Winterton-on-Sea
Encyclopedia
Winterton-on-Sea is a village
and civil parish
in the English
county
of Norfolk
. As its name suggests, it is situated on the coast some 13 km (8.1 mi) north of the town of Great Yarmouth
and 30 km (18.6 mi) east of the city of Norwich
.Ordnance Survey (2002). OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East. ISBN 0-319-21888-0.
had a population of 1,359 in 589 households. Winterton-on-Sea borders the villages of Hemsby
, Horsey
and Somerton
. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district
of Great Yarmouth
.
Between the village of Winterton-on-Sea and the North Sea
are the Winterton Dunes
which are inhabited by several notable species such as the Natterjack Toad
.
Winterton-on-Sea has received awards on several occasions in the Anglia in Bloom competition.
The Holy Trinity and All Saints church situated in Winterton-on-Sea dates back to the 16th Century and is 38m tall.
service.
The most notable of these men was James Haylett
.
in South Africa.
The coastline at Winterton has historically been well known as one of the most hazardous parts of the British coastline due to shifting sand banks . On visiting Winterton-on-Sea in 1722 Daniel Defoe
remarked on all the houses of the village being made from the timbers of wrecked ships. The hazardous nature of the coastline at Winterton-on-Sea is marked by its lighthouse
whose history extends from James I to the First World War
In the late eighteenth century marram grass
was planted to stabilise the coastline against sea encroachments and by the early nineteenth century there was a barrier of dunes between high water mark and the ridge on which the lighthouse
stood, leaving a valley (The Valley) between.
During World War II
, anti-invasion defences
were constructed around Winterton-on-Sea. They included a number of pillboxes
. The beaches were protected with unusually extensive barriers of scaffolding
and large numbers of anti-tank cubes.
Over the second half of the 20th century the coastline at Winterton-on-Sea has changed significantly, resulting in some loss of the dunes. The village (like other parts of the Borough) has a flood siren installed which can be used to warn inhabitants. Erosion and flooding are potential risks to the village of Winterton-on-Sea and the Winterton Dunes; as the area is mostly situated at approximately sea level. However, the recent local flooding has occurred in urban areas such as Great Yarmouth were due to inefficient drainage rather than coastal erosion and the Environment Agency's model for flooding indicates that most of the village property would not be affected. However much of the land in Winterton to the North of the village which is part of Burnley Hall Estate; and the nature reserves in the Winterton Dunes, which are home to some species not found elsewhere and a unique habitat not found elsewhere in the country are at risk. The loss of either of these would result in a serious and possibly irreparable loss of wildlife. Duffles Pond, a Seal Sanctuary and the local allotments are also at risk.
On the night of February 13–14, 2005 a landslide resulted; in which many of the WWII anti-tank blocks around the car park toppled onto the beach.
On the 12th of January 2007 the Environment Agency
issued a statement regarding the Flood Defence budget for 2007/8. The budget; planned and distributed on a national basis apportioned £33,000,000 to the Eastern Area. The Anglian (Eastern) Regional Flood Defence Committee expressed their disappointment at this; being £5,200,000 less than the 2006/7 budget due to other areas nationwide taking priority. The Committee were particularly disappointed to hear that funding had not been allocated to realise proposed schemes for development of flood defences from Eccles to Winterton. Proposed schemes for Ipswich and Jaywick also did not receive funding for 2007.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. As its name suggests, it is situated on the coast some 13 km (8.1 mi) north of the town of Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
and 30 km (18.6 mi) east of the city of Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
.Ordnance Survey (2002). OS Explorer Map 252 - Norfolk Coast East. ISBN 0-319-21888-0.
Introduction
The civil parish has an area of 5.7 km² (2.2 sq mi) and in the 2001 censusUnited Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
had a population of 1,359 in 589 households. Winterton-on-Sea borders the villages of Hemsby
Hemsby
Hemsby is a village, civil parish and seaside resort in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some north of the town of Great Yarmouth....
, Horsey
Horsey, Norfolk
Horsey is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk within The Broads National Park.It covers an area of and had a population of 99 in 40 households as of the 2001 census....
and Somerton
Somerton, Norfolk
Somerton is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It comprises the twin villages of East Somerton and West Somerton and is situated some north of the town of Great Yarmouth, north-east of the city of Norwich, and from the sea....
. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth (borough)
The Borough of Great Yarmouth is a local government district with borough status in Norfolk, England. It is named after its main town, Great Yarmouth.-History:...
.
Between the village of Winterton-on-Sea and the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
are the Winterton Dunes
Winterton Dunes
Winterton Dunes is an extensive dune system on the east coast of Norfolk, England, which has been designated as a National Nature Reserve and is within the Norfolk Coast AONB....
which are inhabited by several notable species such as the Natterjack Toad
Natterjack Toad
The Natterjack Toad is a toad native to sandy and heathland areas of Europe. Adults are 60–70 mm in length and are distinguished from Common Toads by a yellow line down the middle of the back...
.
The Holy Trinity and All Saints church situated in Winterton-on-Sea dates back to the 16th Century and is 38m tall.
Winterton men & lifeboats
Between 1851 and 1861 a number of Winterton families migrated South to Caister. Many of those families joined the Caister Beachmen and founded arguably the basis of the modern LifeboatLifeboat (rescue)
A rescue lifeboat is a boat rescue craft which is used to attend a vessel in distress, or its survivors, to rescue crewmen and passengers. It can be hand pulled, sail powered or powered by an engine...
service.
The most notable of these men was James Haylett
James Haylett
James Henry Haylett was the most famous lifeboatman of his age. Decorated by King Edward VII with the RNLI gold medal for his efforts in the 1901 Caister Lifeboat Disaster, which claimed the lives of nine men...
.
Winterton as a resort
Overlooking the coastline at Winterton-on-Sea is the Hermanus holiday camp; a popular holiday destination, complete with restaurant, bar and thatched accommodation referred to locally as 'roundhouses'. The roundhouses were inspired by a previous owner's trip to Hermanus BayHermanus
Hermanus is a town with 49,000 inhabitants on the southern coast of the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is famous as a place from which to watch Southern Right whales, during the southern winter and spring and is a popular retirement town...
in South Africa.
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
remarked on all the houses of the village being made from the timbers of wrecked ships. The hazardous nature of the coastline at Winterton-on-Sea is marked by its lighthouse
Winterton Lighthouse
Winterton Lighthouse is located in Winterton-on-Sea in the English county of Norfolk.-History:A Lighthouse has been known to have stood in this location since the 17th century...
whose history extends from James I to the First World War
In the late eighteenth century marram grass
Marram grass
Ammophila is a genus consisting of two or three very similar species of grasses; common names for these grasses include Marram Grass, Bent Grass, and Beachgrass...
was planted to stabilise the coastline against sea encroachments and by the early nineteenth century there was a barrier of dunes between high water mark and the ridge on which the lighthouse
Winterton Lighthouse
Winterton Lighthouse is located in Winterton-on-Sea in the English county of Norfolk.-History:A Lighthouse has been known to have stood in this location since the 17th century...
stood, leaving a valley (The Valley) between.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, anti-invasion defences
British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilisation in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The British army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in...
were constructed around Winterton-on-Sea. They included a number of pillboxes
British hardened field defences of World War II
British hardened field defences of World War II were small fortified structures constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations. They were popularly known as pillboxes by reference to their shape.-Design and development:...
. The beaches were protected with unusually extensive barriers of scaffolding
Admiralty scaffolding
Admiralty scaffolding, also known as Obstacle Z.1 or sometimes simply given as beach scaffolding or anti-tank scaffolding, was a British design of anti-tank and anti-boat obstacle made of tubular steel. It was widely deployed on beaches of southern England, eastern England and the south western...
and large numbers of anti-tank cubes.
Over the second half of the 20th century the coastline at Winterton-on-Sea has changed significantly, resulting in some loss of the dunes. The village (like other parts of the Borough) has a flood siren installed which can be used to warn inhabitants. Erosion and flooding are potential risks to the village of Winterton-on-Sea and the Winterton Dunes; as the area is mostly situated at approximately sea level. However, the recent local flooding has occurred in urban areas such as Great Yarmouth were due to inefficient drainage rather than coastal erosion and the Environment Agency's model for flooding indicates that most of the village property would not be affected. However much of the land in Winterton to the North of the village which is part of Burnley Hall Estate; and the nature reserves in the Winterton Dunes, which are home to some species not found elsewhere and a unique habitat not found elsewhere in the country are at risk. The loss of either of these would result in a serious and possibly irreparable loss of wildlife. Duffles Pond, a Seal Sanctuary and the local allotments are also at risk.
On the night of February 13–14, 2005 a landslide resulted; in which many of the WWII anti-tank blocks around the car park toppled onto the beach.
On the 12th of January 2007 the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
issued a statement regarding the Flood Defence budget for 2007/8. The budget; planned and distributed on a national basis apportioned £33,000,000 to the Eastern Area. The Anglian (Eastern) Regional Flood Defence Committee expressed their disappointment at this; being £5,200,000 less than the 2006/7 budget due to other areas nationwide taking priority. The Committee were particularly disappointed to hear that funding had not been allocated to realise proposed schemes for development of flood defences from Eccles to Winterton. Proposed schemes for Ipswich and Jaywick also did not receive funding for 2007.
External links
- Information from Genuki Norfolk on Winterton-on-Sea.
- Winterton-on-Sea village website
- http://www.winterton-on-sea.net/winterton_in_bloom/index.htm
- http://www.winterton-on-sea.net/churches/holytrinitychurch.htm
- http://www.norfolkcoast.co.uk/location_norfolk/vp_wintertononsea.htm
- Winterton-On-Sea.com - Places of interest, where to stay etc