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Great Yarmouth, on the Yare estuary in Norfolk, developed in the 11th cent. as a fishing town, especially for North Sea herring. From then until the First World War it was a major port, one of the largest towns in England.
| Great Yarmouth | |
  Great Yarmouth shown within the United Kingdom |
|
| Population | 47,288 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Great Yarmouth |
| Shire county | Norfolk |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GREAT YARMOUTH |
| Postcode district | NR30 (north), NR31 (south) |
| Dialling code | 01493 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Great Yarmouth |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| List of places: UK • England • Norfolk | |
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals simply as Yarmouth, is an English coastal town in the county of
Norfolk. It is situated at the mouth of the River Yare, some
Great Yarmouth has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea. For hundreds of years it has been a fishing port dependent on the herring fishery, and today it services the offshore oil rigs. The town has a popular beach and two promenades popular with locals and tourists.
The town itself is actually located on a thin spit of land sandwiched between the North Sea and River Yare. It is home to the historic rows and the main tourist sector on the seafront. The area is linked to Gorleston, Cobholm and Southtown by Haven Bridge and to the A47, A149 and A12 by the Breydon Bridge.
The unparished urban area that makes up the town of Great Yarmouth has an area of
Great Yarmouth is the fifth most deprived area in the country, in terms of social, economic, education, and safety.
Yarmouth (Gernemwa, Yernemuth) lies near the site of the Roman camp of Gariannonum at the mouth of the River Yare, the convenience of its situation having attracted many fishermen from the Cinque Ports, a permanent settlement was made, and the town numbered 70 burgesses before the Norman Conquest. Henry I placed it under the rule of a reeve.
The charter of King John (1208), which gave his burgesses of Yarmouth general liberties according to the customs of Oxford, a gild merchant and weekly hustings, was amplified by several later charters asserting the rights of the borough against Little Yarmouth and Gorleston. In 1552 Elizabeth granted a charter of admiralty jurisdiction, afterwards confirmed and extended by James I. In 1668 Charles II incorporated Little Yarmouth in the borough by a charter which with one brief exception remained in force until 1703, when Anne replaced the two bailiffs by a mayor.
A grammar school was founded in 1551, when the great hall of the old hospital, founded in the reign of Edward I by Thomas Fastolfe, was appropriated to its use. It was closed from 1757 to 1860, was re-established by the charity trustees, and settled in new buildings in 1872.
From 1808 to 1814 the Admiralty in London could communicate with its naval ships in the port of Great Yarmouth by means of a shutter telegraph chain.
The town was the site of a drowning tragedy on 2 May 1845 when a suspension bridge crowded with children collapsed under the weight killing 79 people. They had gathered to watch a clown in a barrel being pulled by geese down the river. As he passed under the bridge the weight shifted, causing the chains on the south side to snap, tipping over the bridge deck.[3]
During World War I Great Yarmouth became the site of the first aerial bombardment in the UK, in a bomb attack by Zeppelin L3 on 19 January 1915. It was also bombarded by the German Navy on 24 April 1916.
The town suffered from bombing during World War II, but much is left of the old town, including the original over 2000 metre long protective mediaeval wall, of which about two-thirds has survived. Of the 18 towers, 11 are left. On the South Quay, there is a 17th century Merchant's House, as well as Tudor, Georgian and Victorian buildings. Behind South Quay, there is a maze of alleys and lanes known as "The Rows". Originally there were 145 rows. Despite war damage, several have remained.
The northern section of the two-mile £19m A47 Great Yarmouth Western Bypass opened in March 1986, and the southern section opened in May 1985. It is now the A12.
The Tolhouse, complete with dungeons, dates from the late 13th century and is said to be the oldest civic building in Britain. It backs onto the town's central library which was recently renovated.
The Market place is one of the largest in England, and has been operating since the 13th century. It is also home to the town's shopping sector and the famous Yarmouth chip stalls. The smaller area south of the market has a big screen which is used for showing GYTV and access to the town's shopping centre, Market Gates.
Great Yarmouth railway station, which serves the town, is the terminus of the Wherry Lines from Norwich. Before the Beeching Axe the town had a number of stations and a direct link to London down the east coast. The only remaining signs of these stations is the coach park where Beach Station once was and the A12 relief road which follows the route of the railway down into the embankment from Breydon Bridge.
Yarmouth has two piers, Britannia Pier and Wellington Pier. The latter of the two was demolished in 2005 and is currently being rebuilt as a family entertainment centre. Britannia Pier is home to the Britannia Theatre and a fair at the end of the pier.
The Grade 1 listed Winter Gardens building sits next to the Wellington Pier. The cast iron framed glass structure was shipped by barge from Torquay in 1903. It is said this was done without the loss of a single pane of glass. Over the years, it has been used as ballroom, roller skating rink and beer garden. In the 1990s it was converted into a nightclub by comedian Jim Davidson. Today, Winter Gardens is under use as a family leisure venue, although its future is under threat due to the repair costs of the ageing framework. During the winter of 2005 there were worries of the collapse of the building and during high winds it was often closed.
There a monument to Horatio Nelson, erected in 1819, 24 years before the completion of
The Norfolk Nelson Museum, on South Quay, houses the Ben Burgess collection of Nelson Memorabilia and is the only dedicated Nelson museum in Britain.
Charles Dickens used Yarmouth as a key location in his novel David Copperfield. Anna Sewell (1820-1878), the author of Black Beauty, was born in a 17th-century house in Church Plain. The house is currently being used a restaurant after being renovated in 2007. The author stayed at the Royal Hotel on the Marine parade whilst writing David Copperfield.
The Time and Tide museum on Blackfriars Road which is managed by Norfolk Museums Service was nominated in the UK Museums Awards in 2005. It was built as part of the regeneration of the south of the town in 2003. Its location in an old herring smokery harks back to the towns status as a major fishing port. Sections of the historic town wall are located outside the museum.
Yarmouth has an important horse-racing track which features a chute allowing races of one mile on the straight.
The local football team are Great Yarmouth Town.
Speedway racing was staged in Great Yarmouth before and after the War. The meetings were staged at the greyhound stadium in Caister Road. Stock car racing has also been staged at this stadium.
The main Leisure Centre is the Marina Centre. Built in 1981 the centre has a large swimming pool, Conference facilities and live entertainment including their famous Summer Pantomimes and Summer Variety Shows produced by local entertainers Hanton & Dean. The centre is run by the Great Yarmouth Sport and leisure Trust. The Trust was set up in April 2006 to run the building as a charitable non profit making organisation.
Great Yarmouth is connected to Norwich by the Wherry Lines. First East Anglia operate the main bus routes with their hub at the Market Gates Bus Station. The Excel coach service operates a direct link to Peterborough, Norwich and Lowestoft. Other local bus services link the suburban areas of Martham, Hemsby, Gorleston, Bradwell and Belton. In recent years the bus service in the area has been severely cut back after its privatisation.
The A12 terminates in the town as do the A143 and the A47 roads. The relief road was built along the path of the old railway to carry the A12 onwards to Lowestoft and London. Congestion is a major problem in the town and roundabouts, junctions and bridges can become gridlocked at rush hour. Construction work on the Outer Harbour began in June 2007, the harbour which is being built in the South Denes area plans to bring trade to the area and provide a new ferry link with the Netherlands, it is due to be completed by 2009.
Great Yarmouth is twinned with:
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 | British History. A Dictionary of British History. Copyright © 2001, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Great Yarmouth". Read more |
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