Sheringham

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General information

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Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, located west of Cromer.

Historically, the parish of Sheringham comprised the two villages of Upper Sheringham, a farming community, and Lower Sheringham, which combined farming with fishing.

The industry was at its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as the coming of the railways made it possible for fish to be transported more efficiently to market. Through the 1900s the focus of the fishing, as all along the north Norfolk coast, began to be on crabs, lobsters and whelks. The crab and lobster fishing made the local fishermen major suppliers to the London fish markets. Long lining for cod and the catching of herring began to become less important in the second half of the century, as did whelking. Today, from a peak of maybe 200 boats, Sheringham has eight boats operated single-handed.

The current town of Sheringham was once Lower Sheringham, a fishing station for the main village, now known as Upper Sheringham. It is a railway town that was developed with the coming of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway line in the late 19th century. Most of Sheringham’s range of buildings and shops come from this period and the early 20th century. It has a particularly interesting range of buildings using flint, not normally in the traditional Norfolk style but in a variety of techniques.

The town today

Sheringham today has a thriving town centre centred around a traditional high street which has a wide range of privately-owned shops. On Saturdays throughout the year there is a popular market located in the car park adjacent to the railway station which attracts large crowds to the town even out of the holiday season. The town also has a good selection of specialist shops such as second-hand books, antiques and bric-a-brac, fishing tackle and bait, a model shop plus arts and craft shops. The Sheringham Little Theatre has a wide range of productions on throughout the year including a popular pantomime at Christmas; in the foyer is an excellent coffee shop and there is nearly always a display of art, very often by local artists. There is a good selection of food outlets and some excellent pubs, restaurants, and a youth hostel.

Railway

The railway line to Cromer and Norwich remains open as the Bittern Line. Beyond Sheringham station, the line has been preserved as the North Norfolk Railway also known as the “The Poppy Line” to Holt.

You can find out more about the Railway and the many events it has to offer on their website: http://www.nnrailway.co.uk

The war memorial

The memorial to the men and women of Sheringham and Beeston Regis who died in military service during the two World Wars is located at grid reference TG155433 on the traffic island at the intersection of The Boulevard, St Nicholas Place and The Esplanade. The memorial was designed by Herbert Palmer somewhat in the style of an Eleanor cross. It is of Clipsham stone and stands 26 feet (7.9 m) tall.[8] It was unveiled on 1 January 1921. The names of the dead are on four panels that form the base of the cross.[9] A recent addition to the memorial is a small wrought-iron fence around the base with poppy motifs. There are also further names on memorial boards in the nearby parish church of St Peter.

Sheringham Park and other prominent property

* In 1811, the Sheringham Estate was bought by Abbot and Charlotte Upcher. They asked Humphry Repton to design Sheringham Hall. The Upcher family also built a school. The Hall is still privately occupied, but Sheringham Park is in the care of the National Trust and open to visitors.

* The Dales, formerly the residence of Henry Douglas King, M.P., and later Major William James Spurrell, D.S.O., M.C., is now a hotel (The Dales Country House).

* Sheringham watermill was mainly known as a papermill that operated from around 1750 to about 1865, although it quite possibly started life as a corn mill. The watermill had an overshot waterwheel, which seems quite remarkable when considering the surrounding terrain and the fact that the mill was only supplied by the small Beeston Beck. A blue plaque on the wall of a cottage marks the location of the mill in Beeston road which was then called Paper Mill Road.

Beeston Bump

Sheringham nestles under the nearby hill of Beeston Bump which was the site of one of the World War II secret Y-stations. The Bump can be climbed using the Peddars Way and North Norfolk Coastal Path from either the east or west.

Sea defences

The northern frontage of Sheringham are protected by a concrete seawall which also acts as the promenade. It is a vital part of the protection of the town against the natural erosion that occurs along the North Norfolk coast. In 1953 the storm surge of that year caused considerable damage to Sheringham’s original wooden sea defences. In front of the seawall there is a groynage system which has been armoured at their bases with large blocks of natural rock which provide protection against the waves for the wooden groynes. There are numerous drains along the frontage. To the east towards West Runton the seawall ends just below Beeston Bump. At that point a timber revetment and groyne system, which was designed and constructed in 1976, runs eastwards all the way to West Runton Gap, a distance of just over one mile. According to the shoreline management plans of the Department for Environment there will be a policy of ‘Managed Retreat’ along this stretch of coast. The revetment between Sheringham and West Runton are no longer being maintained and subsequently is in a poor state of repair. Sections that become hazardous to public safety they will be removed. The coastline will then be left to evolve naturally.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheringham