The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-08-25 00:00:00

ROYAL VISIT TO NORWICH.

On Monday the new buildings of the Norfolk and
Norwich Hospital, the foundation stone of which was
laid by the Prince and Princess of Wales in July,
1879, were publicly opened by the Duke and Duchess
of Colman; ht, in the presence of a large as.ernbly
sp-cfators. The Royal visitors reached the Nor
wich ( l'horpe) Station at 1.45 p.m, and were received
on the platform by the 'lard of Leicester, lord lieu-
tenant of NL.rfolk, and incsident of the Norfolk and
Norwich Hospital, and hid the Mayor and other civic
dignitaries of Norwich. vete Town Clerk, on behalf
oi the Mayor, aldermen, hne. burgesses of Norwich,
read an address to the Dr.t.,..1 and Duchess, in which a
hearty welcome w• s tendered to their Royal High-
nesses, allusion being also incidentally made to the
residence of the Duke of Connaught in Norwich in 1874
and 1875, when he was quartered in the city with the
7th (Queen's Own) Hussars. The address, which was
illuminated on vellum, having been handed to the
Duke of Connaught,
His Royal Highness replied as follows :--Mr.
Mayor, Mr. Sheriff, and Citizens of Norwich,—l
hope you will receive the most grateful thanks of the
Duchess and myself for the kind words which have
just been read. We heartily appreciate the kind
welcome which you have accorded to Us to.day, and
we assure you that it has afforded us great pleasure
to come among you on the present occasion. I am
especially glad to have the opportunity of renewing
my acquaintance with your beautiful city, of which I
retain very pleasant recollections. (iiheers.)
The Duke and Duchess then passed from the
platform to the carriage in waiting for them. The
Norwich Volunteer Artillery, which formed a guard
of honour, presented arms, and their band played a
few bars of the National Anthem. The Royal cortege
having been formed proceeded by way of the Prince
of Wales road, London-street, the Market-place,
and St. Stephen's-street to the hospital. The route
traversed by the procession was gay with flags,
and buntings at almost every steo, and the streets were
crowded with lookers on, who loudly cheered the Royal
visitors. The drive from the hospital gates to the
main entrance of the hospital buildings was lined with
another guard of honour furnished by the Norwich
Rifle Volunteers, who also received the Royal party
with a salute, while their band and that of the ith
Hussars (the Queen's 0w.9) Regiment, which came
specially from Colchester no take part in the proceed.
ings of the day, played the National Anthem.

The inaugural ceremony commenced with the hymn,
"0 Lord of Leaven and earth," which was sung by the
Norwich Cathedral Choir, accompanied by the band
of the 7th Hussars. The Bishop of Norwich invoked
the Divine blesdng on the hospital. The chairman of
the Board of Management (Hr. H. B. Edwards) next
presented an address to the Duke and Duchess of
Connaught, and in conclusion begged the Duke's
acceptance of a specially-designed silver key, which
had been presented by the Sheriff of Norwich as a
memento of the day's proceedings, and also of a hand-
somely-bound little work by the chairman of the build-
ing committee, giving an account of the birth and
parentage of the new hospital.

The Duke of Connaught, in acknowledging the
address with its accompanying gifts, said,—Gentlemen,
—I beg to express my sincere thanks for the hearty
address of welcome which you have just read to
me. I congratulate you on the completion of
this important hospital, built with all the improve-
ments which modern science can suggest. It is
gratifying to reflect on the immense amount of good
which the former hospital has already conferred on the
sick and maimed of the county and city. There can bs
no nobler cause than that of relieving the suffering of
the poor, and I am grateful to you for having given
me this opportunity of sharing in the good work now
so succasstully completed. I know that it is a source
of much gratification to the Prince and Princess of
Wales to see this undertaking accomplished, and the
presence of Prince Albert Viator here this day tes-
tifies to the great interest their Royal Highnesses
have tak n in this hospital. It also affords the
Duchess and myself great pleasure to assist in any way
we cAn in promoting these works of charity and espe-
cially so on this occasion, coming as I do, not as a
stranger, but as one who, while living in your midst,
met with many acts of kindness from all classes. I
hope that under the Divine blessing this hospital may
prove as great a benefit and use in the future as the
former one had been in the past.

The Earl of Leicester having offered the thanks of
the governors of the hospital to their Royal High-
nesses, the Duke of Connaught formally declared the
new buildings open. The singing of the Doxology
and the Apostolic Benediction, which was pronounced
by the Bishop of Norwich, concluded the ceremony.
Their Royal Highnesses proceeded to inspect the
occupied wards, as well as the west portion of the
hospital. They next visited a bazaar on a very exten-
sive scale, which is being held in the eat oortion of
the institution with the view of raisinu £5,000, tne
sum still required to clear the new buildings from
debt, their total cost having been about 07,000. The
bazar is of an interesting and varied character, com-
prising a number of valuable birds and animals for-
warded from Sandringham by order of the Prince of
Wales.

Oa Tuesday the Duke and Duchess of Connaught
visited Norwich Cathedral for the purpose of inspect•
lug the venerable fabric. The Royal pa.ty made the
circuit of the cathedral, the principal features of which
were explained by the Rev. Canon Heaviside. The
chapels attached to the cathedral were also visited,
including the chapel on the east side of the
north transept, which has been recently restored
by the Very Rev. the Dean of Norwich, Dr.
Goulburn. In the Beauchamp Chapel the attention
of the Royal visitors was drawn to a bible bear.
lug the following inscription upon its title page, viz,
"This Bible, upon which her Majesty Queen Victoria
took the usual oaths at her coronation, June 28, 1838,
was presented to the Dean and Chapter of the Cathe-
dral at Norwich by Edward Stanley, D.D., Bishop of
the Diocese and Clerk of the Closet." Having after-
wards passed through the cloisters, the Royal party
proceeded to the residence of the Rev. Canon Heavi-
side, by whom they were entertained at luncheon.