Cromer

For other places with the same name, see Cromer (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 52°55′52″N 1°18′07″E / 52.931°N 1.302°E / 52.931; 1.302

Cromer
Cromer Parish Church
Cromer  Cromer shown within Norfolk
Area	4.66 km2 (1.80 sq mi)
Population	7,749 (2001 census)
- Density	1,663 /km2 (4,310 /sq mi)
OS grid reference	TG219422
District	North Norfolk
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	CROMER
Postcode district	NR27
Dialling code	01263
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	North Norfolk
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. The place-name 'Cromer' is first attested in 1297 and means 'Crows' mere or lake'.^[4]

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.^[5] 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 subsequently 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",^[6] 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 an episode of "An American In England", written by Norman Corwin with the narrator staying in The Red Lion Hotel ^[7] and retelling several local accounts of life in the town at wartime. The radio play first aired in the USA on 1 December 1942 on the CBS/Columbia Workshop program starring Joe Julian. 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.^[8]

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.^[9][10]

• 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.^[11] Today (2010), the hotel which occupies an elevated location overlooking the town's pier still provides accommodation to visitors.^[12]

• Cromer Hall

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. In 2010 the building was the home of the Cabbell Manners family.^[13]

In 1901, author Arthur Conan Doyle was a guest at Cromer Hall. After hearing the legend of the Black Shuck, a ghostly black dog,he is thought to have been inspired to write the classic novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.^[14]

• Cromer Town Hall

The two-storey building with five bays was designed by George Skipper and completed in 1890.^[11] 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.^[15] 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.^[16] 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.^[17] 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.^[18] 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.^[19] 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.^[20] 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.^[21][22]

Sport and leisure

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]

Football

Cabbell Park is the home of Cromer Town F.C. The long established club play in the Premier Division of the Anglian Combination.^[24]

Lawn tennis and Squash

The town's tennnis and squash courts are located at Norwich Road and are open to the public.^[25]

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.^[26]

Walking

Two long distance footpaths pass through the town: the Norfolk Coast 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.^[27]

Sea angling

Mixed catches including cod can be made from the town's beaches. The pier provides the opportunity to capture specimen sized bass.^[28]

Youth organizations

• Air Training Corps: 1895 (Cromer) Squadron, based at Cromer High School.
• Army Cadet Force: Cromer Platoon, Britannia Company, based at Cromer High School.

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 and coach services are provided by several companies which link the town to destinations including Norwich, Sheringham, Holt, Cambridge and the London, Victoria coach station.^[29]

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,^[30][31] 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.^[32][33]

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.^[34]

The town in literature

• Emma by Jane Austen Chapter XII

“

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.[35]

”

• North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell Chapter XLIX

“

There was no Spain for Margaret that autumn; although to the last she hoped that some fortunate occasion would call Frederick to Paris, whither she could easily have met with a convoy. Instead of Cadiz, she had to content herself with Cromer. To that place her aunt Shaw and the Lennoxes were bound. They had all along wished her to accompany them, and, consequently, with their characters, they made but lazy efforts to forward her own separate wish. Perhaps Cromer was, in one sense of the expression, the best for her. She needed bodily strengthening and bracing as well as rest.

”

Twinning

Cromer is twinned with the following towns;

• Nidda, Hesse, Germany
• Crest, Drôme, France

Notable people

• Henry Blogg, greatest of the lifeboatmen
• Henry "Shrimp" Davies, longest-serving coxswain of the lifeboat
• Benjamin Bond Cabbell, politician and philanthropist
• James Dyson, creator of Dyson vacuum cleaners
• John Henry Gurney, banker and amateur ornithologist
• Charles William Peach, British naturalist and geologist
• Keith Skipper, journalist, Eastern Daily Press
• Charles Mayes Wigg, artist
• Malcolm Sayer, designer for Jaguar cars
• Liam Walsh (boxer), boxer

Gallery

• 

  Cromer Pier as seen from the Henry Blogg Museum

• 

  Beaches and cliffs east of Cromer in the summer

• 

  Cromer Lighthouse

• 

  View over Cromer from the lighthouse hills

• 

  Cromer Museum

• 

  Henry Blogg's bronze bust on the cliff top in North Lodge Park, Cromer

• 

  Ticket for the Pavilion Theatre on Cromer Pier

• 

  Pavilion Theatre on the end of Cromer Pier

• 

  Hotel de Paris viewed from pier

• 

  Cromer Pier

• 

  North Norfolk information centre (opened 2008)

• 

  17th-century gravestone in the churchyard at Cromer

Media related to Cromer at Wikimedia Commons

See also

• Cromer Pier
• Cromer Lighthouse
• Cromer Tunnel
• Cromer Ridge
• Cromer High School
• Cromer Town F.C.
• Cromer Hospital
• Pavilion Theatre
• Cromer Lifeboat Station
• Cromer, New South Wales - the suburb in Sydney Australia named after this north Norfolk town

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). http://www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/groups/public/documents/general_resources/ncc017867.xls. Retrieved 2005-12-02. 
3. ^ Gem of the Norfolk coast. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
4. ^ Eilert Ekwall, Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p.131.
5. ^ "Cromer medieval history". Archived from the original on 2009-10-24. http://web.archive.org/web/20091024064202/http://geocities.com/cromerhistory/medieval.html. Retrieved 2007-10-30. 
6. ^ Poppyland - Strands of Norfolk History, Stibbons and Cleveland, Pub: Poppyland Publishing, Fourth ed. 2001, ISBN 0-946148-56-2
7. ^ The Red Lion Hotel. Retrieved 03 April , 2010.
8. ^ An American In England: Cromer
9. ^ The church of St Peter and St Paul. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
10. ^ Norfolk churches. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
11. ^ ^{a b} Pevsner, Nikolaus; Pevsner and wilson (1997). Buildings of England: Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East. Penguin. pp. 441–445. ISBN 0300096070. 
12. ^ Hotel de Paris. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
13. ^ Literary Norfolk
14. ^ Literary Norfolk. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
15. ^ Cinema. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
16. ^ Cromer museum Retrieved
17. ^ The RNLI Henry Blogg museum. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
18. ^ Cromer prospect^{[dead link]}. Retrieved 01 March, 2010.
19. ^ Amazona zoo park. Retrieved 17 February.
20. ^ Cromer carnival. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
21. ^ North Norfolk Information Centre. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
22. ^ Keith Skipper opens Information Centre. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
23. ^ Cromer Cricket Club. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
24. ^ Cromer Town Football Club. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
25. ^ Cromer Lawn tennis club. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
26. ^ Royal Norfolk golf club. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
27. ^ Norfolk Coast Cycleway. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
28. ^ Sea fishing. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
29. ^ Public transport from Cromer. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
30. ^ Cromer Crab
31. ^ Protection wanted for Cromer Crab
32. ^ Cromer Online Cromer Crab
33. ^ Cromer Crabs and More
34. ^ North Norfolk News report. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
35. ^ Jane Austen society. Retrieved 09 March, 2010.

Further reading

• Warren, M. Cromer – Chronicle of a Watering Place, 3rd ed. Cromer: Poppyland Publishing, 2001, ISBN 0-946148-55-4
• Malster, R. The Cromer Lifeboats, 4th ed. Cromer: Poppyland Publishing, 1994, ISBN 0-946148-21-X
• Stibbons, Peter & Cleveland, David Poppyland – Strands of Norfolk History, 4th ed., Cromer: Poppyland, 2001, ISBN 0-946148-17-1 (1st ed. 1981)
• Leach, Nicholas & Russell, Paul Cromer Lifeboats 1804-2004, Stroud: Tempus Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-7524-3197-8

External links

• Cromer at the Open Directory Project
• Information from Genuki Norfolk on Cromer.
• Cromer Literary History
• Cromer Pier Webcam