A Patchwork of ‘Strangers’

People escaping war and persecution have been welcomed by communities in Norfolk for hundreds of years, and their stories and contributions are all around us. From the ‘Strangers’ of the 16th century and the Jewish refugees of the 1930s, to people fleeing Vietnam in the 1970s, the Congolese in the 1990s, and the most recent arrivals from Syria, they are part of who we are as a community, a city and a county.

Inspired by the stories of individuals and groups who have sought sanctuary, pupils from Avenue Junior School and Hellesdon High School have designed and created individual textile squares. These have been combined to create a giant wall-hanging in homage to The Strangers – a group of refugees who came to Norwich fleeing religious persecution in the 16^th century who helped rejuvenate the local textile industry and who have profoundly shaped our city.

The wall-hanging will be exhibited at The Hive at UEA 14^th -21^st June before migrating to The Octagon Chapel for their Great Get Together event Colegate Connects on Saturday 22nd June.

Jeannette Baxter

Jeannette Baxter is Research Convenor in the Faculty of Arts, Humanties and Social Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University. Her research and teaching expertise includes many areas of 20th-century and contemporary fiction, including literary and visual responses to war (from WWI to present conflicts), literatures of exile and migration, Anglo-American and European literary Surrealisms, and the relationship between modern and contemporary literature and fascisms. She is Director of ‘New Routes Old Roots', an ARU research hub for students, artists, schools, museums and communities exploring issues of migration, exile and marginalisation through creative-research practices.

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