Cromer
Encyclopedia
Cromer is a coastal town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 and civil parish in north Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

, England. The local government authority is North Norfolk
North Norfolk
North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, United Kingdom. Its council is based in Cromer. The council headquarters can be found approximately out of the town of Cromer on the Holt Road.-History:...

 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
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...

, and is 4 miles (6.5 km) east of Sheringham
Sheringham
Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, west of Cromer.The motto of the town, granted in 1953 to the Sheringham Urban District Council, is Mare Ditat Pinusque Decorat, Latin for "The sea enriches and the pine adorns"....

. The civil parish has an area of 4.66 km² and in the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....

 had a population of 7,749 people in 3,671 households. The motto Gem of the Norfolk Coast is highlighted on the town's roadsigns.

Origins

Cromer is not mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

 of 1086. The place-name 'Cromer' is first attested in 1297 and means 'Crows' mere
Mere (lake)
Mere in English refers to a lake that is broad in relation to its depth, e.g. Martin Mere. A significant effect of its shallow depth is that for all or most of the time, it has no thermocline.- Etymology :...

 or lake'.

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.
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
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...

, who played golf here. The resort's facilities included the late-Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

 Cromer Pier, which is home to the Pavilion Theatre. In 1883 the London journalist Clement Scott
Clement Scott
Clement Scott was an influential English theatre critic for the Daily Telegraph, and a playwright and travel writer, in the final decades of the 19th century...

 went to Cromer and began to write about the area. He named the stretch of coastline, particularly the Overstrand
Overstrand
Overstrand is a village on the north coast of Norfolk in England, two miles east of Cromer. It was once a modest fishing station, with all or part of the fishing station being known as Beck Hythe...

 and Sidestrand
Sidestrand
Sidestrand is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is North of Norwich, South East of Cromer and north-east of London.The nearest railway station is at North Walsham for the Bittern Line which runs between Cromer and Norwich...

 area, "Poppyland", 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
Norman Corwin
Norman Lewis Corwin was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing...

 with the narrator staying in The Red Lion Hotel 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
HMS Cromer (J128)
HMS Cromer was a Bangor class minesweeper commissioned by the Royal Navy in 1941. She was named after the North Norfolk seaside town of the same name....

, a Bangor class minesweeper
Bangor class minesweeper
The Bangor-class minesweepers were a class of minesweepers operated by the Royal Navy , Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Indian Navy during World War II....

.

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
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield was an English architect.-Background:The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College,...

. At 160 in 4 in (48.87 m) the church tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...

 is the highest in the county. Also, of note are the vast stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...

 windows which commemorate various members of the lifeboat
Cromer lifeboat station
Cromer Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. The station operates two lifeboats - one for inshore work and the other for offshore work....

 crew and other features of the resort.
  • 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
George Skipper
George John Skipper was a leading Norwich based architect of the late Victorian and Edwardian period. Writer and poet, John Betjeman gave this description of him "he is altogether remarkable and original. He is to Norwich rather what Gaudi was to Barcelona" Skipper was born in the Norfolk market...

 extensively remodelled the building between 1895–96. Today (2010), the hotel which occupies an elevated location overlooking the town's pier still provides accommodation to visitors.
  • Cromer Hall
    Cromer Hall
    Cromer Hall is a country house located one mile south of Cromer on Hall Road, in the English county of Norfolk. The present house was built in 1829 by architect William Donthorne...


Located to the south of the town in Hall Lane. 52.927°N 1.2937°E The original hall was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1829, in a Gothic Revival style, by Norfolk architect William John Donthorne
William Donthorne
William John Donthorne was a notable English architect of the early 19th century and one of the founders of what became the Royal Institute of British Architects .Donthorn was born in Norfolk and was a pupil of Sir Jeffry Wyattville...

. Henry Baring
Henry Baring
Henry Baring , of Cromer Hall, Norfolk, was a British banker and politician. He was the third son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, the founder of the family banking firm that grew into Barings Bank His grandfather John Baring emigrated from Germany and established the family in...

, of the Baring banking family, acquired the estate around this time. Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer
Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer
Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer, GCB, OM, GCMG, KCSI, CIE, PC, FRS , was a British statesman, diplomat and colonial administrator....

 was born at the hall in 1841. In 2010 the building was the home of the Cabbell Manners family.

In 1901, author Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...

 was a guest at Cromer Hall. After hearing the legend of the Black Shuck
Black Shuck
Black Shuck, Old Shuck, Old Shock or simply Shuck is the name given to a ghostly black dog which is said to roam the coastline and countryside of East Anglia...

, a ghostly black dog,he is thought to have been inspired to write the classic novel The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of four crime novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set largely on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country and tells the story of an...

.
  • Cromer Town Hall

The two-storey building with five bays was designed by George Skipper and completed in 1890. 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
Pavilion Theatre, Cromer Pier
The Pavilion Theatre, Cromer Pier is located on Cromer Pier, Cromer, Norfolk.- History :The pier as we know it today was opened in 1901. To celebrate its official opening The Blue Viennese Band played in an open bandstand. In 1905 the bandstand was covered to form an enclosed pavilion and the...

 and a cinema. 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
Châteaux of the Loire Valley
The châteaux of the Loire Valley are part of the architectural heritage of the historic towns of Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Nantes, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours along the Loire River in France...

"

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
West Runton elephant
The West Runton Elephant is a fossilized skeleton of a steppe mammoth found in the cliffs of West Runton in the county of Norfolk, England in 1990...

, picture gallery and a collection of historic photographs and illustrations which chart the history of the town.
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
Henry Blogg
Henry George Blogg GC BEM was a famous lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England.Henry Blogg of Cromer is referred to as "the greatest of the lifeboatmen"...

 most famous rescues. The Cromer Prospect public art
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...

 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
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...

 compass
Compass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...

 on the pier's forecourt. Celebrating 200 years of Cromer lifeboats the installations 24 stones point in the direction of rescue missions. After two years of development the South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

n themed Amazona zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....

 park opened to the public in 2006. The park covers 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of former brick kilns
Brick Kiln
Brick Kiln is a settlement in the east of the island of Nevis in Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is located inland from the coast in America, to the north of Butlers....

 and derelict woodland on the outskirts of the town. 52.9176°N 1.298°E A wide range of animals including jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...

 and puma can be viewed. 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
Red Arrows
The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Scampton, but due to move to RAF Waddington in 2011...

. The North Norfolk Information Centre was opened in the town on 1 August 2008 by local writer Keith Skipper
Keith Skipper
Keith Skipper is a journalist who writes for the Eastern Daily Press. He is also an author and formerly a broadcaster with BBC Radio Norfolk. His most recent books include: The Bumper Book of Norfolk Squit and Confessions of a Norfolk Newshound....

. The eco-friendly building uses underground heat source pumps and solar energy to provide 60% of its energy needs.

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.

Football

Cabbell Park is the home of Cromer Town F.C.
Cromer Town F.C.
Cromer Town F.C. is an English football club based in Cromer, Norfolk. The club are currently members of the Anglian Combination Premier Division and play at Cabbell Park...

 The long established club play in the Premier Division of the Anglian Combination
Anglian Combination
The Anglian Combination Football League is an English football league that operates in the East Anglia area. The league specifically covers Norfolk and northern Suffolk and is also known as the Dolphin Autos Anglian Combination Football League after its principal sponsor...

.

Lawn tennis and Squash

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

Golf

Situated on the cliffs between the town and Overstrand
Overstrand
Overstrand is a village on the north coast of Norfolk in England, two miles east of Cromer. It was once a modest fishing station, with all or part of the fishing station being known as Beck Hythe...

. The Royal Norfolk Golf Club was founded in 1888 and given royal status by the Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...

 in the same year.

Walking

Two long distance footpaths pass through the town: the Norfolk Coast Path and the Weavers' Way.

Cycling

The 92 miles (148.1 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
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...

 in the east.

Sea angling

Mixed catches including cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...

 can be made from the town's beaches. The pier provides the opportunity to capture specimen sized bass.

Youth organizations

  • Air Training Corps
    Air Training Corps
    The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...

    : 1895 (Cromer) Squadron
    Squadron (aviation)
    A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...

    , based at Cromer High School
    Cromer High School
    Cromer High School and Sports College is a British state school in Cromer, Norfolk. It has around 517 pupils aged 11-16, a drop in numbers from 715 in March 2006 and has had the specialist school status of a Sports College since July, 2010. Having been a Language College from July 2001 until July...

    .
  • Army Cadet Force
    Army Cadet Force
    The Army Cadet Force is a British youth organisation that offers progressive training in a multitude of the subjects from military training to adventurous training and first aid, at the same time as promoting achievement, discipline, and good citizenship, to boys and girls aged 12 to 18 and 9...

    : Cromer Platoon, Britannia Company, based at Cromer High School
    Cromer High School
    Cromer High School and Sports College is a British state school in Cromer, Norfolk. It has around 517 pupils aged 11-16, a drop in numbers from 715 in March 2006 and has had the specialist school status of a Sports College since July, 2010. Having been a Language College from July 2001 until July...

    .

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
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...

. The two stations were Cromer High (owned by the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...

) and the more central Cromer Beach
Cromer railway station
The fishing port and holiday resort of Cromer in the English county of Norfolk has had a rail service since 1877. It was served by three railway stations for many years, and is now served by two...

 (owned by the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway, was a joint railway owned by the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railway in eastern England, affectionately known as the 'Muddle and Get Nowhere' to generations of passengers, enthusiasts, and other users.The main line ran from Peterborough to...

), of which the latter still remains (now known simply as Cromer). Direct services were operated from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

, Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

, Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

 and Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...

, but today a service to Norwich is all that remains. The station is on the Bittern Line
Bittern Line
The Bittern Line is a railway line from Norwich to Cromer then Sheringham in Norfolk, England. It is one of the most scenic in the East of England traversing the Norfolk Broads on its route to the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the North Norfolk Coast. The line is part of the Network Rail...

 connecting it to Sheringham, North Walsham
North Walsham
North Walsham is a market town and civil parish in Norfolk, England in the North Norfolk district.-Demographics:The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 11,998. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of North...

, Wroxham
Wroxham
Wroxham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish of Wroxham has an area of 6.21 square kilometres and in 2001 had a population of 1532 in 666 households. The village is situated within the Norfolk Broads on the south side of a loop in the middle reaches of...

 and Norwich, from where the rest of the national rail network
National Rail
National Rail is a title used by the Association of Train Operating Companies as a generic term to define the passenger rail services operated in Great Britain...

 can be accessed.

Bus and coach services are provided by several companies which link the town to destinations including Norwich, Sheringham, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...

, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...

 and the London, Victoria coach station
Victoria Coach Station
Victoria Coach Station is the largest and most significant coach station in London. It serves long distance coach services and is also the departure point for many countryside coach tours originating from London. It should not be confused with the nearby Green Line Coach Station serving Green Line...

.

The A140
A140 road
The A140 is an 'A-class' road in Norfolk and Suffolk, East Anglia, England partly following the route of the Roman Pye Road. It runs from the A14 near Needham Market to the A149 south of Cromer. It is of primary status for the entirety of its route. It is approximately 56 miles in length...

 links to Norwich, the A148
A148 road
The A148 is an English A road entirely in the county of Norfolk. It runs from King's Lynn to Cromer via Fakenham which it bypasses to the north.-King’s Lynn starting point:...

 (direct) & A149
A149 road
The A149 is a major route in Norfolk, linking Kings Lynn to Great Yarmouth. It runs via the coast rather than on a more direct route such as the A47. The eastern section runs through The Broads.-Kings Lynn to Wells next the Sea:...

 (coast road) to King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....

, and the A149 to the Norfolk Broads and Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...

. The B1159
B1159 road
The B1159 is a road in Norfolk, England, running for about between Cromer and Caister-on-Sea, parallel to and at a short distance from the northeastern coast of Norfolk.From north to south the road passes through:*Overstrand*Sidestrand*Trimingham...

 is a coastal road out towards Mundesley
Mundesley
Mundesley is a coastal village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is 20.3 miles north-north east of Norwich, 7.3 miles south east of Cromer and 136 miles north east of London. The village lies 5.6 miles north-north east of the town of North Walsham. The nearest...

.

The nearest airport is Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport
Norwich International Airport , also known as Norwich Airport, is an airport in the City of Norwich within Norfolk, England north of the city centre and on the edge of the city's suburbs....

 and there is a private airfield 3 miles (5 km) south east of the town at Northrepps Aerodrome
Northrepps Aerodrome
Northrepps Aerodrome is a privately owned airfield south west of the village of Northrepps, North Norfolk, England approximately south south east of Cromer...

.

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

The fishermen also crewed Cromer's two lifeboats. Most famous of the lifeboatmen was Henry Blogg
Henry Blogg
Henry George Blogg GC BEM was a famous lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England.Henry Blogg of Cromer is referred to as "the greatest of the lifeboatmen"...

, 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
Cromer lifeboat station
Cromer Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. The station operates two lifeboats - one for inshore work and the other for offshore work....

 there through the 19th century.

In the 1920s a lifeboat station
Cromer lifeboat station
Cromer Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. The station operates two lifeboats - one for inshore work and the other for offshore work....

 was built at the end of the pier, enabling a motor lifeboat
Cromer Lifeboat H F Bailey III
H F Bailey III is the most famous Royal National Lifeboat Institution lifeboat to have served from Cromer, because she was used by Coxswain Henry Blogg to perform many of his most famous lifesaving exploits. The lifeboat was on station for the ten years between 1935 and 1945...

 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
Duke of Kent
Duke of Kent is a title which has been created various times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of George V.-Pre-history:...

 officially named the town's new lifeboat the Lester
Cromer Lifeboat Lester ON 1287
Lester ON 1287 is the current ALB lifeboat stationed at Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. Cromer is the first lifeboat station on the east of England coast to receive the latest Tamar class all-weather lifeboat.The lifeboat became officially operational at 3:55 pm on the 6th January 2008...

 in a ceremony on 8 September 2008.

The town in literature

  • Emma
    Emma
    Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living in Georgian-Regency England; she also creates a lively 'comedy of manners' among...

    by Jane Austen
    Jane Austen
    Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...

     Chapter XII

  • North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
    Elizabeth Gaskell
    Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson , often referred to simply as Mrs Gaskell, was a British novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era...

     Chapter XLIX


Twinning

Cromer is twinned with the following towns; Nidda, Hesse, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

  Crest, Drôme
Crest, Drôme
Crest is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.-Population:Its inhabitants are called Crestois.-Sights:* The Tour de Crest, one of the highest medieval keeps in France - 52 m. Its height dominates the town. The tower was part of a castle which guarded one of the entrances to the...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...


Notable people

  • Henry Blogg
    Henry Blogg
    Henry George Blogg GC BEM was a famous lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England.Henry Blogg of Cromer is referred to as "the greatest of the lifeboatmen"...

    , greatest of the lifeboatmen
  • Henry "Shrimp" Davies
    Henry Thomas Davies
    Henry "Shrimp" Thomas Davies BEM was a famous lifeboatman from Cromer on the north coast of Norfolk, England. “Shrimp” Davies, as he was affectionately known was one of Cromer Lifeboat's longest serving coxswain. He retired as coxswain in February 1976. He had joined the crew of the Cromer...

    , longest-serving coxswain of the lifeboat
  • Benjamin Bond Cabbell
    Benjamin Bond Cabbell
    Benjamin Bond Cabbell FRS DL , British politician and philanthropist, was educated at Westminster School, and went up to Oriel College, Oxford, in June 1800, but left the university in 1803 without a degree. He was called to the bar of the Middle Temple in 1816 and practised on the western circuit...

    , politician and philanthropist
  • James Dyson
    James Dyson
    Sir James Dyson is a British industrial designer and founder of the Dyson company.He is best known as the inventor of the Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner, which works on the principle of cyclonic separation. His net worth in 2011 was said to be £1.45 billion.-Early life:Dyson was born in...

    , creator of Dyson vacuum cleaners
  • John Henry Gurney
    John Henry Gurney
    John Henry Gurney was an English banker, amateur ornithologist, and Liberal Party politician.-Life:Gurney was the only son of Joseph John Gurney of Earlham Hall, Norwich, Norfolk. At the age of ten he was sent to a private tutor at Leytonstone near the Epping Forest, where he met Henry Doubleday,...

    , banker and amateur ornithologist
  • Charles William Peach
    Charles William Peach
    Charles William Peach was a British naturalist and geologist.-Biography:He was born at Wansford, Cambridgeshire; his father at the time was a saddler and harness-maker, and afterwards became an innkeeper, farming about eighty acres of land...

    , British naturalist and geologist
  • Keith Skipper
    Keith Skipper
    Keith Skipper is a journalist who writes for the Eastern Daily Press. He is also an author and formerly a broadcaster with BBC Radio Norfolk. His most recent books include: The Bumper Book of Norfolk Squit and Confessions of a Norfolk Newshound....

    , journalist, Eastern Daily Press
    Eastern Daily Press
    The Eastern Daily Press, commonly referred to as the EDP, is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, and northern parts of Suffolk and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is published daily in Norwich, UK....

  • Charles Mayes Wigg
    Charles Mayes Wigg
    Charles Mayes Wigg, born at Nottingham, England on 13 January 1889 and died at Eastbourne on 2 March 1969, was an English artist.-Biography:The eldest son of Mayes Wigg, a bank manager, and Agnes Wigg , he grew up at Watton and Cromer in Norfolk and was educated at Gresham's School...

    , artist
  • Malcolm Sayer
    Malcolm Sayer
    Malcolm Sayer was an aircraft and car designer. His most notable work being the iconic E-Type Jaguar. He spent the last twenty years of his life working at Jaguar Cars and was one of the first engineers to apply principles of aerodynamics to car design.-Background:Sayer was born in Cromer,...

    , designer for Jaguar cars
  • Liam Walsh (boxer)
    Liam Walsh (boxer)
    Liam Walsh is an English professional left-handed boxer fighting in the super featherweight division. He is the current holder of the Commonwealth title at the weight and is one of three brothers, all of whom are professional boxers....

    , boxer

See also

  • Cromer Pier
    Cromer Pier
    Cromer Pier is a seaside pier in the civil parish of Cromer on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk, 40 km due north of the city of Norwich in the United Kingdom. The pier is the home of the Cromer Lifeboat Station and the Pavilion Theatre...

  • Cromer Lighthouse
    Cromer Lighthouse
    Cromer Lighthouse situated in the town of Cromer on the coast in the English county of Norfolk.-History:There has been a lighthouse on the cliff top at Foulness, east of the town of Cromer since 1669. Before this time a light was shone from the top of Cromer parish church to act as a guide to...

  • Cromer Tunnel
    Cromer Tunnel
    The Cromer Tunnel was built by the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway to take their Cromer Beach to Mundesley line under the Great Eastern's Cromer High to Norwich line...

  • Cromer Ridge
    Cromer Ridge
    Cromer Ridge is a ridge of old glacial moraines that stands next to the coast above Cromer, Norfolk, England. Cromer Ridge seems to have been the front line of the ice sheet for some time at the last glaciation, which is shown by the large size of the feature...

  • Cromer High School
    Cromer High School
    Cromer High School and Sports College is a British state school in Cromer, Norfolk. It has around 517 pupils aged 11-16, a drop in numbers from 715 in March 2006 and has had the specialist school status of a Sports College since July, 2010. Having been a Language College from July 2001 until July...

  • Cromer Town F.C.
    Cromer Town F.C.
    Cromer Town F.C. is an English football club based in Cromer, Norfolk. The club are currently members of the Anglian Combination Premier Division and play at Cabbell Park...

  • Cromer Hospital
    Cromer Hospital
    Cromer and District Hospital opened in 1932 in the suburb of Suffield Park in the town of Cromer within the English county of Norfolk.. The hospital is run by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and provides an important range of acute consultant and nurse-led services...

  • Pavilion Theatre
  • Cromer Lifeboat Station
    Cromer lifeboat station
    Cromer Lifeboat Station is an RNLI station located in the town of Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. The station operates two lifeboats - one for inshore work and the other for offshore work....

  • Cromer, New South Wales
    Cromer, New South Wales
    Cromer is a suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Cromer is located 20 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Warringah Council and is part of the Northern Beaches region. Its lush bushland setting is highly...

    - the suburb in Sydney Australia named after this north Norfolk town

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

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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