New book by Pete Goodrum on Great Yarmouth and Gorleston

There have been a number of “Secret” books in recent times and this one is a fascinating read, investigating life in the coastal towns over the centuries in such an informative and entertaining way.

And you don’t have to be a resident or a regular visitor to these coastal resorts to enjoy this book which Pete points out are his own personal selection of “secrets” and stories from Great Yarmouth and Gorleston.

“It’s a collection of facts and anecdotes that I’ve chosen because I think they are interesting and show just how alluring these wonderful historic towns are,” he says.

(Image: Courtesy of Jonathan Plunkett and the George Plunkett Archive)

We also get to meet the good and  the bad over many centuries who have played their part in the life of these much-loved seaside communities over the decades.

So what about these names?

Well, Little Yarmouth was the area we know as Southtown and  John Marius Wilson, author of his Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, noted: “SOUTHTOWN, or Little Yarmouth, a hamlet in Little Gorleston parish, Suffolk, on the River Yare, opposite Great Yarmouth, and within Yarmouth borough…”

Gorleston was indeed in Suffolk, It became part of Great Yarmouth in the 1830s for electoral reasons which meant it was then in Norfolk.

Pete has certainly done his homework for this book  looking at the rich and enthralling history of these communities over the centuries…from fish to tourists and much more.

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The fish in the town’s coat of arms are herrings and in the story of Great Yarmouth and Gorleston herrings are very important.

The herring was a staple food all over England. They were consumed in huge numbers, demand was high. In 1580, 2,000 lasts of herring were landed in one tide. That’s more than 24,000,000 fish.

With the ownership and control of the source and distribution of herrings came huge wealth and significant power. By 1720 John Andrews, of Great Yarmouth, had become known as the “greatest herring merchant in Europe.”

And then…at their 1955 sales conference in Brighton, the Great Yarmouth-based Birds Eye company unveiled a new product: the fish finger. We have much to thank Captain Birds Eye for!

Turn the pages and follow the history of these towns,  meeting some extraordinary people. Locals and visitors.

Yarmouth was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a “small but flourishing royal borough with a church, 70 burgesses and 24 fishermen belonging to the neighbouring manor of Gorleston.” The population was estimated as “perhaps 400 people.”

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In 1646 the legendary Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, was called to Great Yarmouth to seek out witches, As a direct result, eleven people were tried at  Yarmouth sessions. Five  women  were found guilty of witchcraft and hanged.

And then, in 1662, Miles Corbett. A Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth was instrumental in signing the death warrant for Charles I. With the restoration of the monarch in 1660 times changed. Corbett fled to Holland but was captured and returned to England where he was hanged, drawn and quartered.

Daniel “Robinson Crusoe” Defoe visited Great Yarmouth in 1724 and wrote:

“Yarmouth is an ancient town, much older  than Norwich, and at present, tho’ not standing on so much ground, yet better built; much more compleat; for number of inhabitants, not much inferior; and for wealth, trade, and advantage of its situation, infinitely superior to Norwich.”

By 1759 the so-called “sea baths” were arguably the beginning of Great Yarmouth being a seaside resort. Leisure and pleasure became reasons to visit the town which began to grow.

One man whose invention saved hundreds of lives was Captain George William Manby, the Barrack Master at Great Yarmouth.  Following the sinking of HMS Snipe in 1807, in which 67 lives were lost, he invented the Manby Mortar. A device which fired lines to ships from the shore,

There are chapters on architecture, commerce, crime, the world of work, the Rows, the Market, ghosts and much more including of course entertainment and leisure.

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The theatres have attracted the biggest stars in the land over the years and today, because of Peter Jay and members of his family, we can all enjoy the world-famous shows at the wonderful Hippodrome.

Then there is the great Pleasure Beach, one of the UK’s leading attractions thanks to the Jones family, the Pavilion Theatre at Gorleston and so much more…not forgetting, sorry I have to mention them, The Snails.

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*SECRET Great Yarmouth & Gorleston by Pete Goodrum, is published by Amberley Publishing at £15.99 and is in the shops now.

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