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TG2306 : Archway in Martineau's WoodTG2306 : Archway in Martineau's Wood - seen from the west
TG2306 : The roots of an old beech treeTG2306 : Stone foundations in Martineau's Wood

In the scrubby woods 100 yards west of County Hall is this curious arch erected in 1813 for Dr Philip Meadows Martineau, made from fragments of the cathedral infirmary which had been demolished in 1804. It served as a picturesque feature in the gardens of Bracondale Lodge, Philip's house, which had been designed for Philip by William Wilkins the elder in 1792 but was demolished in 1966 to make way for the new County Hall.

Philip's father was David Martineau, an eminent Norwich Chirurgien (surgeon) of French extraction. His mother, Dame Sarah (1725-1800), was the daughter of wealthy Norwich mayor Philip Meadows (1679-1752) and described as a "high-born lady". Sarah shared with her friend, the political and religious writer Anna Letitia Barbauld, an interest in monasticism; and thus her son's estate, with its links to both Carrow Abbey and 14th-century anchoress and mystic theologian Dame Julian of Norwich, held a special interest to her. Both women were Dissenters (Nonconformists).