Norwich Electric Tramways

Norwich Electric Tramways served the city of Norwich in Norfolk from 30 July 1900 until 10 December 1935.

History


The Norwich Electric Tramways company was a subsidiary of the New General Traction Company. Construction work started in June 1898 and first routes opened in July 1900. An electricity generating station was built on Duke Street to supply power for the scheme. The tram depot was on Silver Road. The network was essentially complete and fully operational by the end of 1901, but there were minor additions and changes in 1918 and 1919.

Infrastructure
The network was radial, with routes based around the hub in Orford Place. From Orford Place the lines ran along:
 * Haymarket, Gentleman's Walk, Market Place, St Giles Street, Earlham Road to a terminus at the entrance to Norwich cemetery
 * Castle Meadow, Bank Plain, Redwell Street, St Andrews Street, Charing Cross, St Benedicts Street, Dereham Road to a terminus at the junction with Merton Road
 * Castle Meadow, Bank Plain, Redwell Street, St Andrews Street, Charing Cross, St Benedicts Street, Barn Road, Norwich City railway station, Station Road, Oak Street, Sussex Street, St Augustine Street, Aylsham Road to a terminus at the junction with Berners Street
 * Castle Meadow, Upper King Street, Tombland, Wensum Street, Fyebridge Street, Magdalen Street, Magdalen Road, Denmark Road to the depot in Silver Road at.
 * Castle Meadow, Prince of Wales Road, Norwich Thorpe railway station, Riverside Road, Bishopbridge Road, Gurney Road (past Britannia Barracks) to a terminus on Mousehold Heath at . A later extension across Mousehold Heath to a munitions factory enabled a goods service between the factory and the exchange sidings at Norwich Thorpe station.
 * Castle Meadow, Prince of Wales Road, Norwich railway station, Thorpe Road to a terminus at
 * Red Lion Street, St Stephens Street, Norwich Victoria railway station, Queens Road, Bracondale to a terminus for Trowse railway station at
 * Red Lion Street, St Stephens Street, Norwich Victoria railway station, Queens Road, City Road, Long John Hill to a terminus at
 * Red Lion Street, St Stephens Street, Norwich Victoria railway station, St Stephens Road, Newmarket Road to a terminus at its junction with Unthank Road at
 * Haymarket, Gentleman's Walk, Market Place, St Giles Street, Unthank Road to a terminus at its junction with Mile End Road at

There were also some lines that were abandoned prior to 1924:
 * Chapel Field Road
 * King Street
 * Heigham Road

There were some lines used for access only:
 * Chapel Field North, Theatre Street, Rampant Horse Street
 * Magpie Road

Tramcars
The fleet, in a livery of maroon and ivory, initially consisted of:
 * 40 Brush open top double deck tramcars
 * 10 open top double deck trailers

Closure
In 1933 the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company bought the tramway system and began the process of shutting it down and replacing it with motor buses. The last tram route to close, in 1935, was Newmarket Road to Cavalry Barracks.