Gorleston-on-Sea (), historically and colloquially known as Gorleston, is a seaside town in the

borough of Great Yarmouth The Borough of Great Yarmouth is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Norfolk, England. It is named after its main town, Great Yarmouth, and also contains the town of ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, England. It lies to the South of

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

, on the opposite side of 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 villag ...

. Historically in

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, 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 Hamburg, Manche ...

at the time of the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

in 1086. It was incorporated into Great Yarmouth in 1836. Gorleston's port became a centre of fishing for

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

along with

salt pans Salt pans can refer to: *Salt pan (geology), a flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals, usually found in deserts **Sabkha, a phonetic translation of the Arabic word for a salt pan (geology) *Salt evaporation pond, a method of p ...

used for the production of salt to preserve the fish. In

Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

times the fishing industry rapidly declined and the town's role changed to that of a

seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...

History

The place-name 'Gorleston' is first attested in the

of 1086, where it appears as ''Gorlestuna''. It appears as ''Gurlestona'' in the

Pipe Rolls The Pipe rolls, sometimes called the Great rollsBrown ''Governance'' pp. 54–56 or the Great Rolls of the Pipe, are a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, or Treasury, and its successors, as well as the Exche ...

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 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 ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

Historically History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

, the town was in the county of

. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

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 P ...

, an important example of 14th-century

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

n illuminated art that is now in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

in London. At the northern tip of the parish an area known as Southtown (also known as South Town or Little Yarmouth) grew as a suburb to Great Yarmouth, facing it across the Yare.

Gorleston Barracks Gorleston Barracks was 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 durin ...

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 (), historically and colloquially known as Gorleston, is a seaside town in the borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. It lies to the South of Great Yarmouth, on the opposite side of the mouth of the River Yare. Historic ...

, Gorleston North and Gorleston Links which all closed between 1942 and 1970. The closest railway stations are now

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...

and

. 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. In 2018 a newly built

Wetherspoon J D Wetherspoon (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a British pub company operating in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim Martin and is based ...

's pub, The William Adams, opened on Gorleston High Street. William Adams made his first rescue at the age of 11 and went on to save some 140 lives in total. The decision to name the pub after this local hero was determined by a public vote. The building is on the old site of GT Motors, formerly the site of the town's

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

chapel, dating from 1807. Gorleston-on-Sea's Pier Hotel and beach feature as a key location in

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...

's 2019 film '' Yesterday''.

Administrative history

Gorleston was an

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in Suffolk. Southtown was brought within Great Yarmouth's borough boundaries in 1668, whilst remaining part of the parish of Gorleston. The rest of the parish was added to the constituency of Great Yarmouth in 1832 under the

Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 The Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 ( 2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 64) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which defined the parliamentary divisions (constituencies) in England and Wales required by the Reform Act 1832. The boundaries we ...

. Great Yarmouth's

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

boundaries were adjusted to match the constituency from 1 January 1836 under the

Municipal Corporations Act 1835 The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 ( 5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 76), sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales. The le ...

, since when Gorleston has been administered as part of Great Yarmouth. The borough of Great Yarmouth straddled Norfolk and Suffolk between 1668 and 1891, with the original town north of the

being in Norfolk and Gorleston south of the Yare being in Suffolk. The borough was placed entirely in Norfolk in 1891, although as a county borough Great Yarmouth provided its own county-level services, independent from

Norfolk County Council Norfolk County Council is the upper-tier Local government in England, local authority for Norfolk, England. Below it there are seven second-tier district councils: Breckland District, Breckland, Broadland, Borough of Great Yarmouth, Great Yarmo ...

. Gorleston continued to form a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

within the borough of Great Yarmouth until 1974, although as an

urban parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

it had no separate parish council. In 1951 the parish had a population of 24,984. On 1 April 1974 the civil parish was abolished.

Education

There are a number of

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

s in the area serving Gorleston and the wider locality.

Secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

s 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 child ...

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. I ...

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. The college ranges from about 1,600 students most of whom are between the ages of 16–18. Th ...

is located in Gorleston. It is a major

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the school was evacuated to

Aberpergwm House Aberpergwm House () 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 Wales: Glamorgan ...

Glynneath Glynneath ( ; also spelt ''Glyn-neath'' and ''Glyn Neath'') is a town, community and electoral ward lying on the River Neath in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It was formerly in the historic county of Glamorgan. Glynneath ward ...

, Wales. The headmaster's house in Gorleston was severely damaged by bombing in 1941.

Religious buildings

The medieval church of St. Andrew stands in the town and by historical association gives its name to the

, an important example of 14th century

n illuminated art. At the northern tip of the parish an area known as Southtown (also known as South Town or Little Yarmouth) grew as a suburb to Great Yarmouth, facing it across the Yare. Thus church is a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. 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-craftsma ...

's only complete work of architecture.

Attractions

The town's 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 In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings; * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

. The main

shopping centre A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...

is on High Street. It has its own golf club. There is also the

hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

and a

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

. 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 lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

lifeboat station 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-in ...

and coastwatch station on Riverside Road.RNLI history of Great Yarmouth & Gorleston lifeboat station
. In 2023 the beach was voted the best in Britain, and the 12th best in Europe, by

Tripadvisor Tripadvisor is an American company that operates online travel agency, travel agencies, comparison shopping websites, and mobile apps with user-generated content. Its namesake brand, Tripadvisor.com, operates in 40 countries and 20 languages, and ...

reviewers.

Notable people

* William Adams (1864–1913) highly decorated lifesaver and swimming instructor. *

Georgie Aldous Georgie James Aldous (born 5 July 1998) is a British social activist, model, entrepreneur, YouTuber and influencer. In 2017 he became the first male beauty model for Superdrug, New Look and Primark, after launching a petition in 2016 to get mo ...

(born 1998) British

social activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make Social change, changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from ...

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

and

influencer A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...

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 qual ...

(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 (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-in ...

John Fuller, Baron Fuller John Charles Fuller, Baron Fuller, (born 6 June 1968) is a British Conservative Party politician. He was Leader of South Norfolk District Council between May 2007 and May 2024. He was appointed a member of the House of Lords in February 2024. ...

(born 1968), British life peer created Baron Fuller, of Gorleston-on-Sea in the County of Norfolk by Letters Patent on 8 March 2024 and took his seat in the House of Lords on 12 March 2024. * Stanley Charles Fuller (1907–1988) Norfolk's first Olympic Athlete, who competed at the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. * Paul Derek Gibbs (born 1972) former footballer with 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 music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

. Green lived in Gorleston for a brief period in the early 1990s. *

Ralph Jones Ralph Robert "Curley" Jones (September 22, 1880 – July 26, 1951) was an American football and basketball coach. He also served as the head coach for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1930 to 1932, leading them to the ...

(1900–1944) Gorleston-born Australian soldier who was posthumously awarded the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...

for gallantry *

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 Blackm ...

(1927–1997) actor on stage, film and TV, married to

Honor Blackman Honor Blackman (22 August 1925 – 5 April 2020) was an English actress and singer, known for the roles of Cathy Gale in '' The Avengers''Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. ...

1961–1975 *

Myleene Klass Myleene Angela Klass (born 6 April 1978) is an English musician, singer, television presenter and model. She was a member of the pop group Hear'Say, and later released two solo classical crossover albums in 2003 and 2007. More recently, Klass ...

(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 (TV network), ITV reality TV show ''Popstars (British TV series), Popstars'' in February 2001, the first UK series of the international ''Popstars'' Media franchise, franch ...

Gregg Lowe Gregg Lowe is a British / Canadian actor and Voice Artist. Lowe is from Gorleston-On-Sea Gorleston-on-Sea (), historically and colloquially known as Gorleston, is a seaside town in the borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. It lies t ...

(born 1986) actor *

George William Manby Captain George William Manby Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (28 November 1765 – 18 November 1854) was an English author and inventor. He designed an apparatus for saving life from shipwrecks and also the "Pelican Gun", the first modern for ...

(1765–1854) inventor of a life-saving mortar for

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...

s, blue plaque on his house at 86 High Road. * Campbell Archibald Mellon (1876–1955) painter and founder member of the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Society of Artists * Sammy Morgan (born 1946) former professional footballer, making over 260 appearances * Kate Norgate (1853–1935) eminent historian and author. Norgate lived in Gorleston from 1921 until her death *

Kip Sabian Simon James Kippen (born 19 May 1992), better known by the ring name Kip Sabian, is an English professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Patriarchy (professional wrestling), The Patriarchy. Ear ...

(born 1992) professional wrestler, currently signed by American promotion,

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...

Peter Simpson Peter Simpson may refer to: *Peter Simpson (film producer) (1943–2007), often credited as Peter R. Simpson, a British-Canadian film producer and advertiser *Peter Simpson (Scottish footballer) (1904/05–1974), Scottish football striker who playe ...

(born 1945) former professional footballer with 370 appearances for

Arsenal F.C. The Arsenal Football Club, commonly known as simply Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, North London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. In domestic football, Arsenal h ...

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 singer and actress. She is an original member of the pop group S Club. Spearritt is known for play ...

(born 1981) actress and former member of pop group

S Club 7 S Club, formerly known as S Club 7, are a British pop group formed in 1998 by Simon Fuller after he was fired as manager of the Spice Girls. Original members were Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Ha ...

* Henry Edward Sutton (born 1963) Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a Public university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

and award-winning crime novelist

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 Areas 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