Why is yarmouth great

You go ahead. You want to make moated sandcastles with your bucket and spade? Be our guest. You want to send home to your friends and relatives a traditional saucy seaside postcard? Ooh, you are naughty! No wonder Peggotty, in David Copperfield, said it was 'the finest place in the universe'.

Explore Great Yarmouth. Things to do. The Tolhouse Gaol. Picture of Yarmouth Guided Heritage Walk. Caister Lifeboat Visitor Centre. Berney Arms Windmill. Caister Castle Car Collection. Pavilion Theatre Gorleston - Backstage Tours. Elizabethan House Museum. Stracey Arms Drainage Mill. Royal Assembly Rooms.

Join our Guide in Gorleston-on-Sea for a walk filled with local history and stories. Life At The Fort. Burgh Castle. Scroby Sands Visitor Centre. Picnic at the Waterways. Venue The Waterways , Great Yarmouth. Discover rich heritage in Great Yarmouth.

Guided Heritage Walks. In the Middle Ages, the prosperity of Great Yarmouth was based on herring fishing and by the 12th century, a herring fair was held at Yarmouth. Fairs were like markets but they were held only once a year. Merchants came from all over Europe to buy herrings at a Great Yarmouth fair. However certain ports in Kent called the Cinque Ports were given jurisdiction over the Yarmouth fair.

That might seem surprising but ships from the Kentish ports fished off Great Yarmouth. Furthermore, Great Yarmouth had not yet been given a charter and was not yet self-governing. So the Kentish towns ran the fair, which caused much resentment among the people of Great Yarmouth. In the King gave Great Yarmouth joint authority over the fair. However, the people of Great Yarmouth were not satisfied, and in ships from Yarmouth fought a naval battle with ships from Kent off Belgium.

However the ports of Kent were declining as they silted up and Great Yarmouth continued to grow in prosperity. In the late 13th century stone walls were built around the town. The Old Tollbooth was also built at that time.

In the Middle Ages the church was very powerful and its presence was everywhere. A Benedictine Priory small abbey was built in Great Yarmouth in the early 12th century.

In the 13th century, friars arrived in Great Yarmouth. Friars were like monks but instead of withdrawing from the world, they went out to preach. In Great Yarmouth, there were Franciscan friars known as grey friars because of the colour of their costumes.

Coastal area sees largest rise Covid app 'pings'. Seaside towns reveal UK City of Culture bid. Tourist spot hopes for 'best summer ever'. Resort pins recovery bid on London Eye-style wheel. How wind power is re-energising Great Yarmouth. Great Yarmouth Marina Centre drone footage. Future Great Yarmouth. Great Yarmouth Borough Council. Great Yarmouth tourism. Historic England: The Winter Gardens. Image source, Glen Gardiner.

Image source, Davide De Almeida. Ruben Cruz set up the Reprezent Project to help young people in the town. Image source, Reprezent Project. The Reprezent Project runs arts sessions for young people.

One of the murals created by the Reprezent Project in Great Yarmouth. Image source, Ruben Cruz. Ruben says he hopes to make the community better for his three-year-old son. Image source, Yarmouth Stores.