Great Yarmouth in Victorian times. Norfolk fishing villages and seaside resorts of the past

Norfolk Victorian Seaside Resorts & Fishing Villages
- Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth was first estabished as a port in Roman times. Located on the mouth of the River Yare (which connects the town to the City of Norwich) for many years vessels transported goods to and from inland centres,along this and other rivers thence to the continent. Similar to many of our coastal settlements, for years Yarmouth supported a major fishing fleet. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries herring was a major catch, until demand fell and overfished shoals became depleted. Yarmouth has operated as a seaside resort since the 18th century but it was only in 1844, when a railway opened, that the holiday industry rapidly expanded. Major infrastructure projects added to its appeal, including the Wellington Pier which opened in 1854 and Britannia Pier in 1858. The Winter Garden was first built in Torquay in 1878, but was bought by Great Yarmouth Borough Council, to be re-erected on Yarmouth’s Golden Mile in 1903. It was a highly succesful Victorian holiday destination, but that was nothing to what it would become as a booming 20th-century resort and entertainment centre.

The port of Great Yarmouth is located inside the spit of land where many major rivers enter the North Sea. In Victorian times the Yare, Wensum, Bure, Ant as well as the Waveney all provided important trade routes inland, whilst coastal vessels expanded that trade worldwide.

The railways improved transportation to and from the port providing a wider market for its goods and services.

As with most ports a flourishing boat building and repair industry provided essential services to the fleets using the port

As a port and administrative centre Gt. Yarmouth needed impressive buildings,none more so than the grand Town Hall. It was built in the 1880s in a Victorian Gothic architectural style, crowned by an impressive clock tower.

The tall ships are still evident but those promenading the quay are not sailors but early 20th-century holidaymakers.

This railway may be servicing the docks but the boats this side of the Haven Bridge are pleasure craft catering for the booming holiday trade. In the background we can see an early tram. Yarmouth's tourist industry is growing.

Not exactly waving goodbye to the sailing era but the shape of things to come. Notice the Lighthouse on the Gorleston bank, strategically located at the end of the spit to guide boats safely into the harbour

Opening in 1844, the Vauxhall Station was the first of Yarmouth's three railway stations. For many of us (of a certain age) we have an abiding memory of thousands of Norwich families descending on Yarmouth from this station. Like a football crowd we would stride across the Vauxhall Bridge aiming to be the first get to the market. We then followed a route up Regents Street before arriving at the 'front'.

The South Town railway station eventally terminated at London Liverpool Street. For the less adventurous it also provided a link to the holiday parks at Hopton and the popular Suffolk resort of Lowestoft.

The first trams were horse drawn

Great Yarmouth had an electric tramway system from 1902 to 1933

Great Yarmouth developed as a holiday resort catering for the mass market, especially popular with the manufacturing workers from the Midlands

A far cry from the Victorian bathing machines!

A view from the Brittania Pier onto a booming Victorian seaside scene.

A quieter scene further south from the fishing jetty, probably early in the morning (or a cold day)

The Wellington Pier, seen here, opened in 1854 and Britannia Pier in 1858, but along the promenade were plenty of places to relax and even listen to a band

1920s entertainment and glamour.

Yarmouth offered a variety of entertainment. Visitors came here for fun and adventure.

For excitement let's head to the fun fair. The scenic railway was always exciting but have these two young ladies something different in mind?

Looks like everyone has made it onto the train for a roller-coaster ride. The Great Yarmouth scenic railway is one of only two (the other is in Margate) that still exists in the UK.

There is lots more to enjoy, or you could just wander around and experience all the fun of the fair.

Hotels boomed not just on the sea front but here we see an advert for the Cromwell Temperence Hotel on Hall Quay. It is better known today as the Star Hotel which was originally located next door. The Bayfield family, who owned the original Star Hotel, sold it to be demolished for an extension to the telephone exchange. They then bought the next door Cromwell, transferred the licence and renamed it the Star.

Just the other side of the river is Great Yarmouth's little sister, the family friendly and quieter Gorleston. As a child I went on Sunday school outing's to Gorleston but, alas, I never saw a goat pulling a cart.

Although not as crowded as Yarmouth, Gorleston attracted more than its fair share of holidaymakers, many of them Norfolk locals.

The promenade and beach look little different today. But where have all those bathing huts gone? And, is this an attempt to build a holiday village on the beach?

The majestic Cliff Hotel designed by George Skipper, dominated the skyline when it opened in 1898. Alas, it only lasted 17 years, as on boxing day 1915 it caught fire and was totally destroyed not due to any enemy action, but an accidental fire fanned by a south-westerly gale.

Norfolk Victorian Seaside Resorts & Fishing Villages - Great Yarmouth

Norfolk Victorian Seaside Resorts & Fishing Villages
- Great Yarmouth