A Norfolk seaside town which is especially renowned for its crab fishing industry, Cromer has a population of 7,749 and a history stretching back many centuries. Though not named as such in the Domesday Book (1086), Cromer was most likely the settlement which was named as Shipden Juxta Felbrigg, another Shipden named in the Domesday Book now lies under the sea about a quarter of a mile from the present Cromer Pier. The lifeboat station in Cromer was first installed in 1804 and a new one at the end of the pier was built in the 1920’s. These days Cromer is a lively holiday resort with a busy pier and a nice sandy beach, when the weather is good it has the appearance of a typical British seaside resort, though the North Sea coastal resorts can experience some inclement weather, as those who have visited will know. Area of interest around Cromer include the market town of North Walsham, which was a bustling settlement even back in Anglo Saxon times and Sheringham, another of Norfolk’s north coast seaside resorts.
July 9, 2010
October 13, 2009
Great Yarmouth Norfolk
For over two centuries one of the United Kingdom’s most popular seaside resorts, Great Yarmouth is situated on the coast of Norfolk in East Anglia about 20 miles from Norwich. Located at the mouth of the River Yare, present day Great Yarmouth lies near the site of a Roman fort, constructed during their invasion of Britain. For hundreds of years a significant fishing town, renowned for its catches of herring, Great Yarmouth developed as a holiday destination during the mid-18th century. Great Yarmouth seafront, known as “The Golden Mile” has 2 piers, the Wellington Pier and the Brittania Pier, both major attractions for the town, the seafront is lined with amusement arcades, restaurants and gift shops and it runs along the resorts fine sandy beaches. Attractions in and around Great Yarmouth include the Winter Gardens, Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, Joyland, the Sealife Centre, Karting 2000 and the Marina Leisure and Fitness Centre. Great Yarmouth Map.
August 27, 2009
Bury St Edmunds Sudbury and Mildenhall Suffolk
One of East Anglia’s most historic towns, Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk was considered a royal town by the Saxons and would certainly have been known by the Romans long before this. A monastery was built in Bury St Edmunds in around 633 by order of the King of the East Angles (Sigebert) and it was here that King Edmund was buried in 903 AD. The town grew around the abbey which later became the meeting place of the Barons of England as they formulated the Magna Carta. Much later during the 17th century the infamous Bury St Edmunds witch trials were held there. There are still remains of the abbey close to the town centre, though it was mostly destroyed during the 16th century. To the south of Bury St Edmunds, sitting beside the River Stour, Sudbury is another historic Saxon town, recorded in the Saxon Chronicles of 799 AD. Sudbury later grew prosperous through the wool and silk trade, it was also a well known haunt of famous artists such as John Constable who painted scenes of the area. A village which also benefited from the wool trade is Long Melford (located to the north of Sudbury), the proportions of its Holy Trinity Church attest to this, built with ‘wool’ money, it appears more like a cathedral. Two stately homes in the village of Long Melford, also built with ‘wool’ money, are Melford Hall and Kentwell Hall. To the north-west of Bury St Edmunds is the small market town of Mildenhall, which has held a regular market since the 15th century, Mildenhall made big news in the nineteen forties when a large haul of Roman silver was found there, it is probably best known as the home of the air base RAF Mildenhall. Suffolk Map.