Transcribed from the 1841 Leak edition by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org

                          [Picture: Book cover]





                                    A
                             GUIDE TO CROMER
                          AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD.


                                * * * * *

                              BY A VISITOR;

                                * * * * *

                                  “Music is in thy billows,
    Grandeur doth walk thy beach, sit on thy cliffs,
    Wave in thy woods, and Nature’s smile or frown,
    As cast o’er thee, is beautiful.”

                                * * * * *

                          PUBLISHED AND SOLD BY
                              LEAK, CROMER;
              JERROLD, AND STEVENSON, MATCHATT, & STEVENSON,
                                 NORWICH;
                             SHALDERS, HOLT;
                 BLYTH, NORTH-WALSHAM; CLEMENTS, AYLSHAM;
                   AND SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO. LONDON.

                                * * * * *

                                  1841.

                                * * * * *

                                 LONDON:
                        PRINTED BY JOSEPH RICKERBY
                             SHERBOURN LANE.

                                * * * * *




PREFACE.


A GUIDE to CROMER and its immediate neighbourhood having been long
desired, the following is presented to the Public.  The Author pretends
to no originality, nor offers the present as perfect in its kind.  It was
undertaken simply because a deficiency was expressed, and a few hours of
recreation gave the opportunity of attempting to supply it.  All
criticism therefore, it is hoped, will be spared as to the execution of
the design, and that the intention only will be regarded.  Sincere thanks
are returned to those individuals whose information has proved of such
material assistance towards the completion of the work, with a full
acknowledgment, that, if any worth be attached to it, that worth is due
to them.

Cromer, _August_ 3, 1841.




A GUIDE TO CROMER
AND
ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD.


THERE are few places in this kingdom which combine to a greater degree
the advantages of a salubrious and invigorating air, a fine and open sea,
or more pleasing scenery than Cromer.  The lover of nature, the student,
or the invalid may frequent its shores with equal benefit, and with equal
gratification.  That it is not more known, or become a place of more
general resort, is the result rather of circumstances, than of any
deficiency in itself.  True, indeed, it has not the metropolitan luxuries
of Brighton, or the elegances of some of our more southern favourites to
recommend it, neither does it offer any resources of gaiety for the
amusement of its visitors; but nevertheless, it will never want admirers,
so long as an unvitiated taste, a desire of scientific knowledge, or a
wish for the renovation of health shall exist.

Cromer is situated on the most north-easterly point of the Norfolk coast,
nine miles N. N. W. of North Walsham, ten miles E. N. E. of Holt, eleven
miles N. by E. of Aysham, twenty-two miles north of Norwich, and one
hundred and thirty N. E. by N. of London.  It is built on lofty cliffs,
not less than sixty feet high, nearest the town, and is sheltered on
three sides by an amphitheatre of hills, partly covered with woods, and
commanding a view of the wide waters of the German Ocean, nowhere to be
excelled in extent or sublimity.  Its population had increased between
the years 1801 and 1836, from six hundred and seventy-six souls to twelve
hundred and thirty-two: by the last census it appeared that it was twelve
hundred and twenty-nine; but this apparent decline may be accounted for
by the time of year in which it was taken, when no visitors were in the
place, and the greatest part of the fishermen were absent at Yarmouth,
engaged in the mackerel fishery, where their business frequently takes
them.  The parish now comprises only about seven hundred acres of land,
mostly belonging to the Countess of Listowel, (widow of the late George
Thomas Windham, Esq., of Cromer, and one of the daughters of the late
Admiral Windham, of Felbrigg,) who is also the Lady of the Manor, and the
owner of Cromer Hall.

For some centuries the sea has continued to make considerable
encroachments on this part of the coast.  Cromer itself was formerly
situated at some distance from it, and formed in the reign of the
Conqueror, as appears from the Doomsday Survey, a part of the lordship
and parish of Shipden, a village of some importance, which, with its
church, dedicated to St. Peter, was swallowed up by the sea about the
time, as it is supposed, of Henry IV.; for a patent to exact certain dues
for the erection of a pier at Shipden was granted in the fourteenth of
Richard II., and two years afterwards, Sir William Beauchamp alienated,
to a priory of Carthusians, a piece of land in Shipden, adjoining the
rectory.

At very low tides, large masses of old wall are still to be seen nearly
half a mile from the cliffs, which the fishermen call the Church Rock,
from the supposition that they formed part of the old church at Shipden;
but some have discredited the idea, on the ground that the constant
action of the sea for so many ages must have destroyed all vestiges of
the building.  We have, however, seen a fragment of the wall which was
lately obtained from the mass during a very low tide; and it is
undoubtedly composed of the squared flints, such as are used in the
present church of Cromer.

The sea has continued to make rapid encroachments on the cliffs.  Many
large portions of land were washed away in 1611, previous to which the
inhabitants had endeavoured, but fruitlessly, although they bestowed much
labour and ingenuity in the attempt, to maintain a small harbour.  In the
winter of 1799, the Light-house cliffs, which rise from the beach to the
height of two hundred and twenty feet, made several large slips, or
shoots as they are called, one of which brought with it, at least half an
acre of ground, and extended a considerable way into the sea at low
water-mark.  On January 15, 1825, a similar occurrence took place.  An
immense mass was detached from the cliff, which fell with tremendous
force on the beach, extending in breadth above five hundred yards from
the cliffs, covering an area of about twelve acres, and containing, it
was supposed, not less than half a million of cubic yards of earth.
Nothing had been observed which could raise any suspicion of what was
about to take place, but providentially no lives were lost, nor did any
accident occur, although the coast-guard had to pass in the night the
very spot where it fell.  A large and rapid stream, the cause in all
probability of the catastrophe, immediately after the fall, issued from
the bank, discharging itself down upon the beach with great violence.

In the morning of August 19, 1832, the Lighthouse hill again sustained a
similar loss.  This shoot was so considerable as to cause serious
apprehension for the safety of the light-house itself; in consequence of
which the master and elder brethren of the Trinity House, London, under
whose superintendence all such matters are directed, determined on
erecting a new one on the hill, two hundred and eighty yards further
inland.  The former one, which is partly dismantled, stands about
three-quarters of a mile east of the town: both houses are in the parish
of Overstrand.  The first was built of brick in 1719, by Edward Browne of
Ipswich; the present tower is also constructed of brick and stuccoed.  It
is fifty-two feet in height, and about three hundred above the level of
the sea, surmounted with a lantern lighted by thirty lamps in three
divisions, placed in plated copper reflectors, which revolve on an
upright axis; the whole making a revolution in three minutes,
consequently a full light is exhibited to the mariners every minute,
consuming about eleven hundred gallons of oil annually.  The gleam of
light is perceptible about twenty-seven miles distant.  The lamps all the
year are lighted up at sunset, and extinguished at sunrise.

Many years ago, the first house was lighted up with coals, which was not
only an uncertain light, but also a fixed one, and was frequently
mistaken.  The labour and expense likewise attendant on this method were
very great; for the light was kept up by means of a large bellows, which
was incessantly worked like a blacksmith’s forge, and the coals, which
article is always at a high price in Cromer, could be brought up the hill
only by small quantities at a time.  In addition to which the smoke and
dirt caused by their consumption, made the office of light-house-keeper a
most disagreeable and an unhealthy one.  The lamps require to be trimmed
every three hours; but as the attendance is shared by two persons, a
comfortable portion of sleep is allowed to each, the night being divided
between them.

The annual salary formerly paid by the Trinity House to the
light-house-keeper, was fifty pounds, it is now one hundred pounds.  When
the writer of this article first visited Cromer, many years ago, the
situation was held by two females, by whom the house was kept in such
beautiful order, as to form of itself, an object of attraction and
admiration.

The floating-light off Mundesley, twelve miles to the east, may be
distinctly seen in the night from the town, where the cliffs are not so
lofty as those near the light-house.

Within the last five years the appearance of Cromer, viewed from the
beach, has been materially changed.  Before that time the undefended
cliff alone presented itself to the eye, and the town seemed to stand
much further back.  A large subscription-room, bath-house, and other
edifices, were constructed on the beach and side of the cliff, and
apparent distance was given to the whole.  At present the jetty appears
buried under the town, and the tower of the church to frown over it—this
change is owing to the following circumstance:

In the month of February, 1837, an extraordinary high tide occurred,
accompanied with a furious gale from the north-west, which washed the
whole of the above-mentioned edifices away, and even for a time
threatened the destruction of the town and church.  For two days, the
17th and 18th of February, the storm continued to rage.  The day previous
had been particularly fine, and the wind was gentle;—all had retired to
rest in apparent security, fearless of the grand but capricious element
which rolled near them.  In the middle of the night, however, an alarm
was given;—the tide was rising to an unprecedented height, threatening to
engulph all within its reach.  In a few moments all was terror and
confusion; the cliff was crowded with spectators, every assistance was
afforded to those immediately exposed to the fury of the mighty billows
which poured in, and happily the loss of one life alone is to be
deplored.  This poor man was left in charge of Simons’s bathing-house; he
was aroused, but whether he gave no heed to the admonition, or remained
too long on the premises, is uncertain.  He was borne away by the waters,
together with the house, and his body was afterwards picked up at Bacton,
near Mundesley, a distance of ten miles.

Morning presented an awful spectacle, and scarcely could the inhabitants
recognize their own beach.  But the alarm and the danger had not yet
subsided; the wind continued to blow from the same quarter with equal
violence throughout the day, and the tide was equally high.  On the
morning of the 18th, the cliff being undermined, fell in, bringing down
with it one house; at the same time two vessels were lost, the one off
the light-house hill, the other on the western edge of the town.  The
crew of the former were saved; five of those of the latter perished in an
attempt to reach the shore by means of the boat.  They were both from
South Shields, which place they had left only forty-eight hours before
the awful catastrophe occurred.  The report of what had happened was
speedily circulated through the neighbourhood, and such was the interest
that it excited, that the town for many days afterwards was filled with
persons anxious to behold the devastation.

From that time till the following year no steps were taken to protect the
town from the increasing advance of the sea; but in the year 1838, a
proposal was made to erect a safety wall for its defence.  Accordingly
the inhabitants subjected themselves to a rate in order to defray the
expense, and the remainder of the sum estimated was raised by
subscription.  Those who had property on the cliff, and whose interest
was thereby more particularly consulted, were rated at twenty shillings
in the pound; others who were more remotely benefited, at ten shillings.
It is sincerely wished that the means adopted for the security of the
place will fully answer the end; but it is difficult for an inexperienced
eye at least, to watch the furious rage of the tide, and knowing what has
occurred, not to fear what yet may be.

A breakwater has also been raised as a further security to the place, and
on the stability of this much necessarily depends.  Whilst this continues
firm, there is little to be apprehended; if this were swept away, the
breastwork which defends the cliff would be but a slight defence.

The jetty, which formerly projected about seventy yards into the sea, was
erected by subscription at the cost of fourteen hundred pounds, in 1822,
after the old one had been destroyed by a furious storm.  The high tide
which we have just recorded did considerable injury likewise to the
jetty, an injury which has not yet been entirely repaired.  This is the
fashionable resort in the evening, the company assembling here, some to
enjoy the pure sea breezes, to watch the noble billows as they dash in
graceful fury on the beach, the fine spectacle of the setting sun, or the
mild splendour of the moon; others to meet their acquaintances, and a
few, perhaps, whose discernment of the ridiculous is quicker than that of
the sublime, for the exercise of their satirical talents.

This promenade is certainly extremely agreeable.  No one who has not
witnessed a fine sunset at Cromer, can have any idea of its magnificence:
nor is the sunrise less beautiful; but few eyes, it may be presumed, are
then open to view it.  Cromer, indeed, possesses this double advantage,
that the sun both rises and sets in the bosom of the ocean.  During the
season, a person, who is paid gratuitously, acts as a keeper of the
jetty, whose business it is to prevent improper persons from obtruding
themselves, and to preserve good order.  We know not whether he has the
power to forbid the smoking of cigars, but we certainly think that such
ought to be the case; and we would add, that we can hardly believe that
any real gentleman would require an admonition on such a point.  Servants
in livery and all common persons are not allowed at this time.  On Sunday
the jetty is, with just consideration, resigned to the inhabitants of the
town.

The beach having a fine firm sand and a level surface, affords excellent
sea-bathing, and every accommodation is supplied for the purpose.  It is
also much frequented when the tide is out, both as a promenade and for a
drive.  Indeed, the sands present a very gay and animated scene at this
time, while the jetty is deserted.  The carriage road to the beach is not
so good as might be desired; but there are several convenient approaches
to the beach and jetty by means of zigzag footpaths cut in the cliff, and
terminating by easy staircases.  A walk on the beach, whether to the east
or the west of the town, is always delightful and interesting.  Whether
the grand expanse of waters on the one side, its waves breaking in hollow
or harmonious melody, and winning us to meditation and calmness,—the
stupendous and broken cliffs, forming bold projections, or sinking into
shadow, concealing in their breast the spoils of ages,—or the treasures
of the pebbly shore be the objects of attraction, there is always enough
to amuse, to gratify, and to benefit.

The coast itself is particularly dangerous, in consequence of the violent
rising of the surf.  No less than four or five lights are stationed
between this place and Yarmouth, a distance of only thirty-six miles, to
prevent vessels from running into Cromer Bay, which, by the by has
received the singular appellation of the Devil’s Throat.  Life-boats are
kept in readiness to succour the distressed, and nothing is omitted for
their preservation which either the skill or courage of the fisherman can
effect, or the generous and benevolent encouragement of individuals
execute.  We would not offend the amiable and much respected lady to whom
this latter observation particularly refers, and therefore we abstain
from saying more.  True benevolence shrinks from all display, and is
unconscious of its own merit; but the name and the remembrance of that
lady will live long in the hearts of numbers who have been benefited by
her liberality, or have witnessed her anxious superintendence at such
seasons, accompanied with a fervent wish that she may long live to
succour others, and to enjoy the approval of her own conscience.

Cromer enjoys but little trade, there being no convenient harbour where
ships might ride in safety; what there is, consists in the exportation of
corn, and importation of coals, tiles, oil-cakes, porter, &c. in vessels
of from sixty to one hundred tons burthen.  These lie upon the beach,
where, at ebb tide, carts are drawn alongside to unlade them, and, when
empty, they anchor at a little distance from the shore, and reload by
means of boats.  This method of lading and unlading is very expensive, as
the carts, though drawn by four horses, owing to the steepness of the
roads up the cliff, can only carry about half a ton at a time.  In this
manner they continue passing and repassing till the water has risen so
high as to oblige them to desist, and wait till the tide has again
receded.  About two tides generally serve to complete the ship’s
unloading.

The sea at Cromer is almost always diversified by a change of moving
objects; the trade from Newcastle, Sunderland, and the Baltic, keeping up
a constant succession of vessels; to which may be added the regular
appearance of the various steam-vessels which ply between London and
Scotland, giving life and interest to the scene, though defiling, as it
were, the pure elements they have conquered by their ponderous volumes of
black and waving smoke.  In calm weather passengers may be landed from
these vessels, in a boat sent for the purpose; but as the contingency of
“wind and weather permitting,” is always expressed, few dare avail
themselves of such a conveyance.

The cliffs, in many parts, are very lofty, and picturesquely broken; and
their base being, for the most part, composed of strong blue clay, or
marl, are capable of making considerable resistance to the impetuous
attacks of the sea; so that while the upper parts, which are chiefly of
sandy materials, are brought down by accidental circumstances, the feet
still remain, opposing their bold projections to the waves, and forming a
happy relief to the level surface of the beach.  This is no place to
enter into any geological detail respecting these cliffs; but if the more
scientific reader should desire information on this point, we would
direct him to an admirable article in the “Philosophical Magazine,” from
the pen of Mr. Lyell; {13} or, what would be more acceptable, as well as
attainable, we would venture to refer him to Mr. S. Simons, of Cromer,
who, we feel convinced, would afford him that information which he is so
competent to give.  In the winter the cliffs are the favourite resort of
many sea-birds, but in the summer some, as geese and ducks, retire to the
marshes, while others entirely disappear.

Cromer church, which is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, and was
probably erected in the reign of Henry IV. is a very handsome structure,
built with flint and freestone, and consists of a nave and two aisles:
the tower, which is square, with an embattled top, is one hundred and
fifty-nine feet in height.  The entrance at the west end, which is a
beautiful specimen of gothic architecture, is in ruins, as are also the
north porch, and the chancel, of which little now remains.  At one time
indeed the other parts of the church were so much in ruins, that Divine
service was performed in the tower. {14}  Many of its ornaments were
destroyed by the soldiers of Cromwell, and the church itself converted
into barracks.  The flinting, in many parts of the building, can scarcely
be excelled in the beauty of its execution.  The nave and aisles are
spacious and neatly fitted up, and made capable of containing a large
congregation; but except the double row of arches which support the roof,
and divide the aisles, very little of what it once was now remains;
these, however, are of beautiful proportions.  The windows, which were
formerly of noble dimensions, and were decorated with painted glass, are,
on the north side especially, either totally or partially closed, by the
introduction of common bricks.  It possesses a well-toned organ, and
galleries have lately been erected by the contributions of the visitors
and inhabitants, obtained through the strenuous exertions of the Rev. W.
Sharpe, whose conduct on the occasion deserves the sincere gratitude of
all parties.

Before these galleries were built, the fishermen used to sit together in
the middle aisle, and they formed an impressive and pleasing spectacle.
Our best feelings, as well as our gratifications, are much enhanced by
the association of ideas; and it was next to impossible to behold these
persons, many of whom were venerable with age, and not be put in
remembrance of Him whose the sea is, and who is so peculiarly the
fisherman’s protector.  These men, who do their “business in the great
waters, and see the wonders of the Lord,” are themselves a testimony of
his goodness.  There is also something sacred in their occupation, which,
added to the circumstances of their safety, thereby bringing them calmly
to worship him in the haven where they would be, that arrests even the
careless eye, and promotes devotion in the more serious.

The church contains but very few monuments, and these belong principally
to the Windham and Ditchell families.  Indeed, with the exception of one
to Mr. B. Rust, and another erected by the inhabitants to a singularly
amiable and talented individual, a surgeon and general practitioner of
the place, Mr. Charles Stewart Earle, with some ancient slabs, are all it
can boast of.

The following circumstance may seem trivial; but, as affording an
instance of a providential escape, may not perhaps be unacceptable.

At about a third part of the height of the staircase, which leads up to
the steeple, is a door opening upon the leads of a small turret,
communicating with the stairs, from which, some years ago, a boy of the
name of Yaxley fell into the church-yard between some timbers, (which
were laid there for the repairs of the church,) without receiving any
other injury than a few slight bruises.  He afterwards entered the navy,
when, falling down the hold of the vessel to which he belonged, and
receiving a severe hurt, he was discharged:—through the interest of the
late Admiral Windham he obtained a pension, which he still lives to
enjoy.

The benefice is a vicarage, valued in the King’s Book at nine pounds four
shillings, and was augmented, from 1743 to 1834, with twelve hundred
pounds of royal bounty.  The Rev. W. Sharpe is the present incumbent.
The living is in the gift of the Bishop of Ely, who is also appropriator
of the great tithes, now leased to the Countess of Listowel.

Cromer enjoys the advantage of a free-school, founded and endowed with
ten pounds per annum by Sir Bartholomew Reed, a native of Cromer, and
Lord Mayor of London, in 1502.  The master, who was to be “a priest,
cunning in grammar,” was enjoined to say mass once a year in the
parish-church of Cromer, for the soul of the worthy founder; and to
teach, with all good diligence, “Gentlemen’s sons, poor men’s sons, and
other good men’s children of Cromer, and the villages around.”  The
former part of the duty is dispensed with, but the school still
flourishes, the Goldsmith’s company, who are the trustees, having rebuilt
the school-house in 1821, and augmented the master’s salary, at different
times, and it now amounts to one hundred and thirty pounds per annum.

Roger Bacon, a mariner of Cromer, is said to have discovered Iceland in
the reign of Henry IV. and also to have taken prisoner the Prince of
Scotland, James Stewart, who was sailing to France, in order to be
educated there.

A savings’-bank was established here in 1827.  Petty-sessions are held
every alternate Monday.  The poor’s land was let, in 1786, for ten pounds
a year—it now lets for fourteen guineas.  This is equally divided between
twenty-four widows, who do not receive relief from the parish.  The
market, which was held every Saturday, under letters patent of Henry IV.
has been long discontinued; but the town is well supplied with provisions
of all kinds, during the bathing season, persons from the country round
bringing in poultry, butter, eggs, vegetables, &c. daily.  Fish is not
very plentiful: however, this depends upon the season.  Mackerel,
whitings, herrings, and cod are caught here; its lobsters have long been
noted for their excellence, as are also its crabs.  Great quantities of
these are caught and sent immediately to London.  Lobsters are reckoned
out of season, from the latter end of June to that of July.

It also boasts of an annual fair which is held on Whit Monday.

Cromer was first frequented as a watering-place about the year 1785, by a
few families of retired habits, whose favourable reports of the place
induced others to follow their example.  The accommodations, however,
were long adverse to the influx of visitors, and the want of a
respectable inn, in particular, was greatly felt, and was a material
check, not so much to the actual prosperity of the place, but to its very
existence as a place of general resort.  At length, a spirited
individual, the present venerable Mr. Tucker, built the New Inn, which
from that time to the present he has conducted with the greatest
propriety, and with every regard to the comfort of those who have used
his house.  The character of Cromer thenceforth became altered, and
various improvements followed.  Indeed, the inhabitants of Cromer owe a
large debt of gratitude to him, and if universal respect, and, it is to
be hoped, just success, to himself, can reward him, he receives his full
recompense.

There are several machines for sea-bathing, the hour for which is
regulated by the tide.  The bather, Mr. Jacob, who is a very steady man,
and the descendant of a line of bathers, lives in Jetty Street.

There are two bathing-houses, one on the cliff and the other by the side
of it, on the beach: both of which are extremely well conducted, and kept
by persons of respectability, by whom every requisite attention and
civility are shown.

Cromer now contains many comfortable private lodging-houses, as well as
apartments for the accommodation of its visitors, as also some
respectable inns.  One of the best houses in Cromer has lately been
converted into a boarding-house, under the name of the Hotel de Paris.  A
number of houses, called the Crescent, have been built within the last
ten years, and are a great acquisition.  Had the same spirit of
speculation in building, &c., existed here as elsewhere, or the same
encouragement, at least, been given to it, it is probable that long ere
this, Cromer would have risen to considerable importance as a
bathing-place and fashionable resort; nature having done everything for
it that might favour such a result.  It has, however, been asserted, and
perhaps with truth, that this spirit of improvement has been
discountenanced on the ground, that the moral welfare of the place was
promoted by its comparative obscurity and non-intermixture with the idle
and the more corrupted servants, &c. of cities and towns.  The facilities
of travelling to long distances, too naturally tends to injure places
which depend much on the local encouragement they receive.  Persons who
were once content, to visit, summer after summer, the same place, or who
chose that which their own neighbourhood made most convenient, are no
longer detained by motives of expense or distance from indulging a taste
for variety.  The rent of the houses is high, and consequently, that of
lodgings is the same: the latter may be had at the rate of from one
guinea and a half to three and a half: entire houses from four to six
guineas a week: those of the latter price, of which there are not more
than four or five, make up ten beds, and are therefore capable of
accommodating a large family.

The inhabitants, almost universally speaking, are extremely civil and
well-behaved, respectable in themselves, and respectful towards others;
simple in their manners, and free from that spirit of extortion which is
but too commonly the fault of those who have only a short season to
enable them to meet many exigences, and who have only a partial interest
in those they serve.

The walks, drives, &c., round Cromer are exceedingly beautiful, affording
alike to the geologist, botanist, and mineralogist, abundant materials
for the gratification of their respective tastes.  Many valuable organic
and fossil remains are to be found in different parts of the coast, a
circumstance to which the active researches of the late Mr. C. S. Earle
served materially to draw the attention of scientific persons.  Professor
Buckland and the learned Mr. Lyell have both honoured Cromer by visiting
it.

Wild flowers are to be met with here in great beauty and luxuriance, some
of them sufficiently rare to induce a long and health-giving walk in
search of them.  The sea-weeds, or _algæ_, are those which are generally
found on our coasts, consisting of the great strap-wort, (_Laminaria_;)
Bladder-wort, (_Fucus vesiculocus_;) Serrated Bladder-wort, (_Fucus
serratus_;) the beautiful crimson _Plocamium coccineum_, the _Ulva
latissina_, &c.

All these, when cast on the beach, are carefully collected in heaps, and
serve as manure to the lands.

Jet and amber are found here in the winter.  Jasper of all kinds,
cornelian, aqui marine, and agates of every description, some of which
are extremely beautiful, may be picked up on the beach.  Many of the
common pebbles, also, are remarkably handsome, and take a fine polish.
The youthful student of mineralogy may also add to his collection
specimens of micaceous schist, trapstone, porphyry, basalt, &c. &c.
Shells, either fossil or recent, do not abound here, except in the upper
chalk, which forms the substratum of the beach, and in isolated patches
of the overlying crag, where a few rare fossil shells are found: recent
shells, indeed, are scarcely ever to be met with.  The common
Perriwinkle, (_Turbo littoreus_;) is, however, plentiful on the rocks at
low water.

We give no guide to the walks, they are all easily found, and there is a
pleasure in making rambles for ourselves where every part of the country
invites us to explore it.  The best view of the town, however, is from a
short distance on the Runton road.  Varley, so well known as an artist,
has a very pleasing drawing, taken from the spot to which we allude.  The
woods round Cromer Hall are a beautiful object from every direction.  The
Hall itself is a handsome mansion, built in the Gothic style, with a
centre and two wings.  It was commenced in 1827, by George Thomas
Windham, Esq., but was burnt down, before it was finished, in 1829.  It
was rebuilt, and is now occupied by Henry Baring, Esq., brother of Lord
Ashburton, who married Miss Cecilia Windham, another of the daughters of
Admiral Windham.

The following gentlemen also possess, and occasionally inhabit handsome
houses in or near the town.  H. Birkbeck, Esq., Sir Jacob Astley, now
Lord Hastings, Samuel Hoare, Esq., and Robert Herring, Esq.  George
Stanley Repton, Esq. is lord of the manor of Cromer Weylands, and of
several other manors in the neighbourhood.  Colne House is inhabited by
Mrs. Morris.

The season for Cromer is usually reckoned from the beginning of June till
the middle or end of October.  The place itself is never in such beauty
as in the autumn, nor is its sea or the air more invigorating at any time
than in the month of October.

A mail-coach arrives daily from Norwich at half-past twelve, and returns
at half-past one o’clock.  Letters, however, must be received at one
o’clock, at which time the post-office closes; on payment of a penny a
letter will be forwarded the same day.  Phaetons, sociables, and also
saddle-horses may be had of Mr. Thomas Brown.

There are subscription reading-rooms, where the London and Provincial
papers are taken in daily, kept by Mr. Simons; and also a
circulating-library, kept by Mrs. Leak.

Carriers go once or twice a week to Norwich, Lynn, and other places in
the neighbourhood.




EXCURSION TO FELBRIGG,
RETURNING EITHER BY THE HOLT ROAD OR OVER BEESTON HEATH.


The drives about Cromer are far more agreeable than persons have
generally been led to suppose.  The appearance of the country is
picturesque and diversified; the roads themselves are good, and the sea,
which is never long concealed from the view, forms at all times a
beautiful object, sometimes appearing in wide expanse before us,
sometimes seen only through an opening in the woods or over a rich
valley, and at others breaking suddenly upon the eye, yet ever
harmonizing most delightfully with the general features of the landscape.
We do not usually associate the idea of rich foliage with the sea, but in
this respect Cromer has a great advantage over most places on the coast,
certainly over those on the eastern and northern.  The soil, indeed,
seems well suited to the growth of trees, many of which attain a very
considerable size, and may vie in luxuriance of foliage as in height with
those of more inland situations.  The oak, Spanish chestnut, and beech,
in particular flourish here, and by their beauty afford a constant theme
of admiration.

There is no drive, however, prettier than that to the village and hall of
Felbrigg, the seat and property of William Howe Windham, Esq.

Felbrigg is three miles distant from Cromer, and is delightfully situated
in the bosom of extensive and venerable woods.  Almost as soon as you
have entered the park, the tower of the church is seen on the left,
rising in a most picturesque manner above the lofty trees which encircle
it, and as the hall is approached, the drive continues between trees of
the most striking beauty; indeed, the beech-trees are esteemed as some of
the most remarkable in the kingdom, and are of an extraordinary size and
circumference.  The hall is a large and handsome mansion, built in the
Elizabethan style, on a commanding eminence, and stands in a park
comprising about two hundred acres of land.  Considerable additions have
been made to it at different periods, the greater part of which are in a
style corresponding with the ancient south front.  It contains many of
the works of the most eminent painters, particularly of Rembrandt,
Bergham, and Vandersvelt.  Among the best paintings may be enumerated, a
Usurer, and the Portrait of an Old Woman, by Rembrandt, Cows Stalled, by
Sagtleven, Scheveling Market, and a small Landscape, by Paul Brill.  The
library comprises a large collection of valuable books and prints.

The stables, built in the same style as the Hall, were erected by the
late Admiral Windham in 1825.

On the skirts of the park, on a lofty eminence, stood formerly the
cottage, mistaken by some for the rectory-house: this has been lately
pulled down, and the present rector lives at Metton, which is
consolidated with Felbrigg,—the rectory-house.  About a quarter of a mile
south-east of the Hall, surrounded by trees, is the church.  This is a
handsome edifice, and contains several monuments to the Felbrigg and
Windham families.  On a large marble slab is a very fine brass,
representing the figure, in complete armour, of Sir Simon de Felbrigg,
who lived in the reign of Henry VI.  The inspection of this alone would
deserve a drive or a walk {26a} to Felbrigg, for a more perfect specimen
of the kind is rarely to be seen.

On the south side of the altar is a beautiful monument, with a fine bust
by Nollekins, of the late Right Honourable William Windham, whose
lamented death was caused by an injury he received in his endeavours to
save the library of his friend Mr. F. North, when his house in
Berkeley-square was on fire.  An operation had been recommended, and to
this he submitted; but, as it proved, without success.  This accomplished
and amiable man died in the year 1810.  Leaving no issue, his estates
descended to his half-brother, the late Admiral Lukin, who assumed the
name of Windham. {26b}

The church at Felbrigg, like most others in this neighbourhood, is shorn
of some of its honours.  There is no vestry, although the ruins of one
remain, and the entrance through the north porch is closed up, and the
porch itself serves as a shelter to the sheep, which are turned into the
churchyard.  We regret the circumstance, as it appears to us a
desecration of a building in which God has allowed His name to be put;
and when we look “on this picture and on that,”—the handsome mansion with
all its comforts, and the house of God, as also the last resting-place of
the former owners of that mansion—we would not, where there is so much to
admire and so little to lament, have a blade of grass grow irregularly on
the one nor a stone left unevenly on the other.

The manor of Felbrigg was purchased by Lord Scales, of the executors of
Sir Simon Felbrigg.  He afterwards sold it to John Windham, Esq., when a
curious circumstance took place, which does not speak well for the
gallantry of the times, or at least for that of the party most concerned
in it.  Mr. Windham being absent, Sir John Felbrigg, who had set up an
hereditary claim to the estate, entered the Hall, from which he forcibly
dragged out Mrs. Windham, himself taking possession of the mansion.
However, he subsequently relinquished his claim for the payment of two
hundred marks.

The park, from the unevenness of the ground, rising and falling gently
into hills and vales, the richness of the woods, and the manner in which
it has been laid out, is extremely beautiful.  The drive lies exactly
through it, passing close by the house. {28}  There is also another way
of approaching it, which is through the village and the new lodge-gate at
the east; and this also is very beautiful.

On leaving the park, two roads present themselves, one on the right hand,
which leads through a very shady lane, the extremity of which is called
the Lion’s Mouth, into the Holt-road, by which you may return to Cromer
direct; or if the desire be to lengthen the drive, the road may be taken
across the heath, to Sherringham, Beeston, or Runton, where some of the
most delightful prospects that wild scenery can afford will be
successively presented to the eye.  The descent to each of the former
villages is most striking and romantic; and but one regret will arise,
namely, that the roads are not well calculated for a carriage, being
exceedingly sandy, and the ruts very deep.  There is not, however, the
slightest fear for those on horseback, nor indeed for those in a
carriage, if attended by any one accustomed to the road, {29a} and
certainly no one should leave Cromer in ignorance of the beauties which
here offer themselves.

Pic-nic parties are frequently formed to a valley on the right of the
road, over the heath, which can be approached only on foot, or on
horseback.  A spot is also shown on the top of the heath, which by some
is stated to have been a Roman encampment, but it is much more probable
the site of an ancient beacon.

If on leaving the park-gate the road in front be taken, (and which is
most proper for a carriage,) the church of Aylmerton {29b} will be
passed, when turning immediately to the right, it will lead to the
Holt-road, only a little higher than the entrance from the Lion’s Mouth.
The drive will consist in that case, of about six miles,—if the road
across the hills be taken, of seven.




EXCURSION TO MUNDESLEY,
THROUGH OVERSTRAND, SYDERSTRAND, TO TRIMMINGHAM, RETURNING BY SOUTHREPPS.


The drive from Cromer to Mundesley presents some of the finest sea-views
imaginable.  The road runs almost entirely along the coast, taking in its
course the villages of Overstrand, Syderstrand, and Trimmingham.

About two miles E. by S. of Cromer, is the small parish of Overstrand,
which extends two miles along the sea-cliffs, and is bounded inland by a
lofty range of hills.  On the beach is a hamlet, and fishing-station,
commonly called Beck Hoy, with a curing-house, and a free-school, the
latter built and supported, during her lifetime, by the late amiable and
lamented Miss Buxton: it is now carried on by Miss Gurney, of Northrepp’s
Cottage.

The old church, like that of Shipden, was swallowed up by the sea, which
catastrophe took place in the reign of Richard II.  The present, which is
dedicated to St. Martyn, was then built on half an acre of ground given
by John Reymes; but the chancel and part of the nave are in ruins, the
remainder is walled in, and fitted for divine service.  The living, which
is very small, is in the gift of Lord Suffield.  In the year 1250, (34
Hen. III.) a duel or combat of trial was fought on account of this
lordship, on behalf of Agnes de Reymes.

Foulness, or Cromer light-house, is in this parish.

Syderstrand is a small parish, containing not more than four hundred
acres of land, partly belonging to Samuel Hoare, Esq., the lord of the
manor, and patron of the living, which is a rectory, alternately with the
sovereign as Duchess of Lancaster. {31}  The church, dedicated to St.
Michael, stands on a solitary eminence, and in appearance and loneliness,
reminds the traveller of the sacred edifices which salute his eye in the
Isle of Man.

Not a tree or a bush casts a shade near it, the dead alone in their
solitude surround it, and the deep calm is broken only by the hollow dash
of the billows, or the occasional screech of the sea-mew.

Still continuing in view of the sea, you reach Trimmingham, which stands
on the highest ground in Norfolk.  The cliffs are here not less than
three hundred feet high.  It is five miles E. S. E. of Cromer, and the
same distance N. by E. of North Walsham.  The ocean here also gains
considerably on the coast.  Several years ago, two farm-houses, with
their yards and outbuildings, were washed down by the sea.  This accident
was owing to the choking up of a spring, which occasioned such a
subterraneous body of water, that several acres of land, as well as these
buildings, were detached from the main land and washed into the sea.

The church stands on the highest point of the cliffs.  It was formerly a
favourite resort of the superstitious and ignorant; for its ancient
priests pretended that they were in the possession of the hand of St.
John the Baptist; an imposition which was a source of considerable wealth
to them, as pilgrims from all parts visited it, making large offerings in
honour of the precious relic.  The living is in the gift of the crown.
Part of the glebe land has been washed into the sea.

On a hill about a mile from the village are to be seen the ruins of an
old beacon.  This hill commands an exceedingly fine prospect both of the
sea and land.  In very clear weather Yarmouth is discernible, and the
spire of Norwich Cathedral is seen without difficulty.  This spot has
gained such celebrity for the extensive view it affords, that few persons
quit Cromer without having visited it.  It is said that no less than from
thirty to forty churches may be counted from hence.

About two miles further on, is Mundesley, which from a mere straggling
village has become of sufficient importance to rank next to Cromer as a
watering-place; a circumstance owing chiefly to the spirited exertions of
F. Wheatly, Esq., although it is, and must continue to be, greatly
inferior to that place in every respect.  It is distant from Cromer seven
miles.  Like Cromer, it is situated on the lofty and broken cliffs of the
ocean, which, however, are here divided by a deep ravine, through which a
small stream discharges itself upon the beach, which at low water has a
broad firm sand, and, like Cromer, it is subjected to the formidable
encroachments of the sea.  To remedy this, the above-named liberal
individual erected, at the cost of a thousand pounds, a massive wall,
forming an upper and a lower terrace, the latter of which, being ninety
feet above the beach, commands a most extensive and delightful view of
the ocean.  In the year 1837, during the same extraordinary high tides,
that ravaged Cromer, this wall was in part destroyed, and was repaired at
a cost little inferior to the first.  The prospect upon the beach to the
southward, differs greatly in appearance from that of Cromer, by the land
at Happisburgh projecting into the sea, forming a promontory.  There are
two good inns here, and several respectable lodging-houses, with
bathing-machines, a warm bath, and other necessary accommodations for
visitors.

The church, dedicated to All Saints, stands on a lofty point of the cliff
above the village, and was formerly a noble edifice, but the tower is
gone, and the chancel, and part of the nave are in ruins.  The remaining
part of the nave has been repaired, and is fitted up for divine service.
The living is in the gift of the crown.  The place derives interest from
the circumstance of the father of Archbishop Tenison having been ejected
from this living in 1640, for his loyalty to the ill-fated and amiable
monarch, Charles I.

Returning by Southrepps, we are struck with its church which is one of
the most beautiful in the neighbourhood, and, as usual, is built on an
eminence.  It is dedicated to St. James.  In the year 1788, the
side-aisles were taken down, and the arches filled up.  The living is in
the gift of the crown.  The parsonage-house is situated near it.

On a hill, about a mile from the village, are the ruins of an old beacon,
which commands a fine view of the sea and surrounding country.
Southrepps, is five miles from Cromer and one from Thorpe.  The drive
consists of seventeen miles.




NORTHREPPS HALL AND COTTAGE.


A short and very pleasant drive may be made, by taking the road to
Northrepps, and having passed the Hall, and Hill House, both belonging to
Richard Gurney, Esq., returning by the road leading to the Cottage.  This
mansion, which is sometimes also called the Hermitage, is inhabited by
Miss Gurney, and for its romantic situation is greatly admired.  It
stands in a deep valley, opening towards Overstrand and the sea.  It is
flinted in the Gothic style, and with the porch is thatched and fitted up
with great taste and simplicity.  The grounds and woods by which it is
surrounded are extremely beautiful.

On an eminence called Toll’s-hill, not far from the cottage, is a very
fine echo, produced by a bold and lofty range of hills, on the opposite
side of the vale, and extending between it and the sea from Overstrand to
Syderstrand.




EXCURSION TO THORPE AND GUNTON HALL, RETURNING BY ROUGHTON.


Taking the Norwich road, we proceed to the village of Northrepps, which
is divided into two parts, called Church Street and Far Street,
containing about two thousand six hundred acres of land, picturesquely
broken into hill and dale, and belonging chiefly to Lord Suffield.  The
church, dedicated to St. Mary, though not equal to Southrepps, is a noble
building, with a lofty square tower.  The patronage is vested in the
crown.  The rectory-house and free-school, which he also endowed, were
both erected at the cost of the late incumbent, the Rev. Thomas Hay, D.D.

Leaving now the Norwich road, and taking that to North Walsham, we reach
Thorpe Market, which is a small but extremely pretty village, about a
mile from Gunton Hall, four and a half from North Walsham, and the same
from Cromer.

The present church is much and deservedly admired for the simplicity and
elegance of its construction.  It is dedicated to St. Margaret, and was
partly built on the site of the old one, by the second Lord Suffield, who
died in 1821.  It consists only of a single arch, of flint-stone and
freestone, with turrets at the angles, and a gable on each side,
surmounted by a cross.  The windows are ornamented with painted glass, as
are also the upper parts of two light Gothic screens, which divide the
chancel and the west end from the centre part, which is fitted up for
divine service.  It contains three ancient monuments, taken from the old
church, and a handsome one by Rynart, erected to the memory of two
brothers of the noble founder.  The vault of the Rants (formerly lords of
the manor) was under the old church, but is now securely bricked up in
the churchyard.

Close to the church are extensive gardens, to which parties are made, to
eat strawberries and cream, &c.  An oak stands there, which, for beauty
and size attracts universal admiration, and is, in fact, one of the lions
of the place. {36}  Some Spanish chestnuts also, near the church-gate,
are very fine.

Leaving Thorpe for Gunton Hall, the seat of the Right Hon. Lord Suffield,
you pass, at the north-east angle of the park, under the arch of an
elegant tower, rising to the height of one hundred and twenty feet six
inches, from which an extensive prospect is afforded of the surrounding
country.  The Hall itself is an elegant edifice, built of white brick,
and it was much enlarged under the direction of Mr. Wyatt, in 1785.  It
stands on an eminence commanding a very fine view of the park and its
plantations, which occupy not less than nine hundred and forty-two acres.
More attention has been paid in the interior to comfort than to splendor,
in which respect it is not to be exceeded.  The gardens are extensive,
and tastefully laid out.  The park is well stocked with deer, and is
noted for the number of pheasants and hares with which it abounds.  From
the Thorpe road an avenue is pointed out, which extends two miles, and
opens into the park, through which the view is perfectly unobstructed.

A fine lake lies on the left as we leave the park through the Hanworth
Lodge, where the trees again form an avenue, naturally, and in a most
picturesque manner, interlacing their luxuriant branches, and forming a
canopy over the road.

The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, has a handsome portico of the Doric
order, and was rebuilt by Sir Willian Morden Harbord, Bart., who became
possessed of the estate in 1742.  The rectory is consolidated with
Hanworth, and is in the gift of Lord Suffield.  The house is shown to
visitors.

There is little to be noticed at Roughton, except that it is a pleasant
village in an open vale, containing about one thousand one hundred acres
of land, of which three hundred and seventy-six are of heath.  The church
is a vicarage, of which the Bishop of Ely is patron.  It boasts of a
free-school, endowed with thirty-six acres of land, founded by Robert
Brown early in the seventeenth century.  Roughton is four miles from
Cromer.  The drive consists of nearly fourteen miles.




EXCURSION TO SHERRINGHAM,
THROUGH RUNTON AND BEESTON.


The drive to Runton is by some considered the least pleasing of any round
Cromer.  We hardly know how to subscribe to this opinion, for the
sea-view is extremely fine, and there are points of inland beauty
belonging to it which are very striking.  As we before observed, the town
itself, to be seen to advantage, should be viewed from this road.

Runton parish comprises two small villages, called East and West Runton,
and is from one to two miles distant from Cromer.  It contains about one
thousand acres of land, subject to the encroachments of the ocean, and is
bounded on the south by a lofty range of hills.  The high hill to the
left is known by the name of Wrinkleborrow Hill.  The church, which is
dedicated to the Holy Trinity, stands on an acclivity above West Runton,
and is a rectory, united with Aylmerton.  East Runton is a mere fishing
village, nearly a mile east of the church, on a small green.  Sir T. F.
Buxton owns a very neat mansion here.

About a mile distant is the small village of Beeston, or as it is
distinguished from others of the same name, Beeston Regis, or Beeston on
the Sea, which adjoins Lower Sherringham.  The church, which is near the
beach, is dedicated to All Saints, and is a rectory, of which the
patronage is vested in the Duchy of Lancaster.

The object of attraction here, however, to the visitor, is the ruins of
its ancient priory, which stand at the east end of the village in a
romantic dale, sheltered from the cold winds of the north by lofty hills,
yet so situated as to command a noble view of the sea and of the
surrounding country.  The site indeed of all the religious houses of old
was so invariably selected on principles of the best taste, and with the
utmost regard to the local advantages and conveniences of the place, that
a recollection of the fact should always draw attention to the point,
with a view to discover what these were.

The priory was dedicated to St. Mary, and was founded in the reign of
King John, by the Lady Isabel, or, as some say, by the Lady Elizabeth de
Cressy, for canons of the order of St. Augustine.  At the dissolution it
was granted to Sir Edward Windham and others.  A small tower, and the
whole of the west gable-wall of the Priory church are standing, together
with many other large masses of walls, over which the “ruin-loving ivy”
extends its faithful embraces.  Some years ago the ivy grew most
luxuriantly, but it was ruthlessly cut down, since which time, though its
growth has been encouraged, it has not recovered its original beauty.  To
see these ruins to advantage, they should be visited in the evening, when
the glowing yet subdued rays of the setting sun illuminating the most
picturesque parts of the abbey and the surrounding landscape, and
throwing others into deep and harmonious shade, a picture is presented to
the careless observer which cannot fail to give gratification, and to
awaken in the more meditative that train of melancholy but pleasing
thought, which seems so peculiarly to belong to such spectacles and to
such seasons.

Lower Sherringham, which is nearly a mile and a half distant from the
church, is situated on lofty sea-cliffs, rising nearly one hundred feet
from the beach.  These cliffs are divided by a narrow ravine, through
which a small rivulet and a road winds down the beach.  It is a
considerable fishing-station, having several curing-houses.  Cod, skate,
whitings, crabs, and lobsters are caught here in abundance, particularly
the two latter, of which great quantities are sent to London by vessels
which receive the fish from the boats whilst at sea.

The sea makes continual encroachments here as on other places on this
coast.  During an extraordinary high tide, which occurred on the 22nd of
October, 1800, a large inn was precipitated in ruins upon the beach, but
providentially its inhabitants had sufficient warning of their danger to
save themselves and much of their furniture.  A new inn has been since
erected.

There are a few traces of a chapel, dedicated to St. Nicholas, still to
be seen.—The lovers of the sublime will do well to visit the cliffs of
this place.

From hence to Upper Sherringham the road becomes exceedingly picturesque
and beautiful, and is not to be exceeded by any other in the
neighbourhood.  The estate which lies to the right, together with the
handsome mansion erected upon it, belonged to the late A. Upcher, Esq.,
and is now in possession of his son.  The house seen nearest the road,
and which is often mistaken for the Hall, the seat of H. R. Upcher, Esq.,
is inhabited by the Hon. Mrs. Upcher, the widow of the above gentleman; a
lady of whom it may truly be said by the poor of her neighbourhood, that
she is “feet to the lame, and eyes to the blind,” and a friend to all.

The church, which is dedicated to All Saints, is a vicarage, of which the
Bishop of Ely is the patron.  It is a very neat structure, and is kept in
excellent repair.  It boasts of only two or three slabs with brasses upon
them, and one monument, by Bacon, erected in the chancel to the memory of
Mr. Upcher, but this is well worthy of inspection.  The design is
elegantly conceived and admirably executed, yet so simple and touching,
and the inscription it bears is so impressive, that it can scarcely fail
to do, what, indeed, all such momentoes ought to do, and are perhaps
intended to do,—affect the heart of the observer, and recall a truth to
his mind, which is too often forgotten—that all on earth is fleeting and
unstable.

Near the church is a large reservoir, which was formed in 1814, to supply
the village with water, brought in pipes from a spring on the
neighbouring hill.  The school is supported by Mrs. Upcher, for the
education of thirty boys and fifty girls, who each pay one penny per
week.

If the visitor desire to view Sherringham Hall, the mansion and grounds
of H. R. Upcher, Esq., he should take the Upper Road, as it is called,
leaving Cromer by the Holt-road, by which means he will not only gain the
most advantageous view of each, but avoid the ascent of a very long and
high hill.  Entering the lodge-gate direct from the road, he will proceed
for nearly a mile through a path-road through the grounds, which for
boldness, beauty, and variety is unequalled in this part of the country,
and would not disgrace even some of the more favoured spots in Wales.  If
the gurgling of the concealed stream, or the gush of falling water were
heard,—the characteristic accompaniment of Welch scenery,—the delusion
would be complete: as it is surprise and pleasure divide the attention.
After winding down the hill for some time, occasionally obtaining a fine
prospect of the ocean, and seeing to advantage the house inhabited by the
Hon. Mrs. Upcher, we suddenly come in view of the Hall itself, which is a
handsome and commodious edifice.  Its situation is well chosen,
overlooking a fine bay of the ocean, and sheltered by a woody acclivity.
The ground everywhere rises into bold swells, and is adorned with trees
from their summits to their base, united by gentle slopes to the rich
valleys, “spotted with white sheep,” that divide them.  The effect of
alternate light and shade on these at a distance is delightfully shown,
and the whole scenery is such as may equally gratify the painter and the
lover of nature.

One pensive thought, however, is awakened by the recollection that the
amiable individual who erected the mansion and in part {44} adorned the
surrounding grounds, did not live to inhabit the one or to enjoy the
other.  Mr. Upcher died in the flower of his age, in 1819, just before
the house was completed, leaving a widow and several young children, and
is interred in a mausoleum which he built adjoining the church.

Having passed the house, the road leads into the Lower Road, to Beeston
and Runton, or by taking the road to the left, you may reach Weybourn,
where the cliff ends.

The drive to Upper Sherringham by the Lower Road, or Runton, consists of
five miles; by the Upper, or Holt, six miles.  If extended to Weybourn,
eight miles.




EXCURSION TO BLICKLING, AYLSHAM,
THROUGH ROUGHTON.


Having already noticed Roughton, we proceed without anything particular
to observe, till we are within a short distance of Erpingham, when we
pass, on the left, the rectory-house of Hanworth, which is very
delightfully situated on the verge of Gunton-park, about two miles from
Erpingham, which place lies to the right.

To those versed in chivalric lore, this village will be interesting;—Sir
Thomas de Erpingham, the gallant favourite of the renowned John of Gaunt,
and one of the sharers of the glories of the field of Agincourt, taking
his name from this place, of which he and his predecessors were lords of
the manor.  The church and tower were begun in his time, but finished
some years after his death.  It contains inscriptions to the memory of
the family, and a very perfect brass of Sir John Erpingham, whose son,
Sir John, lies buried under a large stone at the east end of the south
aisle: the arms are lost, but his effigy in armour remains, as standing
on a lion: at each corner of the stone is the emblem of one of the
Evangelists.  The church, dedicated to St. Mary, has a tall square tower,
on the summit of which were the effigies of four confessors, in their
habits, carved in free-stone, three only of which are remaining, the
fourth having been struck down by a violent tempest, which occurred
during divine service, and killed one of the congregation.  This happened
about a century ago.  The living, which is a rectory, is in the gift of
the Dowager Lady Suffield.

At a short distance further, we pass on the left, the remains (for it can
scarcely be called otherwise) of the ancient church of Ingworth, which
appears to be of the age of William Rufus.  It is dedicated to St.
Lawrence, and had formerly a round tower, which fell down in the year
1812.  The rectory is in the gift of W. H. Windham, Esq.

The whole of the drive lies through a richly wooded and fertile country,
which as Blickling is approached, becomes more beautiful.  The first
sight of the Hall is very striking and imposing, and the general view of
it gives an excellent idea of the grandeur and regularity of the
buildings of former ages.

Blickling Hall, the seat of the Dowager Lady Suffield, is a large
quadrangular mansion of brick, and forms a perfect specimen of
architectural taste in the reign of James I., in which reign it was
commenced, but not finished till that of Charles I.  It has two open
courts in the centre, with turrets at the angles, and a large clock-tower
over the entrance, standing in a beautiful park of seven hundred acres
{46} well stocked with deer, and extending into the adjacent parishes of
Oulton, and Itteringham.  The entrance from the court in front, formed by
the offices and stables, is over a bridge of two arches, across the moat.
On an ancient oak door in the front is the date, Anno Domini, 1620.  This
is within an arch, the key-stone of which bears a grotesque figure, and
over the entablature is a rich compartment, bearing the arms and
quarterings of Sir Henry Hobart, Bart.  The entrance-hall measures
forty-two feet, by thirty-three, and is thirty-three feet in height,
opening to the great staircase of oak: this is ornamented with various
figures, carved in wood, and conducts to a grand gallery, containing
statues of Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth.  The apartments, which are
spacious, are adorned with rich chimney-pieces, ceilings, wainscots, &c.,
but the paintings are not very numerous or very valuable.  The most
remarkable room is the library, which is one hundred and twenty-seven
feet in length, by twenty-one in breadth, and consequently rather offends
the eye, as not being well-proportioned.  The ceiling is divided into
compartments, containing figures emblematical of the five senses, with
others in relief, many of which are not a little grotesque.  The library
contains upwards of ten thousand volumes, amongst which are some very
scarce and valuable works.

The grounds are very beautiful.  A lake, one of the finest pieces of
water in the kingdom, forms the principal ornament of the park and
gardens.  This extends in the form of a crescent, about a mile in length,
and four hundred yards in its greatest breadth, and is skirted by verdant
lawns and thickly wooded hills, which give a most charming effect.  The
conduit and statues are those which formerly adorned the platform of
Oxnead Hall, one of the residences of the Earl of Yarmouth, two miles and
a half from Aylsham, of which the sole remains are one wing, occupied by
a farmer.

About a mile from the Hall is a stone mausoleum, built in the form of a
pyramid, upon a base of forty-five feet, in which are deposited the
remains of the late Earl of Buckinghamshire and his two wives; but the
remains of nineteen of his ancestors and relations are deposited in a
vault, the coffins standing in an upright position, under the north aisle
of the church.

There are many circumstances connected with Blickling which render it
exceedingly interesting.  The manor was held by Harold, the unfortunate
competitor of the crown with the Norman William.  The Conqueror settled
the whole manor and advowson on the see of Thetford; afterwards, on the
foundation of Norwich Cathedral, the Bishops of Norwich held the demesne
in their own hands, and had here a palace with a fine park adjoining.  In
1431, Blickling became the property of Sir Thomas Erpingham, and having
passed though several hands it came into the possession of Sir Thomas
Boleyn, the father of the beautiful and unfortunate Anne Boleyn, who was
married from this place, Henry VIII. having come to Blickling personally
to wed her.  Nor was this the only royal visit paid to it; Charles II.
and his amiable consort having visited it in his progress through the
county, in 1671.

Blickling passed from the Boleyns to the Hobarts, ancestors of the Earl
of Buckinghamshire, when the old mansion was pulled down, and the present
rebuilt by Sir John Hobart, which was completed in 1628.  The second Earl
rebuilt the west front in 1769, when his countess, as appears by an
inscription over the door of this part, bequeathed her jewels towards
defraying the expenses.

The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, stands on an eminence near the Hall,
and contains many inscriptions to the former lords of the manor, with a
few small effigies and brasses; one of these is for Anne Boleyn, the aunt
of the unhappy queen, which exhibits the first example of a necklace.

A mile and a half from Blickling, is the neat and well built market-town
of Aylsham, which for beauty of situation is not exceeded by any in the
county.  It has a very flourishing appearance, and several excellent
houses are built in or near it.  The Bure, which runs at the foot of the
town, is navigable to Yarmouth, for boats of forty tons burthen.  During
the reigns of Edward II. and III., it was celebrated for a manufacture of
linen, then called “Aylsham webs,”—“Cloth of Aylsham.”  This was
superseded by the woollen manufacture, and in the time of James I., the
inhabitants were chiefly employed in knitting worsted stockings,
waistcoats, &c.; the introduction of frame-work knitting has destroyed
this branch of trade likewise.  The court of the Duchy of Lancaster was
formerly held here.  It was once noted for its Spa, the water of which
was esteemed efficacious in cases of asthma, and other chronic diseases.
The spring is about half a mile south of the town.

The church, dedicated to St. Michael, is a handsome Gothic structure,
situated on the summit of an abrupt acclivity, commanding a very fine
view of the surrounding country.  It is said to have been built by John
of Gaunt, whose arms appear in various parts of the walls.  It contains
many monumental inscriptions and brasses, among which is one to Thomas
Wymes, who is represented in his winding-sheet.  He caused the screens
and roof to be painted with saints, martyrs, &c.  Part of this work has
lately been discovered, and is in good preservation.  The fount has
basso-relievos of the four emblems of the evangelists, the instruments of
the Passion, and the arms of Gaunt.  The interior of the church is very
handsome; but is much injured in appearance by the irregularity of the
pews, if not by the introduction of pews altogether.  The benches, no
doubt, were formerly much ornamented with carving, many rich specimens of
which are remaining.  The most beautiful of these have been collected,
and with admirable taste arranged for a screen for the altar.  The
patronage of the living, which is a vicarage, is vested in the dean and
chapter of Canterbury.

Aylsham enjoys the advantage of a free-school.  Archbishop Parker also
founded two fellowships in Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and
appropriated them to this and Wymondham school.  One of the scholars must
be born in Aylsham; but it is requisite for the other to be educated only
at the free-school there.

Blickling is eleven miles from Cromer.  Aylsham, by the direct road, is
the same distance.




EXCURSION TO BACTON,
THROUGH MUNDESLEY, RETURNING BY PASTON, KNAPTON, AND TRUNCH.


A pleasant excursion may be made to Bacton, a village twelve miles from
Cromer, on the low road to Yarmouth, where the ruins of Bromholm Priory
deserve attention.

This priory was founded by William de Glanville, for Clugniac monks, as a
cell to Castleacre Priory, in 1113, and dedicated to St. Andrew.  Like
many others, it owed much of its former wealth to fraud and superstition.
A cross was here preserved, which was said to be made of the wood of that
on which our Saviour suffered, and which was possessed of such virtues,
that nineteen blind persons, it is gravely asserted, were restored to
sight by it.  At the dissolution it was granted, with the adjacent
estate, to Sir Thomas Woodhouse, ancestor of the present nobleman of that
name.  The building, like that of almost every other in Norfolk, was
chiefly of flint.  The hand of time has been ruthless in its damages; a
lofty pointed arch-gateway is the only part still entire, the walls
being, in many places, only a few feet high.

Paston is distant from Bacton about three miles.  The church, which is
dedicated to St. Margaret, boasts of several handsome monuments to the
Paston family, of which the Earls of Yarmouth are the representatives,
and who formerly possessed the manor.  One of these, erected to the
memory of Lady Katherine Paston, wife of Sir Edmund Paston, deserves
notice.  On it is a recumbent effigy of that lady, beautifully executed,
in 1629, by Nathaniel Stone, at the cost of three hundred and forty
pounds.  John Mack, Esq. possesses a neat mansion here, which was erected
on the site of the old one, formerly the seat of the Paston family.

The late celebrated Sir Astley Paston Cooper derived descent, by his
mother’s side, from this family.

Knapton is situated on a lofty eminence, three miles from North Walsham,
and one from Paston.  The object of attraction here is the roof of the
church, which is of Irish oak, richly ornamented with carvings of saints
and angels.  The church is dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, and has a
nave and chancel, with a tower at the west end.  The rectory is in the
alternate gift of Lord Suffield and the Master and Fellows of St. Peter’s
College, Cambridge.

Proceeding another mile we reach Trunch church, the tower of which,
rising above the trees that surround it, forms a beautiful object, in
every direction from which it is viewed.  The church, dedicated to St.
Botolph, contains an ancient font, which is well worthy of inspection.

The proximity of this parish, with several others, has given rise to the
following familiar “memoranda:”

                 “Trimingham, Gimingham, Knapton, and Trunch,
               Southrepps, and Northrepps, lie all in a bunch.”

The return by the latter places shortens the length of this excursion by
one mile.




EXCURSION TO BARNINGHAM AND WOLTERTON.


We may without fear or hesitation promise the visitor the greatest
enjoyment from this excursion, whether the charms of a rich and highly
cultivated country, the view of ruins “graceful in decay,” or the works
of art be most accordant with his taste.

Having taken the Holt-road for three miles, we turn off to Gresham, and
proceed to Barningham-town, or Barningham Wintes, a village consisting of
about five hundred acres, belonging to John Thurston Mott, Esq.  On
entering the grounds, we are instantly struck with the beautiful
landscape that surrounds us, and with the richness of the prospect; but
our admiration is complete as we reach the picturesque ruins of the
church which stands in the park.  Anything more lovely we have seldom if
ever beheld.  The ruins, which are extremely fine, are covered with
luxuriant ivy; but there is no appearance of decay here to offend the
eye, or to pain the heart, nor even to raise a sigh of regret for the
past.  The chancel has been put into perfect repair, and most
appropriately and liberally fitted up for divine service.  All around is
calm, holy, happy.  True taste, true devotional feeling, pervades
throughout.  There the dead seem to “sleep sweetly” not in the sadness of
death, but in the tranquillity of repose,—not in the gloom that oppresses
the heart, but in the peace that speaks of hope.  No straggling foot
disturbs the green winding-sheet of the slumberers below, the light foot
of the bird alone, which hath found there a place to build her nest,
presses it, and the robin in privileged security chants from the
spreading boughs that wave nigh a requiem over the departed,—not a weed
is allowed to obtrude a leaf: the rank grass sighs not there, nor does
the thistle shake there its downy head to the wind.  The house of God,
and “the house appointed for all living,” have been equally respected,
and a striking proof afforded how much the beauty of holiness may be
enhanced by the spirit of cheerfulness.  We are utter strangers to Mr.
Mott, we know only his name, (though in so saying, we may “argue
ourselves unknown,”) that he is patron of the living of Barningham, and
that he inhabits the venerable mansion, which is near the church; but
what we have seen and do know commands our esteem, and we gratefully give
it.

Two miles beyond Barningham, is Wolterton-hall, the seat of the Right
Honourable the Earl of Orford, and Baron Walpole. {55}  Respecting this
handsome mansion we will quote the words of a former tourist:—

    “Wolterton was purchased by Lord Walpole soon after his marriage.  At
    that time, it consisted of a small mansion, with landed property of
    not more than five hundred pounds per annum, which he afterwards
    considerably increased by purchase.  The house being burnt down
    during his embassy, he built the present seat in 1736, which is
    styled in Walpole’s Anecdotes, one of the best houses of the size in
    England.  It was built after the designs of Ripley.  The date is
    given in the following inscription placed over the door of the
    eastern entrance:

                               HORATIUS WALPOLE
                                   HAS ÆDES
                               A. S. MDCCXXVII.
                                  INCHOAVIT.
                                A. S. MDCCXLI.
                                  PERFECIT.

    “Like most of Ripley’s houses, Wolterton is built with a basement
    story, and offices beneath, and consequently appears much less
    considerable in size and extent of accommodation than in fact it is.
    It is nearly a square pile, three sides of which have views on the
    park and pleasure-grounds, and to the fourth, eastward, is appended a
    large quadrangle, comprising the spacious kitchen offices, towards
    the north; a handsome domestic chapel to the south, (this has been
    removed, and a new one is now building to the east,) and
    communicating by an arched gatehouse to the east, with the stables
    and the kitchen gardens.  The building is of brick, with chimnies,
    cornices, and dressings of the doors and windows in Portland stone,
    and is of so solid and durable a character, that the lapse of nearly
    a century has produced no apparent ill effect on its condition or
    appearance.  The great hall on the north side was approached by a
    lofty flight of stone steps, which, as ill suited to the climate and
    habits of England, were removed by the late earl, and a commodious
    entrance, twenty feet square, made in the basement story beneath.
    The great staircase which fills the centre of the building, and is
    lighted from above, is in a rich and massive style of architecture,
    and extending down to the basement, serves as the approach from the
    present entrance to the principal apartments.  Towards the south, in
    the centre of the house, is the library, pannelled in mahogany,
    thirty-two feet by twenty-four, containing a large collection of the
    ancient editions in various departments of literature, with much that
    is valuable of a more modern date.  On the east side is the old
    dining-room, on the west the old drawing-room, each twenty-five feet
    by twenty, which have been, till lately, the customary living-rooms
    of the family.”

On the principal floor in the centre of the north front is the great
hall, twenty-nine feet by twenty-four feet six inches, and twenty feet
high.  On the west side are portraits of Horatio, first Lord Walpole, of
Wolterton; of his son Horatio, second Lord Walpole, of Wolterton, and
fourth Lord Walpole, in whom the title of Earl of Orford was revived in
1806, and of Horatio, late and sixth earl of his family, his son and heir
in parliamentary robes by _Lane_.  Opposite, a large hunting subject
(temporarily removed) by _Wootton_, with portraits of Sir Robert Walpole,
with Sir Charles Turner, and General Churchill and of his favourite
hunters and hounds.  In the front of the door, Sir Robert Churchill in
uniform, and Mr. Charles Churchill his son, who, by Lady Mary his wife,
youngest daughter of Sir Robert Walpole, was maternal grandfather of
Horatio, present and seventh Earl of Orford.  Disposed in different parts
of the hall, are some beautiful vases in antique marbles and alabasters,
as also objects of sculpture, among which is a bust in bronze of Napoleon
Buonaparte, from the collection of Monsieur Denon, and highly appreciated
by him.  A Cupid and Psyche, of natural size, in statuary, by Finilli, a
work of great beauty and perfection; also a Venus, the size of life, by
the same artist, in the manner of the Venus de Medicis.

On the left of the hall is the private family suit of the earl and
countess, containing some interesting cabinet pictures.  A very fine
portrait in full length, of Oliver Cromwell, in armour, was formerly in
this room, but is now removed to a bed-room.  On the right, is the
principal dining room, with a fine portrait over the fire-place, of
Caroline, Queen of George II., in her robes by Amiconi,—presented by her
majesty to Mr. Walpole on his completing Wolterton, with other
presentation portraits of the family of George II., and in full length,
in the pannel portraits of Charles I., in armour, and of George I., in
his coronation robes, and George II., in half-armour.  Portraits also of
Rachel, Lady Walpole, grandmother of the present earl, daughter of
William, third Duke of Devonshire, and of Harriet, daughter of General
Churchill, wife of Sir Everard Fawkner, with her son, a child, (the late
Mr. Fawkner, the father of the present Countess of Orford).  On a marble
table of large dimensions is a noble bust of Sir Robert Walpole, by
Rysbraeck, with a star of the order of the garter, in his robes.  A fine
Rembrandt is also here; the subject, a Jew convert.  An early picture by
Opie, of children with a dog.

In advance of the hall, towards the southern suits of apartments is the
great staircase, where, on a pedestal of Egyptian porphyry, is a colossal
bust of Napoleon Buonaparte, the only existing copy of Canova’s original
portrait model, of which was formed the ideal head of the statue in the
Place Vendome.

The saloon front thirty-five feet six inches, by twenty-five feet six
inches, and twenty feet high, finished in the rich and highly decorated
style of that period. (1741.)  Between the windows are two fine tables of
oriental alabaster, of large dimensions, with many beautiful objects in
sculpture, and in Dresden porcelain, to which have lately been added
several casts of exquisite beauty, brought from Rome.  Over the
chimney-piece is a beautiful portrait of Louis XV., in his youth, in
half-armour, with the royal mantle, presented by his majesty to Mr.
Walpole, when ambassador at Paris.  An original head of Pope by
Richardson.  Cardinal Fleury, by Rigaud, given by himself to Mr. Walpole.
A view of Holland of large size.  The celebrated landscape by Rubens
called “The Rainbow,” late in the collection of Mr. Watson Taylor,
generally considered as the chef d’œuvre of this great master, in the
department of landscape.  Andrea Sabbatina.  Crucifixion.  A Christ
bearing his cross, the Virgin kneeling by him, in full size by Murillo.
A picture of exquisite merit.  A Spanish girl.

In the drawing-room, to the right of the saloon, are three beautiful
Canalettis, one a view of St. Mark’s cathedral, another a general view of
the city of Venice, the third a view in Venice.  The Dutch Wedding, by an
unknown master, of great perfection, and beauty of finish.  A landscape
with cattle, by Castiglioni.  An exquisitely finished picture of flowers,
with the head of our Saviour in the centre in chiaro-scuro, by J. David
de Heim.  A cabinet picture of Berghem, also a beautiful cast brought
lately from Rome by Lord Orford.

In Lady Orford’s room, on the left of the saloon is a noble
chimney-piece, in verd-antique, with sculpture and statuary, surrounded
by a portrait of Louis XIV. in armour, by Jervas.  This room is hung with
fine Gobelin tapestry, as are also part of the drawing-room, and small
dining-room.  The chairs, sofas &c., are here covered with tapestry, the
fables of Æsop forming the principal subjects.

The park is of great extent, comprising upwards of seven hundred acres of
land.  The fine beech and oaks which adorn it were chiefly planted by the
first Lord Walpole.  On the south side of the Hall is a bold terrace with
a parapet, surmounted with urns, adjacent to which is a beautiful garden,
sloping to the margin of an extensive lake, the banks of which are richly
clothed with wood, the whole forming, with the distant view of Blickling,
a piece of park-scenery which cannot be excelled.

For the sake of variety, the road through Erpingham, shortening the
distance a mile, may be taken on returning.

The church, dedicated to St. Margaret, is a ruin; scarcely anything but
the tower remaining.  It stands on the north side of the Hall, and is
almost concealed by the lofty hollies which surround it.




DRIVE TO BECKHAM,
RETURNING EITHER THROUGH SUSTEAD AND METTON,


No person of taste will willingly leave Cromer without having visited the
beautiful ruins of Beckham church, which are the most picturesque of any
in the neighbourhood.

Having proceeded four miles on the Holt-road, we turn to the left, and at
the distance of a mile the ruins present themselves, standing in a vale,
where the waving of the corn, the song of the birds, or the sighing of
the trees alone disturb their loneliness, and silence.  The walls of the
middle aisle and the chancel are remaining, as is also the south porch,
which is luxuriantly bound with ivy.  We ourselves saw them to great
advantage.  It was evening; a shower of rain had just fallen, and the
heavy clouds yet cast a dark shade upon them.  The large drops fell
occasionally from the boughs of the fine ash which extends itself over
them, shielding them from the roughness of the east blast in this their
day of the north blast, seeming in fancy’s eye as if weeping for the
decay of that which it protected; while the ivy, like a faithful friend,
sheds its tears unseen in the bosom of one whom all had deserted.  In a
few moments, however, a brilliant rainbow threw its arch in the east, and
the subdued rays of the setting sun burst forth, casting a bright gleam
over them.  There was beauty in the scene: there were reflections to be
drawn from it, and an application to be made which could not be mistaken;
and the ancient church of the valley, with all its accompaniments, spoke
of a season of distress indeed, but of support and heavenly countenance,
of cheerfulness and hope.

The drive from hence to Gresham is very pleasing, and a fine view of the
surrounding country is obtained from an elevated part of the road which
leads to that place, which having reached, two roads offer themselves,
one direct to Cromer through Stustead, and the other, which is a mile
further round, through Metton, and Felbrigg, making the whole extent of
the drive about twelve miles; a consideration for which the beauty of the
country will fully compensate.




NORTH WALSHAM.


As North Walsham and Holt are both within a morning’s drive from Cromer,
a brief notice of each may not be unacceptable;—the principal places
lying on the road, or near it, have already been mentioned.

North Walsham stands on an eminence with a declivity northward to the
river Ant, and is distant fifteen miles from Norwich, and nine from
Cromer, and is a pleasant and handsome, though irregularly built
market-town, consisting chiefly of three streets.  It has a neat cross,
built by Bishop Thurlby, in the reign of Edward VI., and repaired in 1600
by Bishop Redman, whose arms, with those of the see, are impaled upon it.
The river Ant, which passes within a mile north of the town, is navigable
to Yarmouth.

North Walsham, suffered considerably in 1381, when a body of fifty
thousand insurgents, who had taken up arms in opposition to the odious
poll-tax, levied by Richard II., headed by John Litester, a dyer of
Norwich, were put to the rout by Bishop Spencer.  They afterwards
retreated to the town, where they were totally overthrown by the troops
of the prelate, after the destruction of the church and other buildings,
into which they had thrown themselves for security.  On the Norwich road,
about a mile south of the town, is a cross, erected on the heath, in
commemoration of this victory.  In 1600 it was nearly destroyed by an
accidental fire.

The church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, was rebuilt soon after its
destruction in the rebellion of 1381, and is a noble structure.  It is
about one hundred and fifty-six feet long, and sixty-eight broad, having
a nave, chancel, and side-aisles, with a fine south porch of flint and
stone, adorned with boldly sculptured ornaments, amongst which are the
arms of John of Gaunt, and the Abbot of St. Bennet, at the Holm.  The
aisles are separated from the body by a range of elegantly formed arches,
supported by light clustered columns.  A great part of the massive tower
of this church, which was originally one hundred and forty-seven feet
high, fell down on the 16th of May, 1724; another large portion fell on
April 26th, 1835, when the remaining fragments, being in a very dangerous
state, were removed about four years ago.

The great east window, in which were the arms of the see, with those of
Bishop Freake, in painted glass, was unfortunately destroyed by a storm,
in 1809.  On the north side of the chancel is a fine tomb, with the
effigy of Sir Wm. Paston, Knight, who, (as was not unfrequently done in
those times,) in 1607, agreed with John Key, of London, to erect and fit
up his tomb, with his effigy in armour, five feet and a half long, for
which he was to be paid two hundred pounds.  Sir William died the
following year: instances, however, are recorded of persons having seen
their own effigy &c., carried away by the sacrilegious soldiers of
Cromwell.  This monument was partially cleaned and repaired a few years
ago, but the workman being limited to twenty pounds, he cleaned only the
upper part of the figure, leaving the rest untouched.

The font, which is surrounded by an elegant octagonal railing, attracts
much and deserved attention.  The cover, which is profusely ornamented,
is esteemed one of the richest of the kind in the kingdom.

The benefice is a vicarage, of which the Bishop of Norwich is the patron.
It has a grammar-school, founded by Sir William Paston, in which several
eminent men received their education, amongst whom were the great Lord
Nelson; Watson, the author of “Anglia Sacra,” Sir Wm. Hoste, and
Archbishop Tenison.  The principal inn is the King’s Arms.




HOLT.


Holt is a remarkably clean and neat town, built on a rising ground, with
a market on Saturdays: it is twenty-four miles from Norwich and ten from
Cromer.  The air of Holt is reckoned particularly salubrious, and its
situation very agreeable.  It has much increased of late in population,
and several excellent houses have been built in or near it.  In the year
1708 it suffered greatly from an accidental fire, which destroyed great
part of it.

A fine spring issues out of a gravel hill on Sprout Common, on the
south-west side of the town, which affords an ample supply to the place
of pure soft water.  The spring-head is securely walled round, and is
visited by many, not only as a natural curiosity, but also for the
purpose of enjoying the fine prospect which it commands over the
picturesque valley of the Glaven, on the west side of the common, to
which the spring gives name.  The rectory-house is very pleasantly
situated near this spot, commanding a delightful view of the
Letheringsett and Bayfield woods.

The race-ground was broken up at the inclosure, in 1809.  Assemblies are
still held occasionally at the shire-hall.

The church, dedicated to St. Andrew, is an ancient structure, with a
square tower, but has no spire.  It contains monuments and inscriptions
to the memory of the Holmes, Hobart, Butler, and Briggs families, with
several others.  The living is in the gift of St. John’s College,
Cambridge.

The grammar-school was founded by Sir John Gresham, alderman of London, a
native of this place.  The Fishmongers’ Company, of London, are governors
of the school.

The principal inn is the Feathers.

                                * * * * *

We now take our leave—not that we have exhausted our subject, but because
our limits forbid us to add more.  Farewell, then, Cromer!—Farewell
magnificent billows! ye lofty cliffs, ye swelling hills, ye verdant
woods, and ye, pure and invigorating breezes!—dear are you all, for the
impress of Him who made you is stamped upon you, and a grateful
recollection will hallow your remembrance.  Prosperity be upon you and on
your inhabitants.  Long may the invalid continue to recover health from
your waters, the weary in spirit to regain vigour, the mourner to receive
alleviation to the sorrow which passes show, the youthful and happy to
appreciate and enjoy your beauties.  May all success be yours—in all
truth, and to its utmost extent—farewell!

                                * * * * *

                                 THE END.

                                * * * * *

                                * * * * *

                Joseph Rickerby, Printer, Sherbourn Lane.

                                * * * * *




TABLE OF DISTANCES,
WITH THE EXTENT OF THE EXCURSIONS.

                 EXCURSION TO FELBRIGG.—Page 24.
Cromer to Felbrigg                                        2½ miles
Extent of drive, returning by Aylmerton Church             6 miles
Over the Beeston Hills                                     7 miles
                 EXCURSION TO MUNDESLEY.—Page 30.
Cromer to Overstrand                                       2 miles
— Syderstrand                                              3 miles
— Trimmingham                                              5 miles
— —  Beacon                                                6 miles
— Mundesley                                                8 miles
Extent of drive, returning by Southrepps                  17 miles
          EXCURSION TO THORPE AND GUNTON HALL.—Page 35.
Cromer to Thorpe                                           5 miles
— Gunton Hall                                             6½ miles
Extent of drive, returning by Roughton                    14 miles
                EXCURSION TO SHERRINGHAM.—Page 38.
Cromer to Runton                                     1 and 2 miles
— Beeston                                                  3 miles
— Lower Sherringham                                        4 miles
— Upper Sherringham                                        5 miles
Extent of drive by the Upper Road                         12 miles
If extended to Weybourne                                  15 miles
           EXCURSION TO BLICKLING AND AYLSHAM.—Page 44.
Cromer to Blickling                                       11 miles
— Aylsham                                                 11 miles
The extent of the drive                                   23 miles
         EXCURSION TO BACTON, THROUGH MUNDESLEY.—Page 51.
Cromer to Paston                                          9 miles.
— Knapton                                                 8 miles.
— Trunch                                                  7 miles.
Extent of the drive                                      23 miles.
         EXCURSION TO BARNINGHAM AND WOLTERTON.—Page 53.
Cromer to Barningham                                      8 miles.
— Wolterton                                              10 miles.
Extent of drive, returning by Erpingham                  19 miles.
                  EXCURSION TO BECKHAM.—Page 62.
Cromer to Beckham                                         5 miles.
Extent of drive, returning by Aylmerton Church           11 miles.
By Sustead and Felbrigg                                  12 miles.
                     NORTH WALSH AM.—Page 63.
Cromer to North Walsham                                   9 miles.
                          HOLT.—Page 66.
Cromer to Holt                                           10 miles.

ERRATA. {69}

Page      Line                _For_                     _Read_
2         19        Scarboro’                   Yarmouth.
4         4         three hundred and twenty    two hundred and
                                                twenty.
5         11        two hundred and fifty       three hundred.
6         17        Happisburgh                 Mundesley.
7         23        Simm’s                      Simons’s.
22        8         leave out last ten words.
22        26        Maria                       Cecilia.
23        21        Simms                       Simons.
34        17        nine                        seventeen.
44        16        North Walsham               Aylsham.
—         13        five                        ten
—         14        six                         twelve.
—         15        eight                       fifteen.
52        4         Thomas Wodehouse            Sir Thomas Woodhouse.
62        2         Stisted or                  Sustead and.
63        14        Stisted                     Stustead.
—         16        eleven                      twelve.

FOOTNOTES.


{13}  No. LXVII. Phil. Mag. S. 3, vol. xvi.  May, 1840.—2 A.

{14}  At what time the church fell into decay is not known.  It was in
ruins, and disused about seventy-five years ago.  It was then in
contemplation to pull it down, and build a new one.  Estimates were
afterwards sent in for repairing the old church, covering the west porch,
and erecting a new spire (there had been one before.)  The cost was too
much, and some of the proposed work was not done.  Four out of the five
bells were sold to help to pay the expense.  The old lead from the roof
was sold for upwards of three hundred pounds.

{26a}  There is a foot-path over the fields, which considerably shortens
the distance.

{26b}  The keys of the church may be obtained on application to the
clerk, who lives in the village.  The way to the village is to the left
hand of the gate leading to the park.

{28}  It must be remembered, that for this and similar privileges, the
visitor is indebted to the kindness of the respective owners of the
estates through which some of the drives lie, that we have pointed out.

{29a}  An excellent guide may be found in Mr. Thomas Brown, whose
thorough acquaintance with every part of the country, combined with an
unusual share of intelligence, good taste, and civility, render him an
acquisition to the place, and a desirable attendant on such excursions.

{29b}  Aylmerton, which is distant three miles from Cromer, stands on a
declivity.  W. H. Windham, Esq. owns the greater part of the soil, and is
lord of the manor and patron of the church, which is dedicated to St.
John the Baptist.  The rectory is united with Runton.

{31}  This manor, with many others in the neighbourhood, passed from the
Earls Warren to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and from him to his son
Henry IV. and hence become royal property.

{36}  The branch of this tree is forty-two feet, the circumference
eighteen feet seven inches.  It is known to be upwards of two hundred
years old.

{44}  They were originally planned by the late Mr. Flower.

{46}  The park and pleasure-grounds are computed to comprehend one
thousand acres.

{55}  The ancient family of Walpole derives its name from Walpole, St.
Peter in Marshland, where its progenitors were settled before the Norman
Conquest.  The title of Earl of Orford, which was first borne by the
celebrated Sir Robert Walpole, became extinct in 1797, on the death of
Horatio, the third earl of his family, but was revived in 1806, in the
person of his cousin, Horatio, second Baron Walpole, of Wolterton, whose
father (the first baron,) purchased this estate about 1725.

{69}  The Errata has been applied in this eBook.—DP.