Feel Good Drawing

How do you find peace of mind? Near my house is a Victorian cemetery that’s wild with flora and if you’re lucky you’ll see a muntjac deer nibbling discreetly under a canopy of leaves. For a quick shot of endorphins, I wander in and let scarpering squirrels lift my spirits. I’m not the only one

Kids and Collections: Be My Valentine?

By Emma Greenard, Events Coordinator Ever wonder why we celebrate Valentines Day- a day that for some it’s all hearts, pinks, reds and over all mushiness! Well we are about to tell you that historically it was a lot less lovely for sure. The history of Valentine’s Day starts with those rascally Romans and Pagans.

Kids and Collections- “Sailor’s Life for Me”

By Emma Greenard, Events Coordinator Sailors stood out when they returned from their long voyages at sea. They were known as Jack Tars because of their specially tar waterproofed clothes. The character of Jack Tar became popular because people knew that sailors were important. Britain needed a strong navy and a large merchant fleet. There

Kids and Collections- Fisher Girls: Great Yarmouth Silver Darlings

A Slack Day at the Quay by Stephen John Batchelder (1849–1932) By Emma Greenard, Events Coordinator At the height of the autumn fishing industry over 6000 Scottish fisher girls worked in Great Yarmouth during the herring season. The girls were part of the production line; gutting and salting the herring to preserve them. The herring

Kids and Collections- Relaxed Romans

By Emma Greenard, Events Coordinator From our previous post about the Romans in Great Yarmouth and Caister area we explored the forts and their military expertise but with this week we are delving into the more relaxed side of Roman life, home and play. So, we know about the settlement that was at Caister-on-Sea,  which

Kids and Collections- “Thar she blows!”

By Emma Greenard, Events Coordinator One of the little-known trades of Great Yarmouth’s maritime history is one that is very much frowned upon in these modern times. Being a much larger and “grander” catch than the humble herring. Whales were a valuable commodity, as their oil was an important lighting fuel before the invention of

Kids and Collections- Wrecking Waves: Power in Paintings

Great Gale at Yarmouth on Ash Wednesday by John Crome By Emma Greenard, Events Coordinator Look across the town’s wide beaches on most days and you may see calm sea in front of you, but don’t let this fool you there are many dangers that lie under the waves. Our coastline is littered with centuries

Kids and Collections: “This is the greatest show!”

By Emma Greenard, Events Coordinator Roll up, roll up! Today we are taking the high dive into the rich history of the circus and its ties to the town. Great Yarmouth has a long tradition of blending seaside entertainment with the finest in circus, with the Hippodrome, the country’s last ‘total circus’ building and Out

Kids and Collections: Sailing Ships and the South Quay

By Emma Greenard, Events Coordinator What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Great Yarmouth? I bet the first word that came was beach or seaside! Yes, the town is best known as a traditional seaside resort to many but if you ask that question maybe a hundred years ago

Kids and Collections: A Seaside History

By Emma Greenard, Events Coordinator We all may be dreaming of being on the beach now (especially sitting here at my kitchen table) but did you know the seaside holiday dates back to the 1700’s? In this week’s addition to Kids and Collections we are looking at a brief history of our town being a