Interesting Facts & Figures Great Yarmouth

The Great Yarmouth area attracts around 7 million visitors each year, on day trips, weekend breaks and longer holidays.  It has been a sea-side destination since 1760

History

• The Pleasure Beach on  Great Yarmouth Seafront has one of the oldest wooden scenic railways outside the USA. It is one of only two scenic railways still in operation in the UK and one of only seven in the world.
• The Hippodrome circus is only one of two permanent circus buildings in Britain and is one of only three circuses in the World to have a sunken ring, allowing water shows
• Great Yarmouth once boasted being one of the wealthiest towns in Britain mainly as a result of its herring industry,
• St Nicholas Church originally built is the 1100’s which stands near the Market Place, is the largest parish church in England
• The Tolhouse Gaol, with dungeons, dates from the late 13th century and is one of the oldest gaols and civic buildings in Britain
• Great Yarmouth is the birthplace of Anna Sewell, author of ‘Black Beauty’.
• Great Yarmouth has one of the most complete town walls in England.
• Great Yarmouth was the third worst proportionally affected town in England by the Black Death plague
• Miles Corbet who was MP for Great Yarmouth was one of the last to sign King Charles 1 death warrant. It is believed that the conspiracy to kill King Charles I was plotted in the Elizabethan House Museum on South Quay
• All the original complete Rows (old narrow streets) put end to end would have exceeded 7 miles
• The self righting lifeboat was designed by a Yarmouth man James Beeching in 1849
• The market place in Great Yarmouth is one of the largest in Britain, and has been operating since the 13th century
• The Windmill on Marine Parade was one of the first purpose built cinemas in Britain, It is now a indoor mini golf course
• Great Yarmouth’s distinctive coat of arms comprising of 3 silver herrings and 3 lions heads originates from when King Edward III allowed the town to incorporate 3 lions of the royal herald in the town flag following support from Great Yarmouth’s fleet during the Battle of Sluys
• Nelson’s Monument is a commemorative column built in memorial to Admiral Horatio Nelson and can be found on the South Denes beach in Great Yarmouth. Lord Nelson was born close to Great Yarmouth and paid a number of visits to the town throughout his career
• Charles Dickens used Yarmouth as a key location in his novel David Copperfield and described the town as “the finest place in the universe”
• The Time and Tide Museum still smells of smoked fish, even though it hasn’t been used for smoking herring for many years
• There has been a lifeboat in Great Yarmouth since at least 1802

Geography

• Great Yarmouth has over fifteen miles of sandy beaches that stretch from Winterton in the north to Hopton in the south.
• The Norfolk Broads are renowned for their beautiful flora and fauna and it is at Great Yarmouth that the Rivers Yare, Bure and Waveney converge and flow into the North Sea.
• The area is a haven for wildlife with many rare species like the swallowtail butterfly.
• The North Denes area of the northern beach is a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its dune plants and each summer is home to one of the largest little tern colonies in the UK and a small colony of grayling butterflies
• The grey seal and common seal are frequently seen off the shores of Great Yarmouth

Other Facts

• The Fish finger was invented in Great Yarmouth in 1952.
• Britannia Theatre is one of only a few end-of-the pier theatres surviving in England
• Breydon Bridge has the longest lifting section of any bridge in Britain
• Great Yarmouth exports spaghetti to Italy

Famous Celebrities

• Keith Chapman (Creator/Producer )- Bob the Builder/Paw Patrol – born in Great Yarmouth in 1959
• Jason Statham (Actor)- born 1967 – lived in Great Yarmouth during his childhood and attended Great Yarmouth Grammar School
• Matthew Macfadyen (Actor)- born in Great Yarmouth in 1974
• Myleene Klass (Singer/Presenter)-  born in Great Yarmouth in 1978
• Hannah Spearitt (Singer/Actor) – born in Great Yarmouth in 1981