Carrow Road is the main sports stadium in Norwich. Since 1935, it has been the home ground of Norwich City Football Club, when it was built to replace The Nest, which was the Canaries’ original home. As you’d expect, Norwich City were reluctant to leave their stadium. However, they had little choice; The Nest was a converted, disused chalk pit and in 1926, one corner of the pitch sank up to 30 feet after the old mines collapsed.
Carrow Road
Norwich City FC
Carrow Road
Norwich City worked incredibly quickly to build a new home, and Carrow Road was constructed in just 82 days in what was described as the largest construction job in the city since the building of Norwich Castle. The original stadium would be unrecognisable compared to the football ground we see today. Over the years, it has been upgraded a number of times, most notably when a fire destroyed the City Stand in 1984.
It now boasts a respectable capacity of just over 27,000 supporters, which has also helped to attract showbiz bands and artists like Status Quo, Rod Stewart, Elton John and George Michael to perform there in the summer months between Football League seasons.
The stadium itself is named after the Carrow Road that runs around three sides of the ground, with the River Wensum making up the fourth boundary. It was even given the royal seal of approval when King George VI attended a home match against Millwall in 1938.
If you want to grace Carrow Road with your attendance as well – perhaps you’re visiting Norwich while supporting your team on an away day – our Norwich Nelson City Centre hotel is little over a 10-minute walk away from the ground. It’s also close to some great Norwich nightlife options if you’re in the mood for celebrating – or drowning your sorrows – after the final whistle. Alternatively, you can make your way in the opposite direction to The Fat Cat & Canary, one of our favoured pubs in Norwich.
And if you want something to eat, you’ll struggle to find a stadium with better catering options. But what else would you expect from the football club that has the queen of cooking, Delia Smith, as a joint majority shareholder? Delia’s Restaurant and Bar at Carrow Road is a culinary experience where you can enjoy the celebrity chef’s recipes cooked to her sky-high standards. That’s not all; Delia also oversees the Yellows Bar & Grill where you can pick up some proper homemade food, including burgers, ribs, mac & cheese, and much, much more.
Even though Norwich City no longer play in the top division of the English Football League, we’d still recommend neutrals try and attend a home game at Carrow Road. The Canaries play an attractive brand of football, and when they’re in the mood, the Yellows really can be scintillating to watch. And in the stands, you can join in with the fans’ song ‘On The Ball, City’, which is thought to be the oldest football song in the world to still be sung from the stands.