History of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston-on-Sea

• Local Characters
• Home Page
• Local Characters
• William Adams
• John Waller Cockrell
• The Cockrell Brothers
• The Cockrill Dynasty
• William Cockrill Snr
• John William Cockrill
• Ralph Scott Cockrill
• Owen Hanworth Cockrill
• William Ballard Cockrill
• Gilbert Scott Cockrill
• Kenneth Arthur Cockrill
• Joseph James Cockrill
• Harold Woodruff Cockrill
• Edmund Hazell Cockrill
• Donald George Cockrill
• Thomas Cockrill
• Septimus Waller Cockrill
• James Paget
• Slideshows
• The Cockrill Archive
• The Cockrill Buildings
• Sea Wall Collapse 1969
• The Town Wall
• Filmshows
• Drift Fishing

The Cockrell Brothers

The building known as 'Rodney House' at the south end of Pier Plane was their yard. Originally it was a net making/repair chamber before becoming Cockrell Bros' builders yard. When Cockrell Bros ceased to exist it became J W Johnson's shirt factory. It's last use until it was demolished in 2001 was as a cycle warehouse and second hand furniture sale room.

• In March 1902 the Cockrell Bros dissolved their partnership and auctioned four newly erected and superior bay-fronted seaside residences in Upper Cliff Road.
• 1896 - Alter house in Cliff Hill, shop in Pier Plain
• 1897/1901 - Houses in Upper and Lower Cliff and Upper Bells Roads.

• Walter George Cockrell was the eldest son of John and Elizabeth Cockrell. He was baptised at St Andrew's Parish Church, Gorleston, on 18 May 1862. Walter and his wife Sarah had four children. Walter was involved with the building business not only as one of the Cockrell Bros but also in his own name; however his name has occurred very infrequently in the sources searched so far. I have no note of his death.
• 1901 - House in Avondale Road
• 1902 - Houses in Lower Cliff Road
• 1903 - Houses in Lowestoft Road
• 1905 - House in Elmgrove Road

• John Wiliam Cockrell was born c.1864 and died in August 1939. He and his wife Emma Elizabeth Jamieson (1865-1941) had at least ten children and many grandchildren. John William Cockrell would seem to have been the brother who was the most successful in the building business with a lot of work in and around Gorleston to his credit.
• 1886 - Fifteen cottages and shop Trafalgar Road

• Frederick Cockrell was born c.1869 and died in September 1908 at which time, although in business in Gorleston, he was living at Oulton. He married Susannah Maryson Wightman and they had at least five children. Frederick Cockrell was the other son of John William Cockrell who really made a mark for himself in the building business in Gorleston until his rather early death at about forty years of age.
• 1898 - Two dwellings Dukes Head Lane
• 1902 - Houses in Colomb Road
• 1903 - Houses in Frederick Road and High Street
• 1904 - Houses in Pier Plain and Colomb Road
• 1906 - Houses in Beccles Road
• 1908 - Bankruptcy of Frederick Cockrell of 188 High Street, Gorleston.

• Charles Cockrell was born c.1874 and was married with at least four children. He was certainly involved in the building business but his name occurs only infrequently.

• Harry Cockrell (1876-1952) was the youngest child and was christened at St. Andrew's Parish Church on Wednesday 18th April 1883. He married Sophia Annie Hart and they had seven children. Harry would seem to have taken up painting and decorating rather than building and so at least did one of his sons, Raymond Cockrell. He was listed in a directory of 1933 as a painter and decorator of 1/4 Trafalgar Road, Gorleston.