London Street, Norwich

In July 1967 Norwich Street became the first street in the United Kingdom to be pedestrianized. Several UK towns had made plans to pedestrianize as early as 1960. Things never got past the planning stage. Everything was shelved in the face of opposition from shopkeepers and retailers.

Then, suddenly things changed. The London Street sewer had collapsed. The street was closed to car traffic. Only pedestrians were allowed on the street. Retailers on London Street were suddenly busy as never before. Putting people before automobiles was now a great idea. Fifty years later the idea of shopping without a car is a no-brainer.

London Street is basically an expensive place to shop. It might be called the jewelry center of the city. The street is home to Chapelfield Shopping Plaza, Castle Quarter, Furniture Village, Bear Shop (for toys), Head in the Clouds (for gifts and jewelry), The Free Shop (for phones and vintage items), Langleys (for toys), and the House of Fraser, a department store.