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Cromer
Cromer maps
Historic maps of Cromer and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Cromer maps
Cromer area books
Displaying 1 of 13 books about Cromer and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Cromer
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Cromer.
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My Father - Gardener
My father, Leonard Griffin, worked for the council as a gardener and helped build these gardens. He then helped maintain them until he retired. My memory is being allowed to run from one garden to the next and then the next but having to wait for my Mum at the end. I don't recall these as the rock gardens but as the sunken gardens.
My Father
My father, Lenny Griffin, used to put these out every morning and store away in a shed at North Lodge Park every night in the summer. I used to go with him and when they got the smaller binoculars I was allowed to carry one. The big telescopes my fther used to carry one on each shoulder.
The Metropole Hotel
The hotel which features in this photo is the Metropole Hotel which was situated in Tucker Street. It had access at the rear leading down to the Promenade. Following WW2 it fell into disrepair and was demolished being replaced with a block of flats. The only physical survival is a metal gate at the east end of the site, opposite the small Church gateway. This gate bears the letters HM (for Hotel Metropole).
The Grand Hotel, Cromer
The hotel on the right of this photo is the Grand Hotel situated on the Runton Road and corner of Beach Road. It had its own hard tennis courts across Beach Road - now a Car Park - and a flight of steps leading down to the Prom - replaced by Anglian Water.
Mr John White, Principal Lighthouse Keeper
My great-grandfather, John White, was Principal Lighthouse Keeper, from 1883 onwards. John, with his family, a wife, and three sons, travelled from Wales where he was a Lighthouse Keeper at South Bishop Lighthouse, Pembroke St Mary. Sadly his eldest son, also John, had died on duty in 1882 on the Lighthouse Ship Aberdaron. He had been on duty as a Lighthouse Keeper, was aged 21 years. Tragedy struck the family again, when after only 18 months of duty at Cromer on the 28 March 1884 John himself died on duty. We visited the lighthouse some 2 years ago and in a wooden drawer upstairs in the Lighthouse, the current part time Lighthouse Keeper showed us the Log Book where these details were found. This Log Book is still in use today. It was also noted that the previous Lighthouse Keeper had also died on duty! Jillian Carr, nee White
Where Was This Hotel', is it Still in Existence.
I have lived in the area all my life and don't recognise this hotel. It is a grand structure indeed but I cannot recall seeing it.
Jetty Street
My ancestors lived in Jetty Street around 1890 and at one time had a chocolate shop at No 8. Next door at No 6 was a shoemakers, I believe (now called Jacob's Rest). The family name of my great grandmother (Emily nee Newman) and great grandfather (William Harry) was Gower. My great great grandfather, John Newman was involved in the building of Cromer Pier and he was married to Jane Jacob in 1848. My great grandmother moved from Jetty Street to 17 Vicarage Road, Cromer but her son Rupert moved back to Jetty Street and it was he and probably his sisters who ran the chocolate shop.
Flecher Convalsecent Home
I worked at the convalescent home for 6 months, (my name was Lansdale then) as so-called 'nursing aide' - more like 'maid of everything' - cleaning baths, polishing old brass taps and scouring equally old claw-footed baths, while waiting to start nursing training in Norwich.
It was a lovely building in a lovely area (although with the war still on, barbed wire barricades were on beaches for fear of invasion). Matron was an old Tartar! - but it was a good introduction to nursing life as in those days the junior on the ward did the cleaning - and the ward sister made sure it was done properly before Matron did her round!
An account of my time at Cromer is included in my book "The Patchwork Years".
