Norwich – The End of Debenhams

That’s the end of Debenhams in Norwich, they’ve been boarding up (or metalling up, whatever the phrase is) the entrances of this large building all week. It’s not somewhere that I’ve been for years, it has felt old fashioned and under-resourced for a long time.

This boarding up has meant that the recessed areas where the homeless have been sleeping have been made inaccessible, with the tents just moved to the outside now. I’m not sure that this is entirely ideal.

It’s a far cry from 1955 when this building was being built, then known as Curls (or Curl Brothers) and replacing a war damaged building. There’s a photo on Photo Norfolk of what the site looked like following the end of the Second World War, with Debenhams now being located where that pool of water is.

Debenhams purchased Curls in the 1960s, but it continued to trade under its old name until the 1970s. What will happen to the building is anyone’s guess, but I suspect part will be turned into residential flats and there will likely be some coffee shop or the like added to it. The future for large department stores doesn’t look entirely bright, although I suppose this will be useful for nearby Jarrolds who might benefit from the trade.