The Port of Norwich is a small port on the

River Wensum The River Wensum is a chalk river in Norfolk, England and a tributary of the River Yare, despite being the larger of the two rivers. The river is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation. The Wensum is ...

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. The use of the river as a port stretches back at least to medieval times, however its current standing as a port dates to an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

on 28 May 1827. The name Norwich comes from the Middle Saxon ''north wic'' meaning "north port" and there is evidence of urban settlement on the north bank from the tenth century. Norwich was likely founded as a port when the former Roman port of

Venta Icenorum Venta Icenorum (, literally "marketplace of the Iceni") was the civitas or capital of the Iceni tribe, located at modern-day Caistor St Edmund in the English county of Norfolk. The Iceni inhabited the flatlands and marshes of that county and are ...

three miles to the south silted up. The port was still in regular use in the 1960s and 1970s and continued to have some limited traffic in the 2010s. The port authority is

Norwich City Council Norwich City Council is the city council for the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. It consists of 39 councillors, elected to represent 13 wards, each with three councillors. It is currently under Labour control and led by Alan Waters. It for ...

, who in 2012 stated that they consider the port defunct as a commercial port.

References

External links

Reports and pamphlets on the subject of Norwich a Port; from ... 1818, to the passing of the Norwich & Lowestoft Navigation Act, in 1827

Image from the 50s

Ports and harbours of Norfolk Norwich {{Port-stub