History of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea
The Histories of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea have been and will always be inextricably linked. Sitting as they do at the mouth of the River Yare they have provided a first line of defence against any would be invaders from the North Sea for over a thousand years.
In both World Wars Germany attacked Great Yarmouth. In the First World War the town was shelled from the Yarmouth Roads by the German Grand Fleet. Zeppelin airships also made the short journey across the North Sea to bomb the town.
The Second World War saw the greatest devastation to Great Yarmouth. Most of the medieval town was destroyed and a unique town layout was lost to the world forever. Of course England being England decided to rebuild Great Yarmouth in a utilitarian fashion unlike our continental cousins who recreated their devastated towns.
I leave you to judge who made the best decision.
Great Yarmouth is undoubtedly the more prominent of the two towns but this does not mean that Gorleston-on-Sea is without its own merits and its own individual history. It is a town that has been a holiday destination for over a hundred years. Great Yarmouth may have initially attracted visitors with its brashness, lively pubs, amusement arcades and Piers.
However many visitors continue to be seduced by Gorleston's air of tranquility. A stroll along it's upper and lower promenades viewing the golden sands must surely evoke memories of a calm that now belongs to a bygone era.
