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Thomas Jeckyll was born in 1827 in Wymondham, Norfolk, to Maria Ann (Balduck) and George Jeckell, a curate. Although he never visited Japan, he became a leading light in spreading japonisme in Britain through his architecture and metalwork designs. Jeckyll designed fireplace - Victoria & Albert Museum He set up an architectural practice in Queen’s Street Norwich in 1853, between the castle and the cathedral close. Through his cousin Peter Bloomfield Jeckell junior, who was li

The first record of a Japanese troupe of acrobats in Norwich was on the 25th August 1868. They performed at a fete held by Robert Harvey, MP for Thetford’s fete at his house, Crown Point Hall (now Whitlingham Hall), in Trowse, Norwich. Who this troupe were remains a mystery. Three troupes of Japanese acrobats had already visited Britain in 1867, the year after the ban on overseas travel by Japanese was lifted. The Matsui Gensui troupe performed in London in February 1867, bef

Frederick Ringer was born on April 3rd 1838, at St Martin at Palace Plain, the year after the Norwich Public Library moved to the new library on Guildhall Hill. He was probably baptised at the St Margaret Baptist Chapel, as his older brother and sister were, but no records are available to confirm this. Frederick was the third son of a grocer and merchant, John Manship Ringer and Ann (née Smith). John Manship Ringer was born in 1798 in Blofield, Norfolk of John Ringer and Eli

The ecumenical atmosphere of mutual toleration amongst the founders of the Library was put under severe strain by the French Revolution of 1789 and the fear of a similar revolt occurring in England. The year before the revolution, a founding subscriber of the Library - dissenter and leader of the parliamentary reform party John Barnard - chaired a dinner at the Maid’s Head Inn to commemorate the centenary of the Glorious Revolution in 1788. Toasts were drunk to King William,

Philip Meadows Martineau - by William Beechey. Image credit Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Philip Meadows Martineau (1752-1829), a wealthy Norwich surgeon and member of the non-conformist Huguenot Martineau family, conceived the plan of founding a subscription library in the summer of 1784. Thirty-three people attended a meeting on the 23rd August 1784, in the Library room, which was in a building at the south porch of Blackfriar's Church, also known as New Hall. It