14.—The City of Norwich Waterworks New Bill received the Royal assent. “By this Bill power is given to the Corporation of Norwich to convert Chapel Field into a public pleasure garden.”
18.—Announcement was made of the resignation of Superintendent Dunne, of the Norwich police “on the ground that he had been so much obstructed by those who ought to have assisted him in the discharge of his duties, that no alternative had been left him but to resign.” On July 6th Mr. Stephen English, of Pontefract, was elected to the post.
25.—Died, at Doughty’s Hospital, Norwich, in her 81st year, Miss Tubby, “well-known as box-keeper at our Theatre for many years, and highly respected.” She possessed a remarkable fund of information upon local theatrical matters, and for nearly half a century “Miss Tubby’s night” was one of the principal events in the Norwich season.
28.—The new cult of “table-turning” or spiritualism was introduced in Norwich for the first time at a séance given at St. Andrew’s Hall by a Mr. King.
—The first piles of the Wellington Pier at Yarmouth were driven by the Mayor (Mr. S. C. Marsh), Mr. D. Waddington, chairman of the United Norfolk and Eastern Counties’ Railway Companies and of the Pier directors, and by the Mayoress. A dinner was held at the Victoria Hotel in celebration of the event. The Pier was opened by the Mayor on October 31st.
JULY.
1.—At the Norfolk Quarter Sessions it was reported that the Secretary of State for the Home Department had ordered the formation of a corps of Artillery Militia for the county.
9.—A thunderstorm of great severity occurred at Norwich. The main sewer in London Street burst from the enormous pressure upon it, and its contents inundated the adjacent business premises. Every house at the bottom of Exchange Street was flooded, and fire-engines were afterwards employed to pump the water from the cellars. The weather continued to be very stormy during the succeeding week. The newly-completed tower and spire of Mundham church were wrecked and became a heap of ruins.
23.—Three troops of the 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabineers), under the command of Capt. Sawyer, marched into Norwich from Chobham Camp. The headquarters were stationed at Ipswich.
25.—Miss Fanny Vining appeared at Norwich Theatre as Margaret Elmore in “Love’s Sacrifice.”