Caister-on-Sea
| Caister-On-Sea | |
| Norfolk | |
|---|---|
 Dunes and beach at Caister-on-Sea | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TG512125 |
| Location: | 52°39’4"N, 1°43’59"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 8,756 (2001) |
| Post town: | Great Yarmouth |
| Postcode: | NR30 |
| Dialling code: | 01493 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Great Yarmouth |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Great Yarmouth |
Caister-on-Sea, also known colloquially as Caister, is a village in Norfolk close to the large town of Great Yarmouth. Like Yarmouth, it is a seaside resort and a busy holiday destination on the "Golden Mile", with its main attraction being its sandy "Georgian Beach". Great Yarmouth race course is in Caistor too.
At the 2001 census the village had a population of 8,756 in 3,970 households.
Once there were two railway stations: Caister-on-Sea station and Caister Camp Halt, opened in 1933 to serve the holiday camp. Both were closed in 1959, after which Great Yarmouth railway station, two and a half miles to the south, became the nearest station.[1]
Offshore is the Scroby Sands wind farm, which has thirty 2–megawatt wind turbines, 1.6 miles offshore.
History
Caister's history dates back to Roman times. In around AD 200 a fort was built here as a base for a unit of the Roman army and navy. However its role as a fort appears to have been reduced following the construction of the Saxon Shore fort at Burgh Castle on the other side of the estuary in the later part of the 3rd century.
In the 1950s, a building near the south gate was excavated in advance of a housing development. These buildings certainly do not appear to be very military as they include a hypocaust and painted wall plaster as well as female jewellery, and it has been suggested that this building may have been an officer’s house, or possibly a ‘seamen's hostel’ (which may be a euphemism). The site appears to have been abandoned in the 5th century, but 150 Saxon burials have been found to the south of the enclosure.[2] The remains excavated in the 1950s are now managed by English Heritage and are open to the public.
Lifeboat
There has been an offshore lifeboat in the area since 1791.[3] It was used by a beach company to salvage ships wrecked on the sand banks. Between 1856 and 1969 lifeboats were operated by the RNLI. In the 1901 Caister Lifeboat Disaster, nine crew were lost while attempting a rescue during heavy seas. At the time it was said, "If they had to keep at it 'til now, they would have sailed about until daylight to help her. Going back is against the rules when we see distress signals like that".
This response was translated by journalists to become the famous phrase "Caister men never turn back". A monument to the men lost in the disaster bearing this inscription stands in the town cemetery and a pub called the "Never Turn Back" is named after the incident.
Today, Caister is also host to a National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) Station.
About the village
There is a caravan and holiday park near the coast. One of the oldest in the United Kingdom, it began as the "Great Yarmouth Social Club" in 1906.[4] In the 1950s and early 1960s, it used to be on both sides of the road. Opposite the beach was a dining room, paper shop, sports facilities and tourist chalets. These facilities were sold to a property developer who turned it into housing in the 1970s. In the 1980s a brand new holiday camp was opened.
The village playing fields are a King George V Playing Field.
Outside links
References
- ↑ "Railway Passenger Stations in England, Scotland and Wales: A Chronology" by M E Quick; 2005.
- ↑ A Guide to the Roman Remains in Britain by Roger Wilson (Constable)
- ↑ BBC Online. Caister Lifeboat
- ↑ Holiday camps at Seaside History. Accessed May 2008.