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*[http://www.cromer-church.org.uk/ Cromer Parish Church]
*[http://www.cromer-church.org.uk/ Cromer Parish Church]
*[http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=11970895 Cromer Geograph images]
*[http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=11970895 Cromer Geograph images]
*[http://www.countyandcoast.co.uk/ Cromer Holiday Accommodation]



{{Norfolk}}
{{Norfolk}}

Revision as of 13:16, 9 November 2010

Template:Otherplaces2

Cromer
Cromer Parish Church
Area4.66 km2 (1.80 sq mi)
Population7,749 (2001 census)
• Density1,663/km2 (4,310/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTG219422
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCROMER
Postcode districtNR27
Dialling code01263
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk

Cromer is a coastal town and civil parish in north Norfolk, England.[1] The local government authority is North Norfolk District Council, whose headquarters is in Holt Road in the town. The town is situated 23 miles (37 km) north of the county town, Norwich, and is 4 miles (6.5 km) east of Sheringham. The civil parish has an area of 4.66 km² and in the 2001 census had a population of 7,749 people in 3,671 households.[2] The motto Gem of the Norfolk Coast is highlighted on the town's roadsigns.[3]

Origins

Cromer is not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is reasonable to assume that the present site of Cromer, around the parish church of Saints Peter and Paul, is what was then Shipden-juxta-Felbrigg.[4] The other Shipden is now about a quarter of a mile to the north east of the end of Cromer Pier, under the sea. Its site is marked by Church Rock, now no longer visible, even at a low spring tide. In 1888 a vessel struck the rock, and the rock was then blown up for safety.

Cromer became a resort in the early-19th century, with some of the rich Norwich banking families making it their summer home. Visitors included the future King Edward VII, who played golf here. The resort's facilities included the late-Victorian Cromer Pier, which is home to the Pavilion Theatre. In 1883 the London journalist Clement Scott went to Cromer and began to write about the area. He named the stretch of coastline, particularly the Overstrand and Sidestrand area, "Poppyland",[5] and the combination of the railway and his writing in the national press brought many visitors. The name "Poppyland" referred to the numerous poppies which grew (and still grow) at the roadside and in meadows.

World War II

Cromer featured as the location for the first episode of "An American In England", with the narrator staying in The Red Lion Hotel [6] and retelling several local accounts of life in the town at wartime. The account mentions some of the effects of the war on local people and businesses and the fact that the town adopted a minesweeper, HMS Cromer, a Bangor class minesweeper.[7]

Notable buildings

  • The Church of St Peter and St Paul

Since the 14th century the parish church has been in the centre of the town. However, after falling into disrepair it was rebuilt in the late 19th century by architect, Arthur Blomfield. At 160 ft 4 in (48.87 m) the church tower is the highest in the county. Also, of note are the vast stained glass windows which commemorate various members of the lifeboat crew and other features of the resort.[8][9]

  • Hotel de Paris

Originally built in 1820 as a marine residence for Lord Suffield. In 1830 the building was converted into a hotel by Pierre le Francois. Norfolk born architect George Skipper extensively remodelled the building between 1895–96.[10] Today (2010), the hotel which occupies an elevated location overlooking the town's pier still provides accommodation to visitors.[11]

Located to the south of the town in Hall Lane. 52°55′37″N 1°17′37″E / 52.927°N 1.2937°E / 52.927; 1.2937 The original hall was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1829, in a Gothic Revival style, by Norfolk architect William John Donthorne. Henry Baring, of the Baring banking family, acquired the estate around this time. Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer was born at the hall in 1841. Today (2010), the building is the home of the Cabbell Manners family[12].

In 1901, author Arthur Conan Doyle was a guest at Cromer Hall. After hearing the legend of the Black Shuck, he is thought to have been inspired to write the classic novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.[13]

  • Cromer Town Hall

The two storey building with five bays was designed by George Skipper and completed in 1890.[10] Today (2010), the building is used for commercial purposes.

Tourism and the town today

Tourism is an important part of the local economy with the town a popular resort and a touring base for the surrounding area. Accommodation of all types is available in around Cromer. The town centre offers a wide range of privately owned shops and well known high street retailers. Adjacent to the railway station is a large supermarket and other retail outlets. Amenities in the town include a good selection of restaurants, several public houses, theatre and a cinema.[14] Outside of the historic town centre Pevsner described the late Victorian architecture as "Principal developments belong to the 1890s. Stylistic elements derived from the Chateaux of the Loire Valley"

Visitor attractions in the town include the Cromer Museum. The building is adjacent to the parish church and partially housed in a late 19th century fisherman's cottage. Opened in 1978, the museum includes a Geology Gallery, bones from the West Runton elephant, picture gallery and a collection of historic photographs and illustrations which chart the history of the town.[15] Close to the town's pier the RNLI Henry Blogg Museum RNLI is housed inside the early 21st century Rocket House . The museum with the lifeboat Cromer Lifeboat H F Bailey III ON 777 as its centrepiece illustrates the history of the town's lifeboats and Henry Blogg's most famous rescues.[16] The Cromer Prospect public art scheme was installed in 2005/06 and was part of a wider £6.1 million refurbishment. Much of the work is centred on the granite compass on the pier's forecourt. Celebrating 200 years of Cromer lifeboats the installations 24 stones point in the direction of rescue missions.[17] After two years of development the South American themed Amazona zoo park opened to the public in 2006. The park covers 10 acres (40,000 m2) of former brick kilns and derelict woodland on the outskirts of the town. 52°55′03″N 1°17′53″E / 52.9176°N 1.298°E / 52.9176; 1.298 A wide range of animals including jaguar and puma can be viewed.[18] For one week in August the town celebrates its Carnival Week. The events 40th anniversary was held in 2009. Attractions included the carnival queen competition, parade of floats and a fancy dress competition. The highlight of the week was an over- the- sea aerial display by the Red Arrows.[19] The North Norfolk Information Centre was opened in the town on 1 August 2008 by local writer Keith Skipper. The eco-friendly building uses underground heat source pumps and solar energy to provide 60% of its energy needs.[20][21]

Sport and leisure

Football

Cabbell Park is the home of Cromer Town F.C. The long established club play in the Premier Division of the Anglian Combination.[22]

Cricket

Cromer Cricket Club are one of the oldest clubs in the county and are based at the Norton Warnes Cricket Ground. The club currently play in the Norfolk Alliance Premier Division.[23]

Lawn tennis and Squash

The town's tennnis and squash courts are located at Norwich Road and are open to the public.[24]

Golf

Situated on the cliffs between the town and Overstrand. The Royal Norfolk Golf Club was founded in 1888 and given royal status by the Prince of Wales in the same year.[25]

Walking

Two long distance footpaths pass through the town ; Norfolk Coastal Path and the Weavers' Way.

Cycling

The 92 miles (148 km) Norfolk Coast Cycleway runs parallel to the coast and passes through a mixture of quiet roads and country lanes to link the town with Kings Lynn to the west and Great Yarmouth in the east.[26]

Sea angling

Mixed catches including cod can be made from the town's beaches. The pier provides the opportunity to capture specimen sized bass.[27]

Youth organizations

Transport connections

Railway stations in Cromer: The railway came to Cromer in 1877. Ten years later a second station was opened bringing visitors from the East Midlands. The two stations were Cromer High (owned by the Great Eastern Railway) and the more central Cromer Beach (owned by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway), of which the latter still remains (now known simply as Cromer). Direct services were operated from London, Manchester, Leicester, Birmingham, Leeds, Peterborough and Sheffield, but today a service to Norwich is all that remains. The station is on the Bittern Line connecting it to Sheringham, North Walsham, Wroxham and Norwich, from where the rest of the national rail network can be accessed.

Bus services are provided by First Eastern Counties, Sanders Coaches[28] and Norfolk Green which connect the town to destinations including Norwich and Holt. National Express operate a daily coach service to London.

The A140 links to Norwich, the A148 (direct) & A149 (coast road) to King's Lynn, and the A149 to the Norfolk Broads and Great Yarmouth. The B1159 is a coastal road out towards Mundesley. The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport and there is a private airfield 3 miles (5 km) south east of the town at Northrepps Aerodrome.

Cromer crab

The town is famous for the Cromer crab, which forms the major source of income for the local fishermen. The town had grown up as a fishing station over the centuries and became a year-round fishery, with crabs and lobsters in the summer, drifting for longshore herring in the autumn and long-lining, primarily for cod, in the winter, when weather permitted. The pattern of fishing has changed over the last thirty years, and it is now almost completely focused on crabs and lobsters. At the end of the 19th century, the beaches to the east and west of the pier were crowded with fishing boats. Now, about ten boats ply their trade from the foot of the gangway on the east beach, with shops in the town selling fresh crab, whenever the boats go to sea.

Lifeboat

Main article: Cromer Lifeboat Station

The fishermen also crewed Cromer's two lifeboats. Most famous of the lifeboatmen was Henry Blogg, who received the RNLI gold medal for heroism three times, and the silver medal four times. Cromer Lifeboat Station was founded in 1804, the first in Norfolk. Rowing lifeboats were stationed there through the 19th century.

In the 1920s a lifeboat station was built at the end of the pier, enabling a motor lifeboat to be launched beyond the breakers. A number of notable rescues carried out between 1917 and 1941 made the lifeboat and the town well-known throughout the United Kingdom and further afield. The area covered by the station is large, as there a long run of coastline with no harbour – Great Yarmouth is 40 miles (65 km) by sea to the south east and the restricted harbour of Wells next the Sea 25 miles (40 km) to the west. Today the offshore lifeboat on the pier performs about a dozen rescues a year, with about the same number for the inshore lifeboat stationed on the beach.

The Duke of Kent officially named the town's new lifeboat the Lester in a ceremony on 8 September 2008.[29]

The town in literature

"You should have gone to Cromer, my dear, if you went anywhere. Perry was a week at Cromer once, and he holds it to be the best of all the seabathing places. A fine open sea, he says, and very pure air. And, by what I understand, you might have had lodgings there quite away from the sea quarter of a mile off, very comfortable. You should have consulted Perry."[30]

Twinning

Cromer is twinned with the following towns;

  • Cromer Pier as seen from the Henry Blogg Museum
    Cromer Pier as seen from the Henry Blogg Museum
  • Beaches and cliffs east of Cromer in the summer
    Beaches and cliffs east of Cromer in the summer
  • Cromer Lighthouse
    Cromer Lighthouse
  • View over Cromer from the lighthouse hills
    View over Cromer from the lighthouse hills
  • Cromer Museum
    Cromer Museum
  • Henry Blogg's bronze bust on the cliff top in North Lodge Park, Cromer
    Henry Blogg's bronze bust on the cliff top in North Lodge Park, Cromer
  • Ticket for the Pavilion Theatre on Cromer Pier
    Ticket for the Pavilion Theatre on Cromer Pier
  • Pavilion Theatre on the end of Cromer Pier
    Pavilion Theatre on the end of Cromer Pier
  • Hotel de Paris viewed from pier
    Hotel de Paris viewed from pier
  • Cromer Pier
    Cromer Pier
  • North Norfolk information centre (opened 2008)
    North Norfolk information centre (opened 2008)
  • 17th century gravestone in the churchyard at Cromer
    17th century gravestone in the churchyard at Cromer

Notable people

Further reading

  • Cromer – Chronicle of a Watering Place, Warren, M., Pub: Poppyland Publishing, Third edn. 2001, ISBN 0-946148-55-4
  • The Cromer Lifeboats, Malster, R., Pub: Poppyland Publishing, Fourth Edn., 1994, ISBN 0-946148-21-X
  • Poppyland – Strands of Norfolk History, Stibbons and Cleveland, Fourth Edn., 2001, ISBN 0-946148-17-1
  • Cromer Lifeboats 1804-2004, Leach, Nicholas & Russell, Paul, Tempus Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-7524-3197-8

See also

References

  1. ^ Ordnance Survey, Explorer Sheet 252, Norfolk Coast East, ISBN 9780319467268
  2. ^ "Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes" (Excel spreadsheet). Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council (2001). Retrieved 2005-12-02.
  3. ^ Gem of the Norfolk coast. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  4. ^ "Cromer medieval history". Archived from the original on 2009-10-24. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  5. ^ Poppyland - Strands of Norfolk History, Stibbons and Cleveland, Pub: Poppyland Publishing, Fourth ed. 2001, ISBN 0-946148-56-2
  6. ^ The Red Lion Hotel. Retrieved 03 April , 2010.
  7. ^ An American In England: Cromer
  8. ^ The church of St Peter and St Paul. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
  9. ^ Norfolk churches. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
  10. ^ a b Pevsner, Nikolaus (1997). Buildings of England: Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East. Penguin. pp. 441–445. ISBN 0300096070. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Hotel de Paris. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  12. ^ Literary Norfolk
  13. ^ Literary Norfolk. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  14. ^ Cinema. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  15. ^ Cromer museum Retrieved
  16. ^ The RNLI Henry Blogg museum. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  17. ^ Cromer prospect. Retrieved 01 March, 2010.
  18. ^ Amazona zoo park. Retrieved 17 February.
  19. ^ Cromer carnival. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  20. ^ North Norfolk Information Centre[dead link‍]. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  21. ^ News report. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  22. ^ Cromer Town Football Club. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  23. ^ Cromer Cricket Club. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  24. ^ Cromer Lawn tennis club. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  25. ^ Royal Norfolk golf club. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  26. ^ Norfolk Coast Cycleway. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  27. ^ Sea fishing. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
  28. ^ Sanders coaches. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  29. ^ North Norfolk News report. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
  30. ^ Jane Austen society. Retrieved 09 March, 2010.
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