, as guides go and a local to boot.

Meet in the courtyard of Merchant's House at 5pm if you're keen for a pre-tour beverage, the tour will start on Quayside by Fye Bridge at 5.30pm sharp. We'll be at the Garnet on the Norman market by 7pm. 

This tour debuted as part of the Norwich History Festival in July 2026 and is now running monthly, watch this space for more dates. This is the partner tour to A Walk Through Deep Time: Wrongs Covert, together explorations of the Wensum Valley in urban and rural settings, linked by river, story, pilgrim paths and many, many feet through the ages.

Image credit: Invisible Works, The Garnet. The incredible work of Nick Stone https://www.invisibleworks.co.uk/about-nick-stone/

Ts&Cs

In the event that you no long make the session, your ticket will be moved to another date, if this suits you. No refunds.