Great Yarmouth lies on the East coast of England, approximately twenty miles from Norwich, the only city in Norfolk. It has been a popular seaside holiday resort since the 1700’s, and with the Tollhouse, a civic building dating back to the twelfth century, it is a town rich in historically fascinating information.

 

Whilst having a reputation for being a major fishing port for hundreds of years, once the biggest in the world, during the latter half of the twentieth century this was in steep decline, and now only one fishing boat remains. Other industry in the town has included the discovery of oil in the North Sea in 1970, leading to a flourishing oil rig supply industry, as well as offshore natural gas rigs. Just off the coastline is a windfarm on Scroby Sands, which is within sight of the town. 

 

Culturally Great Yarmouth has always been busy too. The Hippodrome, which was built in 1903 is the last stand-alone circus building in Britain, and one of only three circus rings in the world that converts into a pool. Great Yarmouth is the only place you can see such a show in the whole of Europe. As the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the North Sea, Great Yarmouth still boasts one of the best presented and most complete Medieval Town walls in England. In the year 1261, King Henry III granted the right to enclose Great Yarmouth town to protect it from pirates, and make sure that taxes were able to be collected. The town is also home to St. Nicholas’s, a parish church which is one of the largest in the country, as well as having the highest spire, second only to Salisbury. 

 

Although Great Yarmouth has this wealth of interest regarding its history culturally, it also has its problems, more specifically social problems. A study by the children’s charity Plan International UK, stated that Great Yarmouth is the second worst place to live as a girl in all of East Anglia. This ranking comes from statistics of child poverty, female life expectancy, teenage pregnancy, girls GCSE results and the number of girl NEET’s (not in education, employment or training). A Guardian article written in 2013 stated that 33% of Great Yarmouth residents have no qualifications, and the town has the highest rate of 15-17-year-old pregnancy in the country. One in six of its residents claim benefits and jobs in the town rely heavily on tourism, with one in five claiming benefits out of the season. With 11% of under 25’s unemployed, some youngsters blame their lack of work on the 9000 migrant workers that arrived in 2015. Whilst the older generation believe their issues are down to the bedroom tax which has affected more than one thousand homes in Great Yarmouth. 

 

Known to many locals within the immediate area, as just ‘Yarmouth’, the question is has Great Yarmouth lost its greatness? If so when did it lose it? Or perhaps more importantly is it still there, standing defiantly on the far East of England, waiting to be discovered again?