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About Sheringham Sheringham is a seaside town in Norfolk, England, west of Cromer.
Historically, the parish of Sheringham comprised the two villages of Upper Sheringham, a farming community, and Lower Sheringham, which combined farming with fishing.  The industry was at its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as the coming of the railways made it possible for fish to be transported more efficiently to market. Through the 1900s the focus of the fishing, as all along the north Norfolk coast, began to be on crabs, lobsters and whelks. The crab and lobster fishing made the local fishermen major suppliers to the London fishmarkets. Long lining for cod and the catching of herring began to become less important in the second half of the century, as did whelking, and today from a peak of maybe 200 boats, Sheringham now has eight boats operated single-handed.
The current town of Sheringham was once Lower Sheringham, a fishing station for the main village, now known as Upper Sheringham. It is a railway town that was developed with the coming of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway line in the late 19th century. Most of Sheringham's range of buildings and shop come from this period and the early 20th century. It has a particularly interesting range of buildings using flint, not normally in the traditional Norfolk style but in a variety of techniques. | The town today Sheringham today has a thriving town centre centred around a traditional high street which has a wide range of privately owned shops.On Saturdays throughout the year there is a popular market located in the car park adjacent to the railway station ,which attracts a large crowd to the town even out of the holiday season. The town also has a good selection of specialist shops such as second-hand books, antiques and bric-a-brac, fishing tackle and bait, model shop ,arts and craft shops. The Sheringham Little Theatre has a wide range of productions on throughout the year including a popular pantomime at Christmas, in the foyer is an excellent coffee shop and there is nearly always a display of art , very often by local artists. There is a good selection of food outlets and some excellent pubs, restaurants, and a youth hostel. Sheringham First Responders
There is now a First Responder First Person On Scene group in the town. This is a voluntary group trained by the East Anglian Ambulance Trust to respond to 999 calls. This works by the first responder being texted with details of the emergency situation and reaching the person in need of help before the ambulance crew arrives. When the emergency services arrive the responder will update the crew with the patients condition and assist them. The reason the first responders groups have been formed is to provide life saving care for people who have suffered conditions such as heart attacks, stokes etc in rural areas when the ambulances may be more than a few minutes away from our towns. | Lifeboats Sheringham is the only place in the world to have four of its original lifeboats. The Sheringham Museum Trust owns three of these JC Madge (1904 1936) pulling and sailing. Foresters Centenary (1936 1961) the towns first motorised lifeboat. Manchester Unity of Oddfellows (1961 – 1990) an Oakley Class lifeboat, Sheringham’s last offshore boat. Within the next 2 to 3 years Sheringham Museum Trust plans to have an extended Museum to house this unique collection together with three crab boats and general lifeboat and fishing industry ephemera.
Todays lifeboat and Fishing Industry
The town has no harbour, so the lifeboat has to be launched by tractor, and the fishing boats are hauled up the beach. An old sail-powered lifeboat is preserved in the former lifeboat shed and the three other Preserved RNLI lifeboats are kept in another centre.
Railway
The railway line to Cromer and Norwich remains open as the Bittern Line. Beyond Sheringham station, the line has been preserved as the North Norfolk Railway also known as the "The Poppy Line" to Holt. |
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