Great Yarmouth, The Sands From Britannia Pier 1922

Photo ref: 72514

More about this scene

holiday camp in England. In its heyday the camp had its own railway halt, and 'holiday camp expresses' stopped there en route from London to Great Yarmouth. In Great Yarmouth and Gorleston we complete our journey. Unlike King's Lynn, which remained predominantly a port, Great Yarmouth was able to embrace the functions of both port and holiday destination, with its harbour channel to the west and its holiday resort facing out east across the North Sea. Begun with a spa and bath house in the 18th century, the holiday trade in the town grew apace from the mid-19th century, when the resort was to become the first Norfolk coastal town to obtain a railway link. Seafront terraces and development grew apace from the 1840s, and soon the Wellington Pier (1854) and Britannia Pier (1858) were stretching their airy promenades out to sea; a tradition of entertainment innovations, attractions and ornamental gardens was begun in the town. It has been a pleasure to select these wonderful images from the Frith archives to relate some of the story of the Norfolk coast. History is like digging in ancient sand hills—the more you dig, the more you find. Take your time to look at these nostalgic images; the clarity and details are remarkable, and I am convinced they will stir nostalgic memories or fascinate the reader by revealing a compelling portrait of the Norfolk coast in the past. They are all timely reminders of how much has changed, and of how much of the past we have left today. I hope it will inspire us all to look after it for future generations.