Carrow Works

Location

Bracondale, Norwich, NR1 2DD

About

The origins of the Carrow Works industrial complex go back to 1850, when Jeremiah Colman and his nephew James purchased land from the Norfolk Railway Company.

The site lay beside the River Wensum on the eastern edges of Norwich, between Bracondale and Trowse. Crucially for the development of the industrial site, the plot included a railway siding. With easy access to the river and railway, 40 acres of space for development, and a ready supply of cheap labour from the surrounding area, the site - and the Colman family business - were set for rapid development and success.

The first mustard mill was built in 1854 and over the following years further mills, granaries, warehouses and production departments were built. More land was purchased later in the 19th century and more factory buildings erected, including four massive factory blocks built during the 1870s and 1880s.