Townapedia
Striking postmen at the Royal Mail Bowthorpe depot in 2009
Striking postmen at the Royal Mail Bowthorpe depot in 2009 · Roger Blackwell from Norwich, UK, CC BY 2.0
Blackfriars Bridge Norwich
Blackfriars Bridge Norwich · Northmetpit, CC BY-SA 3.0
Norwich - Fye Bridge - 20220911135036
Norwich - Fye Bridge - 20220911135036 · Barrymyles, CC BY-SA 4.0
Maddermarket
Maddermarket · Cameron Self, aka C1self at en.wikipedia, CC BY 2.5
NorwichPlayhouse
NorwichPlayhouse · Cameron Self, CC BY 2.5
SewellBarn
SewellBarn · Cameron Self, CC BY 2.5

Bowthorpe, United Kingdom

Bowthorpe is a town of 20,000 people in England, United Kingdom.

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Population20,000 GeoNames
RegionEngland
Elevation85 ft 26 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Nearest airportNorwich Airport (NWI) 4 mi
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Why visit Bowthorpe

Townapedia lists 11 museums and landmarks, 36 parks and trails, 55 places to eat, 6 places to stay and 8 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Blackfriar's Bridge, Fye Bridge, The Sainsbury Centre and Norwich Castle.

About Bowthorpe

Bowthorpe is a suburban village to the west of Norwich, in the county of Norfolk, England.

From the Wikipedia article Bowthorpe (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Things to do8

Blackfriar's Bridge

Bridge · 3.2 mi

Bridge in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Fye Bridge

Bridge · 3.3 mi

Bridge in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK

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Maddermarket Theatre

Cinema and theater · 3.1 mi

Theatre in Norwich, England

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Norwich Playhouse

Cinema and theater · 3.2 mi

Theatre in Norwich, Norfolk, England

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Sewell Barn Theatre

Cinema and theater · 3.4 mi

Theatre in Norwich, England

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St Crispin's Bridge

Bridge · 2.9 mi

Bridge in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK

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Theatre Royal, Norwich

Cinema and theater · 3.1 mi

Theatre in Norwich, England

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St Miles Bridge

Bridge · 3.1 mi

Bridge in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK

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Museums and landmarks11

The Sainsbury Centre

Museum · 1.4 mi

Norfolk Road, Norwich

Mo off; Tu-Fr 09:00-18:00; Sa-Su 10:00-17:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 1603 593199

Norwich Castle

Monument and historic site · 3.4 mi

Historic castle and museum in Norwich, England

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Sainsbury Centre

Museum · 1.4 mi

Art gallery and museum at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, United Kingdom

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Strangers' Hall

Museum · 3.1 mi

Grade I listed building in Norwich, England

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Bridewell Museum

Museum · 3.3 mi

Grade I listed building in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK

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Norwich War Memorial

Monument and historic site · 3.2 mi

War memorial in Norwich, England

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Lodge Farm Holiday Barns

Monument and historic site · 0.7 mi

New Road, Norwich

Open in Google Maps · +44 1603 742247

Saint Michael and All Angels

Monument and historic site · Anglican

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Crafts and Gifts

Monument and historic site

Open in Google Maps · +44 1603 746106

Bawburgh Hall Folly

Monument and historic site · 1.4 mi

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Saint Michael's Cottage Crafts

Monument and historic site

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Parks, trails and playgrounds36

Brundall Church Fen

Park · 3.4 mi

Park in United Kingdom

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Chapelfield Gardens

Park · 3.0 mi

Park in Norwich, Norfolk, England

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Danby Wood

Park · 3.4 mi

Park in United Kingdom

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Earlham Park Woods

Park · 1.2 mi

Nature reserve in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK

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Eaton Common

Park · 3.3 mi

Park in Norwich, United Kingdom

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Heigham Park

Park · 2.3 mi

Park in Norwich, Norfolk, England

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Marston Marshes

Park · 3.3 mi

Park in United Kingdom

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Waterloo Park

Park · 3.0 mi

Urban park in Norwich, UK

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Bowthorpe Marsh

Hiking and trails · 0.7 mi

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Bowthorpe Marsh

Park · 0.6 mi

Marsh in Norfolk

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Eaton Park

Park · 2.0 mi

Public park in Norwich, England

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Marston Marsh

Park · 3.3 mi

Local Nature Reserve in Norwich, England

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24 more on the map.

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Restaurants and cafes55

The Fiveways

Bar and pub · 1.4 mi

Gipsy Lane, Norwich

Mo-Sa 12:00-23:00; Su 12:00-22:30

Open in Google Maps · +44 1603 452854

The Cherry Tree

Bar and pub · 0.7 mi

Dereham Road, Norwich

Su-Th 11:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-00:30

Open in Google Maps · +44 1603 749469

Orlando’s

Restaurant · Indian, Japanese · 1.5 mi

547 Earlham Road, Norwich

Open in Google Maps · +44 7877 746598

The Kings Head

Bar and pub · 1.5 mi

Harts Lane, Norwich

11:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 1603 744977

Clocktower

Restaurant · Regional

26 Jarrold Way, Norwich

Mo-Sa 11:30-23:00; Su 11:30-22:30

Open in Google Maps · +44 1603 748068

The Harte of Costessey

Bar and pub · 1.5 mi

Townhouse Road, Norwich

24/7 closed

Open in Google Maps · +44 1603 742755

Blend

Cafe · 1.5 mi

The Square, Norwich

Sep 21-Jun 07: Mo-Fr 10:00-16:00; Jun 08-Sep 20: off

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Caffeine Helpdesk

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.5 mi

Mo-Fr 12:00-19:00

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Earlham Park Café

Cafe · 1.1 mi

2, Norwich

Tu-We,Fr-Su 09:30-16:30; Mo off

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Grain

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.3 mi

Mo-Fr 08:30-15:30

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Sportscafé

Cafe · 1.4 mi

University Drive, Norwich

Mo-Th 08:00-22:00; Fr-Su 08:00-21:30

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The Terrace

Cafe · 1.5 mi

Norfolk Road, Norwich

Tu-Fr 09:00-17:30; Sa-Su 10:00-16:30

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43 more on the map.

History

Bowthorpe's name is of Norse origin and refers to 'Bui's' farm or settlement.

In the Domesday Book, Bowthorpe is recorded as being made up of 19 households and being owned principally by William the Conqueror.

In 1549, Robert Kett briefly camped at Bowthorpe at the beginning of the rebellion that was to bear his name. On 10 July 1549, the Sheriff of Norfolk, Sir Edward Wyndham, was nearly pulled from his house by the rebels in the village as he tried to persuade them to disband. This helped to inspire further people from Norwich to join Kett at his camp in the village. Kett quickly decided that Bowthorpe was too exposed for a rebel camp, and moved on to Mousehold Heath.

In 1931 the civil parish had a population of 44. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Costessey.

From the History section of Bowthorpe on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about Bowthorpe

Geography

Bowthorpe is primarily a residential area, but includes a large industrial estate (Bowthorpe Industrial Estate; occupied by mix-use commercial business, including the technology sector) and one small out-of-town shopping centre, containing a supermarket and various smaller retail outlets. A community hall is situated close to Bowthorpe village centre. A police station was located near the centre until it closed in 2018. Most of present-day Bowthorpe has been developed from the 1970s onward.

The largest of these areas is Clover Hill, a mix of council development and private housing, making up almost two-thirds of Bowthorpe. Clover Hill, situated to the east of the other three areas was developed in the 1970s and 1980s. Further development of the mainly private housing estates, Chapel Break and Three Score took place in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Bowthorpe differs from the nearby estates of Earlham and Costessey; by having a high variability of housing stock, and a centrally planned network of bus and bicycle-only lanes. Large open spaces and parks border the periphery of the Bowthorpe housing estate, with Bowthorpe Park between the north of the estate and Dereham Road, and the Yare Marshland and Bowthorpe Southern Park bordering the south and west of the estate.

Education

Bowthorpe is home to three schools; made up of two infant schools and one junior school. One infant school is located in Clover Hill, the other schools are located in Chapel Break.

There was originally a Bowthorpe High School, which was actually located in nearby Earlham. Bowthorpe High School has since been demolished and replaced with a fire station and private housing. The nearest high schools to Bowthorpe are Ormiston Victory Academy (previously Costessey High School), and the City Academy Norwich (previously Earlham High School).

From the Wikipedia article Bowthorpe, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where to stay6

Churches and places of worship47

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Shopping8

Gas and EV charging5

Schools, colleges and libraries20

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Healthcare12

Map of Bowthorpe

208 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Norwich Airport (NWI) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 4 miles away.

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.