Hill House Vintage on her hometown of Norwich

Author and uber-Instagrammer Paula Sutton of Hill House Vintage upped sticks from the capital to live in Norfolk, and discovered a passion for vintage. Here, she guides us through her manor, the historic city of Norwich

Moving from London to deepest, rural Norfolk seven years ago was definitely my baptism of fire into all things salvaged and upcycled. As a result, I am always on the lookout for the best hunting grounds to feed the beast that becomes ‘reclamation addiction’ and thankfully, as I set off on today’s scouting trip, having Norwich as my closest city, I’m spoiled for choice.

Medieval city

As I’m sure any vintage and salvage lover will agree, there is something particularly appealing about treasure hunting in a city that has a well-documented history of art, music and architecture at its roots. Norfolk itself is known as Nelson’s County, and there can be no better incentive for hunting down a piece of salvaged or vintage finery than in a city that lays claim to schooling a swashbuckling naval hero such as Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson.

Mini Notting Hill

The centre is easy to walk around and has a river at its heart, so starting at the Market Place my first stop is to walk five minutes up the hill towards Upper St Giles Street – known fondly as Norwich’s mini Notting Hill. An area full of independent shops, galleries and craftspeople, here I find Deco Days, a step back in time to the roaring twenties when furniture was streamlined, sleek and stylised. I reluctantly tear myself away and carry on up the hill towards Stiffkey Antique Bathrooms, specialist dealers in French and English antique baths.

Elm Hill

Moving northwards, I walk to Elm Hill at the heart of the Norwich Cathedral quarter – one of the most picturesque and unique cobbled streets in the city. My destination is Antiques & Interiors, a gem amongst a host of independent specialist shops selling everything from antiques, crafts, books and jewellery to teddy bears. The stock is beautiful and eclectically curated. It’s hard to walk out of here empty-handed!

Tea and cake

Feeling peckish, I double back through the medieval lanes past second-hand bookshops straight out of Hogwarts, towards Biddy’s Tea Room on Lower Goat Lane. Don’t expect your average quaint recreation of a village tearoom. Biddy’s has a cool and funky edge to it, with an unexpected range of colourful reclaimed furniture for customers to lounge in.

Magdalen Street

No trip to Norwich is complete without a walk along Magdalen Street when searching for vintage. Here amongst the numerous vintage clothes, second-hand record and furniture shops, I enter the famous Looses Emporium – where they specialise in everything from antique, vintage and retro to modern furniture and salvage.