Memories of Great Yarmouth
Holidays as a boy were restricted to three places – London, Tunbridge Wells and Great Yarmouth.
I loved Yarmouth with a passion that I could never really explain. To me it was just somewhere magical that I loved going to. I can remember the excitement of getting up in the morning to be told we were going to Yarmouth. It was only many years later, when I started to look into my family history, that I found most of my ancestors come from Great Yarmouth or the surrounding areas.
So I began to delve into the history of the town and in particular The Rows where many of my ancestors lived. I have mentioned these tight little streets in the past and, if you want to get a feel for them, just pop along to the Time and Tide museum in the town where they have a reproduction. Most of the Rows have now gone but two iconic parts of the town still exist and provide a picture of hugely contrasting fortunes.
The Winter Gardens
Sadly the Winter Gardens on Great Yarmouth seafront are on the list of Britain's most at risk buildings according to Historic England and, as time goes by, the Grade 2 listed attraction decays even further and its future continues to be uncertain. Ironically the original structure was not intended for Great Yarmouth at all. It was designed and constructed in Torquay by John WATSON and William HARVEY between 1878 and 1881 at a cost of £12,783 (approx £1.5m today).
The ironwork was by Jess TILDESLEY of Staffordshire. The structure wasn't a success in Torquay and so was taken apart piece by piece and reconstructed in Great Yarmouth where it was felt it would have a brighter future. The structure has a cast iron frame and is 170 ft in length. The Historic England website goes into great detail about the structure. The decision to bring it to Great Yarmouth was made by borough council surveyor J. W. COCKRILL who felt it would lengthen the holiday season and bring "a better class visitor" to the resort. On wet days it could provide shelter for 2,000 people.
The Winter Gardens was purchased for £1,300 - a fraction of the original cost and about £150,000 at today's prices. The building was dismantled in sections, transported by barge to Norfolk and reerected at the entrance to the Wellington Pier in 1904. Despite the long journey, not a single pane of glass was broken. Cockrill added a brick entrance arch and porch to act as a cloakroom and, in 1909, a maple floor was laid for roller skating. The building was subsequently also used for concerts, dancing and even a German Beer Cellar.
There were floral displays inside and an organ above the entrance to the west end. In the late 20th century, the glazing panels in the roof were replaced and some structural work undertaken. The Winter Gardens is a Grade 2 listed building due to its rarity. It is the last surviving seaside Victorian cast iron and glass winter gardens in the country. It is also of great architectural and historical interest. When constructed it was one of the three largest cast iron and glass seaside winter gardens in England. Sadly the venue has been closed for over 11 years and it has been claimed that it is "deteriorating daily." In 2018 the Victorian Society listed it amongst its top 10 buildings "crying out to be saved."
Great Yarmouth Borough Council has invited tenders for a commercial partner or consortium to propose and run a sustainable business within the historic landmark. The appeal is backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which has indicated that funds for repair would be available with a suitable operator on board. In October 2019, the decision was taken to board up damaged windows whilst steps are taken to find a buyer. It appears that to dismantle the building would cost more than £1 million.
The Winter Gardens has been described as “a people’s palace of glass and steel, a seafront cathedral of light.” It has also been described as: "A landmark structure gleaming and brilliant in the hot Norfolk summers and complimenting huge East Anglian skies.” Back in 1903, the building was a symbol of the new leisure time promised to the population. It was claimed that it gave people the chance to see glimpses of faraway places thanks to its exotic collection of plants from all corners of a flagging empire and beyond. For the millions of holidaymakers packing the resort in the early decades of the twentieth century, escaping for a few days from the factories and the daily grind, the Winter Gardens was an unexpected paradise.
As much part of the experience as the sticks of Docwra rock, the pleasure beach rides and “sands of finest brown sugar.” Sadly as the British seaside diminished in popularity, so did the Winter Gardens as it slumped to its present condition where, unless drastic action is taken, the only answer might be to demolish it and that would be a terrible, terrible shame. The Waterways In contrast, Great Yarmouth Waterways has enjoyed a renaissance. Situated almost a mile from the Winter Gardens, a massive regeneration project has brought the waterways back to their former glory and once again turned them into one of the most pleasant tourist attractions in the town.
The hugely impressive Venetian waterways had fallen into disrepair after many years of neglect. That’s before an army of volunteers, supported by a Lottery grant and the backing of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, succeeded in turning them into a major part of Great Yarmouth's leisure life. The restoration cost £2.7 million with the gardens being inspired by the waterways of Venice. The waterways are, like the Winter Gardens, a Grade 2 listed attraction and were originally opened in 1928 - 10 years after the First World War and 11 before the second.
The restoration was completed in time for small paddle boats and canoes to return in 2019 towards the end of the summer season. The gardens include picnic and sitting areas, along with picturesque bridges, pergolas and cafes. The original planting ideas have been followed and this gives the waterways an historic as well as very modern look. Finally on the subject of Great Yarmouth, I was able recently to pick up a real bargain on Amazon with a reproduction copy of the first part of Charles PALMER’S epic history of Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Southtown.
“The Perlustration* of Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Southtown” was first published in three volumes in 1872 and gives a unique insight into the town with descriptions of roads, buildings and many of its well known characters. It is ideal if you want to learn something about The Rows. Palmer originally edited “The History of Great Yarmouth” by Henry MANSHIP and the perlustrations became an extension of this work. Palmer was the only son of John Danby Palmer and Anne Palmer (nee BEART). He was born on New Year’s Day, 1805, and educated at a private school run by a Mr BOWLES in Queen Street, Great Yarmouth. In 1822 he was articled to Robert CORY and became an attorney in his own right in June, 1827.
He practised law at Great Yarmouth until his retirement. For many years he lived in an Elizabethan house at 4, South Quay, which his father had purchased in 1809. He became an alderman and, in 1854, was elected mayor. He also served as deputy-lieutenant for the county of Suffolk. Charles Palmer was a huge benefactor of Great Yarmouth and worked unstintingly to help develop the seafront as a seaside resort with the new Marine Parade and the erection of a series of buildings, notably the Britannia Terrace, the Carlton Hotel (as it became), the Assembly Rooms (Masonic Lodge), and the Wellington Pier. In 1830 he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He died on 24th September, 1882. He was married to Amelia GRAHAM but they had no children.
*The word perlustration which I suspect is little used today is defined as “an act of inspecting, surveying, or viewing a place thoroughly.” The word was first used in the mid seventeenth century and comes from the Latin perlustration which was the act of roaming or traversing.
Two websites that may be of interest are:
Historic England at https//www.historicengland.org.uk and
The Victorian Society at https://www.victoriansociety.org.uk
Holidays as a boy were restricted to three places – London, Tunbridge Wells and Great Yarmouth.
I loved Yarmouth with a passion that I could never really explain. To me it was just somewhere magical that I loved going to. I can remember the excitement of getting up in the morning to be told we were going to Yarmouth. It was only many years later, when I started to look into my family history, that I found most of my ancestors come from Great Yarmouth or the surrounding areas.
So I began to delve into the history of the town and in particular The Rows where many of my ancestors lived. I have mentioned these tight little streets in the past and, if you want to get a feel for them, just pop along to the Time and Tide museum in the town where they have a reproduction. Most of the Rows have now gone but two iconic parts of the town still exist and provide a picture of hugely contrasting fortunes.
The Winter Gardens
Sadly the Winter Gardens on Great Yarmouth seafront are on the list of Britain's most at risk buildings according to Historic England and, as time goes by, the Grade 2 listed attraction decays even further and its future continues to be uncertain. Ironically the original structure was not intended for Great Yarmouth at all. It was designed and constructed in Torquay by John WATSON and William HARVEY between 1878 and 1881 at a cost of £12,783 (approx £1.5m today).
The ironwork was by Jess TILDESLEY of Staffordshire. The structure wasn't a success in Torquay and so was taken apart piece by piece and reconstructed in Great Yarmouth where it was felt it would have a brighter future. The structure has a cast iron frame and is 170 ft in length. The Historic England website goes into great detail about the structure. The decision to bring it to Great Yarmouth was made by borough council surveyor J. W. COCKRILL who felt it would lengthen the holiday season and bring "a better class visitor" to the resort. On wet days it could provide shelter for 2,000 people.
The Winter Gardens was purchased for £1,300 - a fraction of the original cost and about £150,000 at today's prices. The building was dismantled in sections, transported by barge to Norfolk and reerected at the entrance to the Wellington Pier in 1904. Despite the long journey, not a single pane of glass was broken. Cockrill added a brick entrance arch and porch to act as a cloakroom and, in 1909, a maple floor was laid for roller skating. The building was subsequently also used for concerts, dancing and even a German Beer Cellar.
There were floral displays inside and an organ above the entrance to the west end. In the late 20th century, the glazing panels in the roof were replaced and some structural work undertaken. The Winter Gardens is a Grade 2 listed building due to its rarity. It is the last surviving seaside Victorian cast iron and glass winter gardens in the country. It is also of great architectural and historical interest. When constructed it was one of the three largest cast iron and glass seaside winter gardens in England. Sadly the venue has been closed for over 11 years and it has been claimed that it is "deteriorating daily." In 2018 the Victorian Society listed it amongst its top 10 buildings "crying out to be saved."
Great Yarmouth Borough Council has invited tenders for a commercial partner or consortium to propose and run a sustainable business within the historic landmark. The appeal is backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which has indicated that funds for repair would be available with a suitable operator on board. In October 2019, the decision was taken to board up damaged windows whilst steps are taken to find a buyer. It appears that to dismantle the building would cost more than £1 million.
The Winter Gardens has been described as “a people’s palace of glass and steel, a seafront cathedral of light.” It has also been described as: "A landmark structure gleaming and brilliant in the hot Norfolk summers and complimenting huge East Anglian skies.” Back in 1903, the building was a symbol of the new leisure time promised to the population. It was claimed that it gave people the chance to see glimpses of faraway places thanks to its exotic collection of plants from all corners of a flagging empire and beyond. For the millions of holidaymakers packing the resort in the early decades of the twentieth century, escaping for a few days from the factories and the daily grind, the Winter Gardens was an unexpected paradise.
As much part of the experience as the sticks of Docwra rock, the pleasure beach rides and “sands of finest brown sugar.” Sadly as the British seaside diminished in popularity, so did the Winter Gardens as it slumped to its present condition where, unless drastic action is taken, the only answer might be to demolish it and that would be a terrible, terrible shame. The Waterways In contrast, Great Yarmouth Waterways has enjoyed a renaissance. Situated almost a mile from the Winter Gardens, a massive regeneration project has brought the waterways back to their former glory and once again turned them into one of the most pleasant tourist attractions in the town.
The hugely impressive Venetian waterways had fallen into disrepair after many years of neglect. That’s before an army of volunteers, supported by a Lottery grant and the backing of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, succeeded in turning them into a major part of Great Yarmouth's leisure life. The restoration cost £2.7 million with the gardens being inspired by the waterways of Venice. The waterways are, like the Winter Gardens, a Grade 2 listed attraction and were originally opened in 1928 - 10 years after the First World War and 11 before the second.
The restoration was completed in time for small paddle boats and canoes to return in 2019 towards the end of the summer season. The gardens include picnic and sitting areas, along with picturesque bridges, pergolas and cafes. The original planting ideas have been followed and this gives the waterways an historic as well as very modern look. Finally on the subject of Great Yarmouth, I was able recently to pick up a real bargain on Amazon with a reproduction copy of the first part of Charles PALMER’S epic history of Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Southtown.
“The Perlustration* of Great Yarmouth, Gorleston and Southtown” was first published in three volumes in 1872 and gives a unique insight into the town with descriptions of roads, buildings and many of its well known characters. It is ideal if you want to learn something about The Rows. Palmer originally edited “The History of Great Yarmouth” by Henry MANSHIP and the perlustrations became an extension of this work. Palmer was the only son of John Danby Palmer and Anne Palmer (nee BEART). He was born on New Year’s Day, 1805, and educated at a private school run by a Mr BOWLES in Queen Street, Great Yarmouth. In 1822 he was articled to Robert CORY and became an attorney in his own right in June, 1827.
He practised law at Great Yarmouth until his retirement. For many years he lived in an Elizabethan house at 4, South Quay, which his father had purchased in 1809. He became an alderman and, in 1854, was elected mayor. He also served as deputy-lieutenant for the county of Suffolk. Charles Palmer was a huge benefactor of Great Yarmouth and worked unstintingly to help develop the seafront as a seaside resort with the new Marine Parade and the erection of a series of buildings, notably the Britannia Terrace, the Carlton Hotel (as it became), the Assembly Rooms (Masonic Lodge), and the Wellington Pier. In 1830 he was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. He died on 24th September, 1882. He was married to Amelia GRAHAM but they had no children.
*The word perlustration which I suspect is little used today is defined as “an act of inspecting, surveying, or viewing a place thoroughly.” The word was first used in the mid seventeenth century and comes from the Latin perlustration which was the act of roaming or traversing.
Two websites that may be of interest are:
Historic England at https//www.historicengland.org.uk and
The Victorian Society at https://www.victoriansociety.org.uk