Culture in Norwich: St Saviour’s Yard

Culture in Norwich: St Saviour’s Yard

Norwich is a city brimming with independent spirit, where creativity is celebrated and community nurtured. And one of the buzziest spots for local makers is St Saviour’s Yard. 

In the city’s Creative Quarter on Magdalen Street, this eye-catching container hub draws you in with the promise of unique businesses and a friendly welcome. You’ll find it hard to leave empty-handed- treat yourself to a delicious slice of pizza, carefully curated book, thoughtfully made lifestyle products and a collage of your favourite Norwich spot. 

Here, we meet the faces behind these businesses as they tell us what to expect at St Saviour’s Yard!

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Jacob from Lost Books | Container 37

Norwich is England’s first UNESCO City of Literature. What’s your favourite literary story from our so-called City of Stories? 

I really enjoy the playful and irreverent nature of my namesake Ian Sansom’s The Norfolk Mystery, which is the first book in his County Guides series. It reminded me of the massively underappreciated Edmund Crispin’s Gervase Fen books. They push that kind of anarchic take on a classic English mystery even further than Crispin did. 

Tell us about Lost Books and your selection of titles. 

The aim of Lost Books is to provide a high-quality selection of curated titles at an affordable price. I want to have something for everyone, from the obscure to the obvious, classics to crime, cult to kids. My prices are purposely low because I think everyone should be able to have access to culture and the world of the imagination! 

Does the creative community of St Saviour’s Yard and NR3 influence the books you stock? 

I am still learning the tastes of my customers (some of which are from the St Saviour’s creative community) and therefore my stock is a work in progress. Being a one-man band, I know and can adjust my stock quickly and intuitively. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the level of interest in high quality fiction that I’ve had so far!  

What’s your go-to spot to read a book in Norwich? 

Lost Books, of course! You can find me behind my desk in the shop, book in hand, most days. Another favourite spot is the Millennium Library. 

Lost Books in open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm and Sunday, 10am – 4pm.

Chris from East Dough Pizza | Container 25 

St Saviour’s Yard is home to a lovely sense of community. How do you recommend spending a summer’s evening here with friends? 

I’d say why not spend the day, as well as the evening! You can start with a coffee from Merchants Hatch, a delicious bun from SøD, then have a wonder around the shops. When it gets to the evening, grab a slice of pizza from East Dough and a drink or two from Sir Toby’s! 

As a small business, what was the draw of St Saviour’s Yard? What’s it like being part of Norwich’s wider food and drink scene? 

Being part of a community of likeminded small businesses was a big appeal to me. Instead of feeling like you’re running a business on your own, you have a plethora of people to ask for advice. Everyone is super chatty and ready to help you!  

The great thing about the Norwich food and drink scene is everyone talks and follows each other. I often recommend other food vendors for people visiting Norwich and have had a few customers say they were recommended visiting me also! 

You’re often part of exciting events like St Saviour’s Sessions. Are there any upcoming that we should look out for? 

Every Saturday over the summer we are having a DJ/ live music. We’re all currently looking into other live events we can host (comedians, performers, etc), so watch this space! 

Finally, for a first-time visitor to East Dough Pizza, which flavour should I go for? 

Each week we have a different special- one of our most popular is tomato and pesto, ricotta and black pepper. 

East Dough Pizza is open on Thursday, 12pm – 3pm, and Friday & Saturday, 12pm – 7pm.

Cath from Soodle Street Studio | Container 38 

We love your collages of Norwich landmarks- including those of our pubs! Where’s next on your list? 

Thank you! A couple of buildings on my list are the Jarrolds’ Mill, a beautiful building with a rich history, as well as the Britons Arms at the top of Elm Hill. I’d also like to explore some more riverside views and Norwich’s green spaces, such as Plantation Garden and the beautiful wisteria at Waterloo Park. 

I’m drawn to lesser pictured locations, and love getting suggestions to explore & create some of the secret spots that Norwich has to offer. There are so many lovely little corners and nooks and crannies in this city. I love the jumbled rooflines, interesting street furniture and historical decorations.  

What’s the process behind your practice? Where do your materials come from? 

Each image I make is hand-collaged from unwanted paper such as old magazines, junk mail and advertising; celebrating the simple joy of re-using waste material to create something new, worthwhile and desirable. All my materials are donated or collected, and they last me a very long time. I have stacks of magazines dating back to the 90s! 

I think collage is often associated with a very abstract and messy process or simply placing ‘ready-made’ images next to each other. However, I like to select papers for their colour, texture and pattern and piece them together to make a completely new visual image. I like to think of it more as painting with paper, and with the right tools and a bit of patience you can create something very intentional. 

Often, people are surprised when I tell them that it is all handmade! In the age of AI, it is really important to champion and enjoy handmade processes. 

Do your customers and fellow business owners at St Saviour’s Yard give you inspiration on what to create? 

Definitely. It’s really nice to be in a community where customers and other tenants make suggestions or tell me their favourite prints or buildings. I’ve had a lot of suggestions to make an ‘in memoriam’ collage of Anglia Square! 

I can get a real feel for where the favourite spots in Norwich are by people’s reactions to different prints and the conversations they inspire. Working to commission also gives me a great insight into clients’ personal connections to the city, from creating wedding invite illustrations of Norwich Arts Centre to favourite shopfronts like Macarons & More.  

It is also great to be able to utilise other traders at St Saviour’s Yard- all the flowers for my bouquet workshops come from Mon.Na.Mi Florist in unit 50. 

You studied History of Art at UEA. What was it about Norwich that made you stay after graduating? 

I had never experienced such a creative-focused place before and I was excited about the warm welcome for creatives trying something out. Out of the box businesses were, and are, accepted and I think that is what I stayed for. I enjoy the scale of Norwich, it is a walkable city with a village feel, and it is easy to make connections and sustain them here.  

I also love the variety of environments that are on our doorstep, just a few miles out of the city you have beautiful countryside and then some of the loveliest coastline in the country. Norwich is a great base to have the best of everything. I have been here 14 years now and it still feels fresh and exciting with lots left to explore. 

You can visit Soodle Street Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm.

Lisa from All Planet Kind | Container 39 

There’s something for everyone at All Planet Kind (including dogs!). What are your favourite East Anglian-made products that you sell? 

I enjoy supporting local independent businesses and Yare Valley Oils is one of them. Their amazing rapeseed oil is a top seller and their lip balms made with elderflower and clementine are a lovely addition to the shop. I also sell beautiful handmade soap from The Guilt Free Soapery in Suffolk.  

Alongside these permanent brands, I also have pop ups for local independents to showcase the wonderful products created here in East Anglia. 

St Saviour’s Yard has given you the chance to have your own space as a small business owner. What does it mean to you? 

Having an affordable space without too much commitment has meant that I can pursue a dream of mine to make available zero waste, plastic free alternatives to local communities, something that is desperately needed in these current times.  

I want to be more conscious of zero waste products. Where do I start? Do you have any easy hacks? 

Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming to know where to start, but I usually say take one room at a time and as a product runs out in that room replace it with an alternative, planet friendly one.  

And if you already have a washing up or laundry detergent bottle, you can bring those in when they’re empty and we’ll refill them for you- you don’t have to purchase a bottle from us.  

Where in Norwich do you love to get close to nature? 

I’m lucky to live very close to Catton Park. I also enjoy paddle boarding- Wensum Park is one of my go-tos. I love picnicking with friends in Waterloo Park. It’s a place I have many fond memories of going to with my grandmother as a small child and Norwich’s riverside walk, which is just a minute away from St. Saviour’s Yard, is always a joy! 

All Planet Kind is open Wednesday, 10.30am – 5.30pm, Thursday, 12pm – 7pm, Friday, 10.30am – 5.30pm and Saturday, 10am – 5pm.