View source for Mousehold Heath

{{short description|Area of heathland and woodland in Norwich, England}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2013}}
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[[File:Map of Mousehold Heath, Norwich.png|300px|thumb|Mousehold Heath, Norwich]]

'''Mousehold Heath''' is a freely accessible area of [[heathland]] and woodland which lies to the north-east of the [[Middle Ages|medieval]] city boundary of [[Norwich]], in the English county of [[Norfolk]].

The name also refers to the much larger area of open heath that once extended from Norwich almost to [[the Broads]], and which was kept free of trees by both human activity and the action of animals grazing on saplings. This landscape was transformed by [[enclosure]] during the 19th century and has now largely disappeared, as almost all of it has since been converted into farmland or [[Landscape architecture|landscaped parks]], reverted to woodland, or has been absorbed by the rapid expansion of Norwich and its surrounding villages, where new roads, shops, houses and [[Light industry|industrial units]] have been built. The present Mousehold Heath consists of mostly [[Broad-leaved tree|broad-leaf]] woodland, with isolated areas of heath that are actively managed. It is home to a number of rare insects, birds and other [[vertebrate]]s.

A [[chapel]] dedicated to [[William of Norwich]] (a local child who was murdered in 1144) was erected on the heath, of which little remains today. In 1549, [[Robert Kett]] camped on the heath with his followers, days before their [[Kett's Rebellion|uprising]] was suppressed by the authorities. The heath was in the past used by the local population to collect fuel, food and housing materials, as well as to extract sand, clay and gravel. Parts of it have previously been used as a [[cavalry]] training ground, a [[race course]], a [[United States Army Air Forces]] base, an [[aerodrome]] and a [[prisoner-of-war camp]]. Nowadays the last remnant of the original Mousehold Heath, managed by [[Norwich City Council]], is surrounded on all sides by housing and light industry.

==Description==
[[File:Mousehold LIDAR.png|thumb|A [[LIDAR]] image of the area]]
Mousehold Heath is a {{convert|184|acres|adj=on}} public area of heathland, woodland and recreational open space to be found to the north of Norwich city centre. It is the largest of the [[nature reserves]] managed by [[Norwich City Council]]. It was once an area of heathland that extended to the north and east of Norwich, which has since been largely converted to woods and farmland, or lost to housing development.<ref name="NOR" />

===Geology===
The landscape of Mousehold Heath (as it was before enclosure occurred at the beginning of the 19th century) is part of an [[outwash plain]] created by [[fluvial]] processes. The [[geology]] of the area is complex, consisting of a set of vertical layers of glacial deposits from the [[Anglian Stage]] resting on a bedrock of [[Cretaceous]] chalk and the [[Norwich Crag Formation]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.norwich.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/3312/mousehold_heath_trail_leaflet.pdf|title= Mousehold Heath Earth Heritage leaflet|author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher= Norwich City Council and partners|page= 2|access-date= 1 July 2018}}</ref>

[[File:St. James' Pit, Mousehold Heath, Norwich.jpg|thumb|[[St James' Pit]]]]
[[Chalk]] was deposited 75 million years ago, when the area was part of a warm, tropical sea. The chalk is now exposed near the southern tip of the heath at [[St James' Pit]], which is an {{convert|8.6|acres|adj=on}} geological [[Site of Special Scientific Interest]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteDetail.aspx?SiteCode=S2000158&SiteName=&countyCode=29&responsiblePerson=&SeaArea=&IFCAArea=  |title=Designated Sites View: St James' Pit | series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|access-date = 16 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=sssiIndex&query=HYPERLINK%3D%272000158%27|title=Map of St James' Pit|series= Sites of Special Scientific Interest|publisher=Natural England|access-date= 16 June 2018}}</ref> and [[Geological Conservation Review]] site.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=4174&gcr=1337 |title=  St James's Pit, Norwich (Jurassic – Cretaceous Reptilia)  |series=Geological Conservation Review |publisher=Joint Nature Conservation Committee|access-date=  25 May 2018}}</ref> About two million years ago sands, gravels, [[Quartz|quartz pebbles]] and clays were deposited across the area of [[Norfolk]] that now includes the heath. Similar materials were deposited during a [[Glacier|glacial period]] that occurred more than 475,000 years ago. Clay, sand and gravel was laid over Mousehold Heath about 425,000 years ago, caused by the movement of melted ice. The heath's present landscape was more recently formed as a result of [[erosion]], caused by streams cutting through the soft rocks. It later became altered when [[silt]]s were blown over the [[topsoil]], when the ground churned as a result of temperature variations and when [[sludge]] layers moved downhill during warmer seasons.<ref>{{cite web|title=Origins of Mousehold Heath landscape|url=https://www.norwich.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/3315/origins_of_mousehold_heath_landscape.pdf|website=Norwich City Council|access-date=11 April 2018}}</ref>

Detailed information about the geological history of the present Mousehold Heath, in the form of a 'Heritage Trail' leaflet and accompanying notes for points around the trail, has been produced by Norwich City Council.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.norwich.gov.uk/mouseholdheathtrail|title= Mousehold Heath Earth Heritage Trail|author=<!--Not stated--> |access-date= 6 March 2017}}</ref>

==Etymology==
Various ideas have been proposed for the origin of the heath's name. The old name ''Mushold'' is nowadays interpreted as meaning 'mouse wood':<ref>{{cite web|title=Mousehold Heath|url=http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF58283-Former-extent-of-Mousehold-Heath&Index=50795&RecordCount=57339&SessionID=7e8ad6b9-f6a4-422b-883f-3eae1aab2cb8|website=Norfolk Heritage Explorer|access-date=7 April 2018}}</ref> it was in the past thought the heath took its name from the [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] ''moch-holt'' ('thick wood'). John Stacy, writing in 1819, quoted earlier sources that derived the name from ''Moss-wold'' ('mossy hill') or – in his opinion, more probably – ''Monks-hold'' ('possessed by the [[monks]]').{{sfn|Stacy|1819|p=74}}

==History==

===Medieval times===
Extensive areas of heathland developed across Norfolk towards the end of the [[Prehistoric Britain|prehistoric period]]. It largely reverted to woodland again after the end of the [[Roman Britain|Roman occupation]], reappearing as heath as the population increased. <!-- By the end of the [[Middle Ages]], Norfolk possessed a larger area of heathland than anywhere else in [[England in the Middle Ages|medieval England]], despite much being converted to [[arable land]].<ref name="BAR" /> -->According to the [[Domesday Book]], the original area of Mousehold Heath was still substantially wooded, but the landscape changed as more trees were felled for fuel, and it eventually became largely treeless. This landscape was maintained by animal grazing and human activity, with parts of it being ploughed into fields, known as 'brecks'. The name ''Mousehold'' originally referred to the 'holt' or wood that existed before it became an area of heathland.{{sfn|Barnes|Williamson|2015}}{{page needed|date=January 2024}}

[[St. Leonard's Priory, Norwich|St Leonard's Priory]] was founded on the heath close to the city boundary in around 1094, as a temporary home for the monks of the unfinished [[Norwich Cathedral]], and as a way of establishing [[Normans|Norman]] control over a nearby chapel. The [[priory]] was demolished in 1538 and nothing of it now survives above ground.<ref>{{cite web|title=Site of St Leonard's Priory, Norwich|url=http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF359-Site-of-St-Leonard%27s-Priory-Norwich&Index=346&RecordCount=57339&SessionID=8a309c67-ef88-4efd-b4a6-bb40e666706c|website=Norfolk Heritage Explorer|access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref>

In 1144 the body of a young [[Apprenticeship#Early history|apprentice boy]] called [[William of Norwich|William]] was found on a part of the heath known at that time as Thorpe Wood. A false story was circulated that his death was the result of a 'ritual murder' carried out by local [[Jews]]. This was the first example in Europe of what became known as [[blood libel]].{{sfn|Rose|2015}}{{page needed|date=January 2024}} The [[sheriff]] of Norwich succeeded in protecting the innocent Jewish population from persecution in the wake of an angry reaction from the local people. The boy later attained the status of [[saint]] and [[martyr]], and a chapel, originally dedicated to [[Catherine of Alexandria|St Catherine]], was built where William's body was supposed to have been found. In 1168 it was rededicated as the chapel of St William in the Wood, and [[Votive offering|offerings]] continued to be made there until 1506. The overgrown remains of the site can be found on the northern edge of the present heath.<ref>{{cite web|title=Remains of the chapel of St.William in the Wood|url=http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF406-Remains-of-St-William-in-the-Wood%27s-chapel-Mousehold-Heath&Index=393&RecordCount=57339&SessionID=142adc05-3e66-4665-8293-d2f64e97822b|website=Norfolk Heritage Explorer|access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref>{{sfn|Rose|2015|p=13}}

In 1381 the final battle of the [[Peasants' Revolt]] took place a few days after a huge meeting on the heath occurred on 17 June. There Geoffrey Litster, later to be defeated at the [[Battle of North Walsham]], was proclaimed "King of the Commons".<ref>Walsingham, Thomas, (Editors Taylor, J., Childs, W. R., Watkiss, L.), The St Albans Chronicle: The Chronica Maiora of Thomas Walsingham Volume I 1376&ndash;1394 {{ISBN|978-0-19-820471-8}}</ref>

===1500–1810===
[[File:Nordovicum (Map of Norwich, 1581).jpg|thumb|''Norwich'', from the ''Civitates Orbis Terrarum'' (1572&ndash;1617). The western edge of Mousehold Heath is depicted at the top of the map.]]
In the [[Tudor period]] the heath, then almost treeless, was continuously open countryside that extended from Norwich to the edge of the Broads.<ref name="NOR">{{cite web|title=About Mousehold Heath|url=https://www.norwich.gov.uk/info/20006/sports_parks_and_leisure/1534/about_mousehold_heath/1|website=Norwich City Council|access-date=11 April 2018}}</ref> The local population was free to collect wood from the heath, and to allow their stock to graze there.{{sfn|Rawcliffe|Wilson|2004a|pp=292{{ndash}}293}}
Small villages bordered the heath: the [[parish]] of [[Salhouse]], which was [[Agrarian society|agrarian]] in nature, was typical of them. It consisted of a small settlement situated within a landscape of well-drained heath on slightly higher land, a mixture of woodland, marsh, arable land, and [[meadows]] on lower ground. Nearby ancient placenames such as ''Mouseholdheath Farm'', ''Mousehold Cottage'' and ''Mousehold Farm'', are an indicator of the proximity of the heath to Salhouse at that time.{{sfn|McCormick|2016|p=55}}

[[Kett's Rebellion]] began on 12 July 1549, during a period that became known as the 'commotion time'.<ref>Rawcliffe and Wilson (eds.), ''Medieval Norwich'', p. 285.</ref> Led by Robert Kett (a local landowner and tanner) and his brother, it grew from a protest about enclosures into a full-scale insurgency. It culminated in the capture of the city of Norwich (then the largest [[Kingdom of England|English]] city outside [[Tudor London|London]]) and the surrounding countryside, with the rebels holding control of the city for over a month, basing themselves at a camp on Mousehold Heath and establishing other camps around Norfolk. After unsuccessfully petitioning the authorities for fairer treatment, they were able to defeat an attempt to oust them by the [[William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton|Marquis of Northampton]], but a much larger government army, led by [[John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland|John Dudley, Earl of Warwick]], succeeded in regaining control of Norwich and forcing them to abandon their camp. Six weeks after the start of the uprising, the rebellion was crushed by Warwick's forces in a decisive engagement, with perhaps three thousand insurgents being killed. There is some uncertainty about the exact site of the battle, said to have occurred at 'Dussindale'.<ref>{{cite web |title=Introduction to ''Reconstructing Rebellion: Digital Terrain Analysis of the Battle of Dussindale (1549)'' |url=http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue38/3/1.html |access-date=26 April 2018 |website=Internet Archaeology |doi=10.11141/ia.38.3}}</ref>

====Enclosure====
[[File:1797 Faden (Mousehold Heath).jpg|thumb|An extract from Faden's 1797 map of Norfolk, showing the area north-east of Norwich and the extent of Mousehold Heath]]
Until the start of the 19th century, Mousehold Heath still stretched to [[Woodbastwick]], as can be seen on [[William Faden|Faden]]'s 1797 map of Norfolk. A wide-open space crossed over with numerous paths and [[Country lane|lanes]], the heath dominated the countryside east of Norwich, and was entirely accessible to the local population. Self-interested landowners and city officials considered such an extensive area of uncultivated land as a prime target for development. As early as 1783 it was suggested that part of the heath near the city be made into a burial ground (an idea that was abandoned) and in 1792 there was a proposal to transform a large part of the heath into "pleasurable grounds". Those landowners whose large [[country houses]] were located around the borders of the heath pressed for the area to become enclosed. [[Rackheath]]'s common land was the first to be lost to enclosure in 1799, when Rackheath Park was enlarged.{{sfn|Spooner|2016|pp=88{{ndash}}92}}

The entire heath was turned over to arable land and pasture by [[Inclosure Acts|Parliamentary Enclosure Acts]] between 1799 and 1810, a process that produced long straight roads and new farms. There was little sympathy shown for the practical needs of the local population, many of whom became impoverished as they were increasingly denied access to the land. Parks surrounding large houses, such as at [[Sprowston Manor|Sprowston]], Rackheath, Thorpe St Andrew and Little Plumstead, became enlarged by the acquisition of land, and new views were created for their owners by the removal of existing woodland and the planting of new belts of trees.{{sfn|Spooner|2016|pp=88{{ndash}}92}}

===1810&ndash;1914===
[[File:John Sell Cotman - Mousehold Heath (1810).jpg|thumb|[[John Sell Cotman]], ''Mousehold Heath'' (1810)]]
[[File:Mousehold Heath, Norwich, by John Crome.jpg|thumb|[[John Crome]], ''Mousehold Heath'' ({{circa|1818–1820}})]]
Mousehold Heath was [[Landscape painting|painted]] by a number of artists from the [[Norwich School of painters]], including [[John Crome]] and [[John Sell Cotman]],<ref>Paintings and etchings of the heath produced by members of the Norwich School are held by many different museums, including the [http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?images=true&place=39239|38846 British Museum].</ref> as well as other painters such as [[John Constable]]. They found heathland landscapes intriguing and depicted them on a regular basis, despite the views of [[agriculturalists]], who considered such landscapes to be valueless wasteland.{{sfn|Waites|2012|p=65}} The Norwich School's depictions of Mousehold Heath lack human activity, animals or growing crops. The remoteness of Norfolk meant that few artists from outside the county could attempt to represent the heath. Many artists at the time preferred to depict what was considered to be the ideal form of landscape: lush, harmonious farming countryside containing pictorial devices such as woodland, which contrasted directly with the remote, barren environment of a heath such as Mousehold. The Norwich School witnessed the destruction of the heath following its enclosure, and their paintings of the heath would have brought back memories of a lost landscape.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mousehold Heath as a Location |url= http://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/in-focus/mousehold-heath-norwich-john-crome/mousehold-heath-location |website=Sam Smiles (ed.), In Focus: Mousehold Heath, Norwich c.1818–20 by John Crome, Tate Research Publication, 2016|access-date=22 April 2018}}</ref>

In his autobiographical work ''[[Lavengro]]'', [[George Borrow]] recorded his meetings with [[Romani people|gypsies]] on the heath.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23287/23287-h/23287-h.htm |page = 560|title= Lavengro, by George Borrow|publisher= Project Gutenberg|access-date= 1 July 2018}}
</ref> The Norwich-born [[novelist]] and one-time [[Lord Mayor]] [[R. H. Mottram]] also valued the open space of Mousehold Heath. He once described it as "the property of those who have the privilege of Norwich birth".<!-- <ref>{{cite web|title=Mousehold Heath |url=https://www.literarynorfolk.co.uk/Norwich/mousehold_heath.htm |website=Literary Norfolk|access-date=17 April 2018}}</ref> --><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crime/norwich-memorial-badly-damaged-in-attack-1-891030|title= Norwich memorial badly damaged in attack |last= Grimmer|first= Dan|date= 12 May 2011|website= Eastern Daily Press|publisher= Archant Community Media Ltd|access-date= 1 July 2018}}
</ref> Public [[horse racing]] near Norwich first took place in 1838 and within a few years meetings were being held on a racecourse on Mousehold Heath.<ref>Rawcliffe, Carole, ''Norwich Since 1550'', p. 442.</ref>

Before the 20th century the heath was used to extract sand and gravel. [[Victorian era|Victorian]] [[Ordnance Survey|Ordnance Survey maps]] of the area show that there were [[lime kilns]], [[marl|marl pits]] and [[brick|brick kilns]], in addition to numerous extensive gravel pits, across the unenclosed part of the heath to the north-east of the city. The remains of the diggings can be found today.<ref>{{cite map |title = Norfolk LXIII.SE (includes: Norwich; Thorpe Next Norwich; Trowse with Newton.)|year = 1886|url = http://maps.nls.uk/view/101582876#|scale = Six Inches to One Mile|publisher = National Library of Scotland|cartography = the Ordnance Survey|access-date = 7 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite map |title = Norfolk LXIII.NE (includes: Catton; Norwich; Spixworth; Sprowston.)|year = 1886|url = http://maps.nls.uk/view/101582840#|scale = Six Inches to One Mile|publisher = National Library of Scotland|cartography = the Ordnance Survey|access-date = 7 April 2018}}</ref>

During much of the 19th century, the people of Pockthorpe, situated between Norwich's [[defensive walls]] and the heath, were relatively free from the control of local [[factory]] employers, being able to use Mousehold to graze their animals, and to collect food, fuel and raw materials for [[Brickworks|brick-making]]. The population of [[Weaving|weavers]], shop-keepers and labourers (as well as [[Smuggling|smugglers]]) was largely left to its own management, as local [[magistrates]] and the officials of Norwich Cathedral were more involved in city affairs. The people of Pockthorpe even parodied the authorities, for instance in electing their own 'mayor', and founding the Pockthorpe Guild in 1772. In 1844, in an attempt to preserve their traditional life, they began a campaign to establish full control over Mousehold Heath, for instance in forcing outsiders to accept a charge for taking materials off the land and making them use Pockthorpe men to do work on the heath. The Guild provided a number of benefits for the poor, but discriminated against people living in neighbouring communities.{{sfn|Banks|2014|pp=160{{ndash}}162}} The twenty-five year-long campaign failed, even when for a period it was supported by members of Norwich's political class. The local population then resorted to behaving badly towards the newly created park, tearing notice boards, fighting and gambling in public, and consorting with the local regiment.{{sfn|Rawcliffe|Wilson|2004b|p=352}}

The ownership of the remaining heathland was transferred to the city authorities in 1880, when the [[Church of England]] donated the land to the Corporation of Norwich, on the assurance that it prevented "the continuance of trespasses nuisances and unlawful acts" and held the heath "for the advantage of lawful recreation". The Pockthorpe committee was defeated, and the people of Pockthorpe, now forced to obey restrictive [[Byelaws in the United Kingdom|byelaws]], could no longer use any part of the heath to support themselves. As a result of this change in the use of the land, the unmanaged part of heath remained ungrazed and it reverted to woodland.{{sfn|Meeres|1998|p=172}}

Despite strong local resistance, the 1884 Mousehold Heath Confirmation Act confirmed a local law establishing a number of 'conservators' to manage the transformation of the remaining part of the heath.<ref>Banks, Stephen, ''Informal Justice in England and Wales'', p. 163.</ref><ref name="NOR" /> The current managers are [[Norwich City Council]] and the Mousehold Heath Conservators.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.norwich.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/2514/mousehold_heath_management_plan.pdf|title= Management Plan – Mousehold Heath|author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher= Norwich City Council and Mousehold Heath Conservators|page=3|access-date= 2 April 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Illustratedlondov43lond 0327.jpg|thumb|A review of the Norfolk Volunteers on Mousehold Heath in 1863.]]
The [[Britannia Barracks]] were built for the [[Royal Norfolk Regiment|Norfolk Regiment]] on Mousehold Heath. After the [[Battle of Almansa]] in 1707, the regiment had been awarded the honour of wearing a figure of [[Britannia]] on their uniforms, and the new [[infantry]] barracks was named from the figure worn by the regiment. The main buildings were built between 1887 and 1897. The regiment left the barracks in 1959 when it amalgamated with the [[Suffolk Regiment]] to become the [[1st East Anglian Regiment]] and moved to [[Bury St Edmunds]]. Most of the buildings subsequently became part of [[HM Prison Norwich|Norwich Prison]].<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=q_3RBAAAQBAJ&q=%22Britannia+Barracks%22&pg=PT53|title= ''Britain's Lost Regiments'' |author= Royle, Trevor |date= 2 October 2014|isbn= 978-1-78131-453-1 |access-date= 1 July 2018}}
</ref>

During the [[Second World War]], a prisoner-of-war camp for [[Germany|German]] workers was established close to the old airport. Its exact location has yet to be verified.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ewyaslacy.org.uk/docs/rs_gdv_0150.pdf|title= Prisoner of War Camps 1939-48|author=Roger J. C. Thomas|publisher= English Heritage|page=38|access-date= 2 April 2018}}</ref> On 12 February 1942, the pilot of a [[Handley Page Hampden|Hampden]] [[Medium bomber|bomber]] returning to [[RAF North Luffenham]] was killed when the aircraft crashed-landed on Mousehold Heath whilst attempting to reach [[RAF Horsham St Faith|Horsham St Faith]], and on 25 July that year a [[Bristol Beaufort]] crashed on the heath, killing the crew of four.<ref>{{cite web|title=12.02.1942 No. 144 Squadron Hampden – AE141 PL-J Sgt. Nightingale D.F.M.|url=http://aircrewremembered.com/nightingale-ernest.html|website=Aircraft Remembered|access-date=1 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Crash of 1942|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/43688219@N00/2259292426|website=flickr|access-date=27 April 2018}}</ref>

===Mousehold Heath airfield===
{{main|RAF Mousehold Heath}}
In October 1914 an old cavalry training drill ground on the heath was taken over by the [[Royal Flying Corps]] and converted into an aerodrome. It was used by several local firms in connection with aircraft production, including [[Boulton & Paul Ltd|Boulton & Paul]]. Boulton & Paul employed up to 3000 people in assembling aircraft in Norwich, many of whom were women brought in to supplement the workforce. The women were trained in basic [[Mechanical engineering|engineering]] skills in a specially provided training school. From October 1915, when the first aircraft was completed, over 2,500 machines were built by the company.<ref>Rawcliffe and Wilson, ''Norwich since 1550'', pp. 401&ndash;2.</ref>

In 1918 the [[Norwich Electric Tramways]] service from the city centre to Mousehold Heath was extended from Gurney Road to enable equipment and materials to run between [[Norwich Thorpe railway station|Norwich railway station]] and the aerodrome.<ref>{{cite web|title=Norwich Electric Tramway|url=http://www.georgeplunkett.co.uk/Norwich/electrictramway.htm|website=George Plunkett's Photographs|access-date=3 May 2016}} (''see References below'').</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mousehold – Tramway|url=http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF40335-Mousehold-Tramway&Index=33417&RecordCount=57339&SessionID=3d3663a5-5a11-4d9b-be33-d70a42ff8cf4|website=Norfolk Heritage Explorer|access-date=3 May 2016}}</ref> The Norfolk & Norwich Aero Club was formed at Mousehold in 1927. From 1933 until the onset of the Second World War the aerodrome was the first [[Norwich International Airport|Norwich Airport]], with four grass landing strips.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mousehold Heath Aerodrome|url=http://www.norfolk-airfields.co.uk/mouse.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609004432/http://www.norfolk-airfields.co.uk/mouse.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 June 2013|website=Norfolk Airfields|access-date=1 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1492579|title= Mousehold Heath Airfield|author=<!--Not stated--> |website= Pastscape|publisher= [[Historic England]]|access-date= 2 April 2018}}
</ref>

The airfield continued to be used until around 1950. Much of the old aerodrome was then built over when the [[Heartsease Estate, Norwich|Heartsease housing estate]] was created, but some of the airfield buildings survived and are now within the Roundtree Way industrial estate.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?uid=MNF12415|title= ''Record Details for Site of Mousehold Heath Aerodrome and World War Two heavy anti-aircraft battery''|author=<!--Not stated--> |website= Norfolk Heritage Explorer|publisher= Norfolk Historic Environment Service|access-date= 1 July 2018}}</ref>

==The heath in recent years==
[[File:Reconstructed Bandstand Mousehold Heath.jpg|thumb|The bandstand (the original stand was demolished in 1961)]]
[[File:Vinegar Pond.jpg|thumb|Vinegar Pond in February 2008]]
Today there are numerous tracks and paths all over the remaining {{convert|184|acres|adj=off}} of Mousehold Heath. There are two football pitches, a [[pitch and putt]] course, a restaurant, a [[bandstand]] and several parking areas. Various events are held there, including concerts, guided walks, [[Conservation (ethic)|conservation initiatives]], football matches and fundraising events.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Mousehold Heath |url=https://www.norwich.gov.uk/info/20006/sports_parks_and_leisure/1534/about_mousehold_heath/1|website=Norwich City Council |access-date=20 April 2018}}</ref> A single road, Gurney Road, passes through the middle of the heath. The original Ranger's house has been bought for renovation and restoration.

Vinegar Pond,<ref>The [[Ordnance Survey]] grid reference for Vinegar Pond is {{gbmappingsmall|TG2409310495}}.</ref> which was created by quarrying and subsequent wartime activity, is an important site for breeding [[frog]]s. It is fed by rain water and so has a tendency to dry out when the weather is hot.<ref>{{cite web|title= Mousehold Heath Earth Heritage Trail – Vinegar Road Gravel Pits |url=https://www.norwich.gov.uk/downloads/file/3325/10_vinegar_road_gravel_pits|website=Norwich City Council |access-date=26 April 2018}}</ref> In the heatwave and drought of August 2022 hundreds of goldfish were humanely removed from the pond where they had been dumped and had bred, feeding on the native amphibian species.<ref>{{cite web|title= Dumped goldfish relocated as pond shrinks amid scorching weather|url=https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/norwich-nr3-mousehold-heath-goldfish-removed-9205054|website=Norwich Evening News |access-date=13 August 2022}}</ref> 1946 [[Aerial photography|aerial photographs]] of the area show the pond existed at this time, but it does not feature on earlier large-scale maps.<ref>{{cite web|title= Historic Map Explorer|url=http://www.historic-maps.norfolk.gov.uk/mapexplorer/ |website=Norfolk County Council |access-date=26 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Map Images |url=http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17&lat=52.6454&lon=1.3143&layers=168&right=BingHyb| website=National Library of Scotland |access-date=26 April 2018}}</ref>

In 1984 a new Mousehold Heath Act became law. In 1992 the bandstand by the football ground was rebuilt by the Mousehold Defenders using locally raised funds.<ref>{{cite web|title=Norwich Parks and Gardens|url=http://www.georgeplunkett.co.uk/Norwich/parksandgardens.htm|website=George Plunkett's Photographs|access-date=7 May 2018}} (''see References below'').</ref>

The {{convert|67|acre|abbr=on}} Harrison's Wood, which was once originally part of the heath before it was enclosed and turned into a tree [[plantation]], was opened to the public in May 2016. It lies within the White House Farm housing development.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/environment/new-woodland-near-sprowston-is-opened-to-the-public-1-4532859|title= New woodland near Sprowston is opened to the public|author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 12 May 2016|website= Eastern Daily Press|publisher= Archant Community Media Ltd|access-date= 24 April 2018}}</ref>

At the start of 2019 a draft version of the new Mousehold Heath Management Plan was made available online for public consultation. The Management Plan aimed to increase the safety and security of Mousehold Heath, increase the cleanliness of the heath and to safeguard the historic aspects and buildings of the heath among other aims.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.norwich.gov.uk/mousehold|title= Mousehold Heath Management Plan Review|author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 2019|website= Norwich City Council|access-date= 26 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title= Mousehold Heath Management Plan Summary 2019-2028|url=https://www.norwich.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/5044/mousehold_heath_managament_plan_summary.pdf|publisher=[[Norwich City Council]]|access-date=6 August 2019}}</ref>

On 22 April 2019, a body was found in the heath. After investigation, the body was identified as that of Mark Sewell, 37, who had committed [[suicide]] by hanging.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crime/body-at-mousehold-heath-norwich-1-6008685|title=Body found at Mousehold Heath in Norwich|date=22 April 2019|last=Grimmer|first=Dan|access-date=6 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/mark-sewell-died-at-mousehold-heath-in-norwich-on-easter-monday-inquest-hears-1-6022331|title=Man found dead at Mousehold Heath in Norwich is named|date=29 April 2019|last=Ali|first=Taz|access-date=6 August 2019}}</ref>

===Wildlife===
[[File:Bell Heather - geograph.org.uk - 493968.jpg|thumb|100px|left|Bell Heather (''Erica cinerea'')]]
Mousehold Heath is a designated [[Local Nature Reserve]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Mousehold LNR|url=https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/SiteList.aspx?siteName=mousehold%20heath&countyCode=&responsiblePerson=&DesignationType=All|website=Natural England|access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://magic.defra.gov.uk/MagicMap.aspx?startTopic=Designations&activelayer=lnrIndex&query=Ref_CODE%3D%271009038%27   |title=Map of Mousehold Heath|series= Local Nature Reserves |publisher=Natural England| access-date=  5 July 2018}}</ref> and a [[County Wildlife Site]].<ref>{{cite web|title=County Wildlife Sites|url=http://www.nbis.org.uk/CWS|website=Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service (NBIS)|access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref> [[Conservation management system (United Kingdom)|Conservation management work]] has begun to restore the condition of the existing heathland and restore areas lost to woodland and scrub, so preserving a large number of scarce [[species]] present on the heathland. As grazing livestock cannot be used to remove encroaching woodland and so restore Mousehold's heathland areas, the Mousehold Heath Wardens, volunteers and contractors clear the woodland. [[Humus]] is removed so that [[Calluna|heather]] species (''Calluna vulgaris'' and ''[[Erica cinerea]]'') can re-establish themselves from [[seed]]. [[Ulex|Gorse]], [[Genisteae|broom]] and saplings are removed and volunteers systematically 'bruise' the [[bracken]] with sticks, to reduce growth in future years.<ref>{{cite web|title=Volunteering in Norwich|url=https://www.tcv.org.uk/news/volunteering-norwich|website=The Conservation Volunteers|access-date=1 July 2018}}</ref>

A variety of different vertebrates live on Mousehold Heath. [[Amphibian]]s include the [[common frog]] and the [[common toad]], while [[reptile]]s include the [[grass snake]], the [[Viviparous lizard|common lizard]] and the [[Anguis fragilis|slowworm]]. [[Mammal]]s on the heath include [[muntjac]] and [[roe deer]], [[red fox]], [[rabbit]]s and various small [[rodents]]. As well as most common urban [[bird]]s, the heath holds breeding [[sparrowhawk]]s and [[tawny owls]], as well as [[nuthatches]], [[treecreepers]] and [[great spotted woodpecker]]s.{{cn|date=January 2024}} The heath is rich in [[invertebrate]]s and is home to a number of rare [[Butterfly|butterflies]], [[bee]]s and other [[insect]]s. Recorded species include the [[Chrysis ignita|ruby-tailed wasp]], [[Astata|digger wasp]], [[green hairstreak]] butterfly, [[Myrmeleotettix maculatus|mottled grasshopper]] and [[Cicindela campestris|tiger green beetle]].<ref name="norwich.gov.uk">{{cite web|title=Mousehold Heath Earth Heritage Trail (leaflet 12)|url=https://www.norwich.gov.uk/downloads/file/3327/12_oak_avenue_brick_pit|website=Norwich City Council|access-date=13 April 2018}}</ref>

Heathland plants to be found on Mousehold Heath include [[rumex acetosella|Sheep's Sorrel]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Mousehold Heath Earth Heritage Trail (leaflet 1)|url=https://www.norwich.gov.uk/downloads/file/3316/1_st_james_hill|website=Norwich City Council|access-date=13 April 2018}}</ref> bracken, [[Deschampsia flexuosa|Wavy Hair-grass]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Mousehold Heath Earth Heritage Trail (leaflet 11)|url=https://www.norwich.gov.uk/downloads/file/3326/11_the_heath_plateau_-_area_1|website=Norwich City Council|access-date=13 April 2018}}</ref> [[Crassula tillaea|Mossy Stonecrop]], [[Hypericum humifusum|Trailing St John's-wort]], [[Filago vulgaris|Common Cudweed]] and [[Echium vulgare|Viper's Bugloss]].<ref name="norwich.gov.uk"/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book | last = Banks| first = Stephen| title = Informal Justice in England and Wales, 1760-1914: The Courts of Public Opinion| publisher = The Boydell Press|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=kxAABQAAQBAJ&q=mousehold+heath&pg=PA162| location = Woodbridge| year = 2014| isbn = 978-1-84383-940-8}}
*{{cite book |last1=Barnes|first1=Gerry |last2=Williamson|first2=Tom|title=Rethinking Ancient Woodland: The Archaeology and History of Woods in Norfolk |publisher=University of Hertfordshire Press|date=2015 |isbn=978-1-909291-58-4 }}
* {{cite book | last = McCormick| first = Coiln| title = The Book of Salhouse & Woodbastwick| publisher = Halgrove| location = Wellington, Somerset| year = 2016| isbn = 978-0-85704-292-7}}
* {{cite book | last = Meeres| first = Frank| title = A History of Norwich| publisher = Phillimore & Co. Ltd| location = Chichester | year = 1998| isbn = 978-1-86077-083-8}}
* {{cite book | title = Medieval Norwich| publisher = Hambleton and London|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UEKskl45Es8C&q=commotion+time&pg=PA285| location = London and New York| year = 2004a|editor1-last= Rawcliffe|editor1-first= Carole|editor2-last= Wilson|editor2-first= Richard| isbn = 978-1-85285-449-2}} 
* {{cite book | title = Norwich since 1550| publisher = Hambleton and London|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=x3ivAwAAQBAJ&q=Mousehold+Heath&pg=PA1| location = London and New York| year = 2004b|editor1-last= Rawcliffe|editor1-first= Carole|editor2-last= Wilson|editor2-first= Richard| isbn = 978-1-85285-450-8}} 
* {{cite book | last = Rose| first = E. M.| title = The murder of William of Norwich: The origins of the blood libel in medieval Europe| publisher = Oxford University Press| location = New York| year = 2015| isbn = 978-0-19-021962-8}}
* {{cite book | last = Spooner| first = Sarah| title = Regions and Designed Landscapes in Georgian England| location = London and New York| year = 2016|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=_MIBCgAAQBAJ&q=mousehold+heath&pg=PA89 |publisher = Routledge| isbn = 978-1-138-85281-5}}
* {{cite book | last = Stacy| first = John| title = A topographical and historical account of the city and county of Norwich|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=4xMHAAAAQAAJ&q=Mousehold+Heath| publisher = Longman and others| location = London| year = 1819}} 
* {{cite book | last = Waites| first = Ian| title = Common Land in English Painting 1700-1850| publisher = The Boydell Press|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=MynSOYoMVzkC&q=Mousehold++&pg=PA178| location = Woodbridge| year = 2012| isbn = 978-1-84383-761-9}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite journal |date=1835|title=Tales of Mousehold Heath|url=https://archive.org/stream/norwichmagazine00unkngoog#page/n325/mode/2up/search/mousehold |journal=The Norwich Magazine|volume=1|pages=147&ndash;53, 178&ndash;82, 212&ndash;18, 247&ndash;52, 309&ndash;14}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Collins |first1=Sarah |title=A Dangerously Empty Space: Crime and Punishment on English Wastelands |journal=Landscapes |date=2022 |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=48{{ndash}}66 |doi=10.1080/14662035.2022.2144256 |url=https://eprints.ncl.ac.uk/file_store/production/289696/518DBF7C-05EC-4BC7-9001-78564BA4D75E.pdf |ref=none}}
*{{cite journal |last=Funnell|first=B. M. |date=1975|title=The Origin of Mousehold Heath, Norwich|journal=Transactions of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society|volume=23 (part 5) |pages=251|ref=none}}
* {{cite book | last = Gunn| first = Peter| title = Aviation Landmarks in Norfolk and Suffolk| publisher =The History Press| location = Stroud | year = 2017| isbn = 978-0-7509-8655-7|ref=none}}
* {{cite book | last = Plunkett| first = George A.F.| author-link =George Plunkett (photographer)| title = Plunkett's Pictures of Norwich and Norfolk| publisher = Grey's Publishing| location = Norfolk| year = 2007| isbn = 978-0-9553234-1-6|ref=none}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Mousehold Heath}}
* Information about [https://web.archive.org/web/20070321161104/http://www.norwich.gov.uk/webapps/atoz/service_page.asp?id=1228 Mousehold Heath] and the [https://www.norwich.gov.uk/info/20191/committees_and_meetings/1306/types_of_committee/8 Mousehold Heath Conservators committee] from [[Norwich City Council]]
*[https://www.norwich.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/7509/mousehold_heath_annual_report_summary_2020-21.pdf Mousehold Heath Conservators annual report 2020/2021]
*[http://www.georgeplunkett.co.uk/Website/Maps/1585%20Mousehold.jpg A map (made in 1585)] from [http://www.georgeplunkett.co.uk/Website/index.htm George Plunkett's Norwich Maps] that shows Mousehold Heath
*[http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/map-selection?queryGUID=56821303-b660-4b2c-b81b-0a3a3d31eee2&BBOX=623616,308696,633632,314997&CRS=EPSG:27700&count=18&ck_MONS=true&ck_MON=false The archaeology of Mousehold Heath] from [http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/ Norfolk Heritage Explorer] (showing the archaeological sites, historic buildings and former extent of the heath)
*[http://www.britishpathe.com/video/norwich-an-airport/query/aerodrome Mousehold Aerodrome] silent [[Pathé News]] newsreel (1927), filmed at Mousehold Aerodrome
*[https://repatriatedlandscape.org/england/pow-sites-in-eastern-england/pow-camp-253-mousehold-heath/ PoW Camp 253 Mousehold Heath] from Repatriated Landscape.

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