St Giles Street, Norwich

St Giles Street is one of Norwich's most characterful thoroughfares, running west from the city centre towards the medieval church that gives it its name. The street is lined with a striking mix of Georgian townhouses, Victorian commercial buildings and older timber-framed properties, many of which now house independent restaurants, boutique hotels, jewellers and specialist shops. It sits within the Norwich City Centre Conservation Area and forms part of the largely intact medieval street pattern that earned the city its reputation as one of the best-preserved historic centres in England.

At the western end stands the Church of St Giles-on-the-Hill, whose 15th-century tower is the tallest of any parish church in Norwich, rising to around 113 feet. The tower once carried a beacon to guide travellers into the walled city. Inside, you'll find a fine hammerbeam roof, a Georgian pulpit and memorials to the wealthy merchants and physicians who lived along the street during the 17th and 18th centuries.

The street is a good place to break up a walking tour of the city, sitting a short stroll from Norwich Market, the Guildhall and the Forum. Look out for the old Bethel Hospital site, one of the earliest purpose-built institutions in England for the treatment of mental illness, founded in 1713. Several of the Georgian frontages retain original doorcases, fanlights and boot scrapers, and independent cafés along the street make it an easy place to pause between visits to the cathedral quarter and the castle.