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Gorleston-on-Sea (), known colloquially as Gorleston, is a town in the
Borough of Great Yarmouth The Borough of Great Yarmouth is a local government district with borough status in Norfolk, England. It is named after its main town, Great Yarmouth. History The borough was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a me ...
, in Norfolk, England, to the south of Great Yarmouth. Situated at the mouth of the
River Yare The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches it is one of the principal navigable waterways of The Broads and connects with the rest of the network. The river rises south of Dereham to the west to the v ...
it was a
port town A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
at the time of the Domesday Book. The port then became a centre of fishing for
herring Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae. Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, ...
along with salt pans used for the production of salt to preserve the fish. In
Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
times the fishing industry rapidly declined and the town's role changed to that of a
seaside resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the German ' ...
.


History

The place-name 'Gorleston' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as ''Gorlestuna''. It appears as ''Gurlestona'' in the Pipe Rolls of 1130. The first element may be related to the word 'girl', and is probably a personal name. The name could mean "girls' town or settlement", or a variant thereof, similar to
Girlington Girlington is an area in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Girlington is located to the west of Bradford city centre. The majority population of Girlington are of South Asian origin in particular Pakistani, Afghan and Bangladeshi. History ...
in West Yorkshire.
Historically History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
the town was in the county of Suffolk. In the Middle Ages it had two manors, and a small manor called Bacons. The medieval church of St. Andrew stands in the town and by historical association gives its name to the
Gorleston Psalter The Gorleston Psalter (British Library Add MS 49622) is a 14th-century manuscript notable for containing early music instruction and for its humorous marginalia. It is named for the town of Gorleston in Norfolk. Description The Gorleston ...
, an important example of 14th century
East Anglian East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in wh ...
illuminated art. In 1832 the town became a part of Great Yarmouth for electoral purposes. Finally in 1835 it merged with the town and became part of Great Yarmouth in the county of Norfolk.
Gorleston Barracks Gorleston Barracks is a military installation in Gorleston in Norfolk. History The site was originally occupied by a Board of Ordnance store designed by James Wyatt and built in 1806 to supply Royal Navy ships anchored off Great Yarmouth during ...
were established in 1853. There were to be three railway stations in the town on the Yarmouth-Lowestoft Line. The stations on the line were
Gorleston-on-Sea Gorleston-on-Sea (), known colloquially as Gorleston, is a town in the Borough of Great Yarmouth, in Norfolk, England, to the south of Great Yarmouth. Situated at the mouth of the River Yare it was a port town at the time of the Domesday Book. ...
, Gorleston North and Gorleston Links which all closed between 1942 and 1970. The closest railway stations are now Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth. Its main attraction is its sandy "Edwardian Beach." It has traditional seaside gardens and model boat pond. It also has a theatre opposite the pier called the Pavilion. The main
shopping centre A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...
is on High Street. It has its own golf club. There is also the hospital and a library. There is a
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mark ...
, lifeboat station and coastwatch station on Riverside Road.RNLI history of Great Yarmouth & Gorleston lifeboat station
.
St Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, built in 1938–39, was
Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill, (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as ″the greatest artist-cra ...
's only complete work of architecture. In the Great Storm of 1987, Gorleston-on-Sea experienced the highest wind speed recorded in the UK on that day, which was . The town is meticulously described in the novel ''Gorleston'' by Henry Sutton (Sceptre, 1995) and in Philip Leslie's novels ''The History of Us'' (Legend Press, 2009) and ''What Remains'' (December House, 2013). Both Sutton and Leslie employ the actual names of roads and retail outlets in their work. Gorleston-on-Sea's Pier Hotel and beach feature as a key location in Danny Boyle's 2019 film '' Yesterday''.


Education

There are a number of primary schools in the area serving Gorleston and the wider locality. Secondary schools include
Cliff Park Ormiston Academy Cliff Park Ormiston Academy (formerly Cliff Park High School) is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, located in the Gorleston-on-Sea area of Great Yarmouth in the English county of Norfolk. The school educates children aged 11 ...
,
Lynn Grove Academy Lynn Grove Academy (formerly Lynn Grove High School) is a secondary school with academy status, located between the Gorleston-on-Sea and Bradwell areas of Great Yarmouth in the English county of Norfolk. The school educates about 1,400 childre ...
and
Ormiston Venture Academy Ormiston Venture Academy (formerly Oriel Specialist Mathematics and Computing College) is a secondary school with academy status located in Oriel Avenue, Gorleston in the English county of Norfolk. The school educates children aged 11 to 16. It ...
.
East Norfolk Sixth Form College East Norfolk Sixth Form College (commonly abbreviated to EN) is a sixth form college in the Gorleston-on-Sea area of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England. Opened in 1982 it uses the building of the former Alderman Leach Secondary Modern school t ...
is located in Gorleston. It is a major
sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A- ...
provider in Norfolk, attracting students from a wide area.


East Anglian School for Deaf and Blind Children

The East Anglian School for Deaf and Blind Children (for deaf children and for blind children) was established in Gorleston in 1912 and based there until it closed in 1985. During the Second World War the school was evacuated to
Aberpergwm House Aberpergwm House ( cy, Aberpergwm) is an abandoned and ruinous country house located in Glynneath, Wales. Within the grounds of the house sits the church of St. Cadoc, which is possibly of late medieval origin. Newman, J., ‘The Buildings of W ...
in
Glynneath Glynneath ( cy, Glyn-nedd "valley of the River Neath"), also spelt ''Glyn-neath'' and ''Glyn Neath'', is a small town, community and electoral ward lying on the River Neath in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It was formerly in th ...
, Wales. The headmaster's house in Gorleston was severely damaged by bombing in 1941.


Notable people

* William Adams (1864–1913) highly decorated lifesaver and swimming instructor *
Jessica-Jane Applegate Jessica-Jane Applegate MBE (born 22 August 1996) is a British Paralympic swimmer. Applegate competes in the S14 classification for swimmers with intellectual disabilities, mainly freestyle and backstroke preferring shorter distances. She quali ...
(born 1996) Paralympic swimmer and gold medalist *
Rowland Fisher Rowland Fisher (1885–1969) was a painter, mainly known for his seascapes. Born in Gorleston, where he lived his whole life, Rowland Fisher was the son of a master mariner. He too originally wanted to go to sea, but was instead apprenticed to a ...
(1885–1969) painter, mainly known for his seascapes * William Fleming GC (1865–1954) highly decorated
lifeboatman A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crew and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine. Lifeboats may be rigid, inflatable or rigid-i ...
*
Ralph Jones Ralph Robert "Curley" Jones (September 22, 1880 – July 26, 1951) was an American high school and college football and basketball coach. He also served as the head coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1930 ...
GC (1900–1944) Gorleston born Australian soldier who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for gallantry * Paul Derek Gibbs (born 1972) former footballer, approx. 200 club caps * Peter Green (1946-2020) English blues rock guitarist and the founder of
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their eponym ...
. Green lived in Gorleston for a period in the early 1990's. *
Maurice Kaufmann Maurice Harington Kaufmann (29 June 1927 – 21 September 1997) was a British actor of stage, film and television, who specialised in whodunits and horror films, from 1954 to 1981, when he retired. Personal life He was married to Honor Black ...
(1927–1997) actor on stage, film and TV, married to
Honor Blackman Honor Blackman (22 August 1925 – 5 April 2020) was an English actress, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in '' The Avengers''Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 58. (1962 ...
1961-1975 *
Myleene Klass Myleene Angela Klass (born 6 April 1978) is a British musician, singer, presenter, model and businesswoman. She was a member of the pop group Hear'Say, and later released two solo classical crossover albums in 2003 and 2007. More recently, Klas ...
(born 1978) TV presenter, musician, former member of pop group
Hear'say Hear'Say were a British pop group. They were created through the ITV reality TV show ''Popstars'' in February 2001, the first UK series of the international ''Popstars'' franchise. The group, who were signed to Polydor Records, originally c ...
*
Gregg Lowe Gregg Lowe is a British actor born in 1986. Lowe is from Gorleston-On-Sea, Norfolk, and was educated at Cliff Park High School. In 2015, Lowe collapsed at the finish line after running the Toronto Marathon, he was dead for 3 minutes before bei ...
(born 1986) actor * Sammy Morgan (born 1946) former pro. footballer, making over 260 appearances *
Kip Sabian Simon James Kippen (born 19 May 1992), better known by the ring name Kip Sabian, is an English professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Early life Simon James Kippen was born in Great Yarmouth on 19 May 1992. ...
(born 1992) professional wrestler, currently signed by American promotion,
All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...
* Peter Simpson (born 1945) former footballer, 370 pro appearances for
Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...
*
Hannah Spearritt Hannah Louise Spearritt (born 1 April 1981)Gregory, Andy (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa, , p. 478 is an English actress and singer. She is an original member of the pop group S Club 7. Spearritt is also known fo ...
(born 1981) actress and former member of pop group
S Club 7 S Club 7 were a British pop group from London, created by former Spice Girls manager Simon Fuller and consisting of members Bradley McIntosh, Hannah Spearritt, Jo O'Meara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett. The group ...
, grew up in Gorleston * Henry Edward Sutton (born 1963) Senior LecturerHenry Sutton, Biography, University of East Anglia
retrieved January 2018 in Creative Writing at the
University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...
and award-winning crime novelist


See also

*
Gorleston F.C. Gorleston Football Club is a football club based in Gorleston, Norfolk, England. They are currently members of the and play at Crown Meadow in Lowestoft, Suffolk. History The club was established on 27 September 1887 by members of Gorleston C ...
, a non-League football club who play at Emerald Park in Gorleston-on-Sea


References


Sources

* Norfolk Record Office Information Leaflet 33: Great Yarmouth, (Norwich: Norfolk Record Office, 2006)


External links


, Blue Plaques in Gorleston

Great Yarmouth - The Golden Mile
{{authority control Borough of Great Yarmouth Towns in Norfolk Populated coastal places in Norfolk Seaside resorts in England Tourism in the United Kingdom Ports and harbours of Norfolk Port cities and towns of the North Sea Marinas in England Staple ports Trading posts of the Hanseatic League