Cromer’s History
West beach Aug 1892 - On Cromer west beach with no west promenade and the jetty rather than the current pier.
At the time of King William's Domesday records,
traded far afield, and Cromer vessels crossed the
1086, there is no mention of the town of Cromer.
North Sea, sailed to the Baltic and even to Iceland
Instead, we read of Shipden, a town that now lies
and Greenland.
beneath the sea. In medieval times we read of Cromer, alias Shipden. The natural break in the cliffs now known as the Gangway was the centre of the town, with fishermen and merchants plying their trade from the beach below, and sheep farmers keeping their flocks on the hills behind the town. In 1285 the king granted Cromer a Friday market
The trading vessels of Cromer continued to land on its open beach until almost the end of the 19th century, when the railways offered a more efficient means of transport. Undoubtedly sea trade declined over the centuries, with the general decline in the importance of the county of Norfolk as a centre for the wool industry. Fishing continued to be a mainstay of the town, with cod,
and a yearly fair of eight days. By the end of the
mackerel and other longshore catches providing a
14th century the town was sufficiently prosperous
year round return, before the move to the crab
for the large church of St Peter and St Paul to be
and lobster specialisation of today. Tourism began
built, replacing Shipden's lost church of St Peter.
to be of more importance from the beginning of
In 1565 Cromer is listed as a landing place with a
the 19th century, and it is from that period that
pier, with 117 householders. The merchants
the first written guide to Cromer dates. | 11
