Christian Holiday Townhouse, Gorleston-on-Sea

Christian Holiday Townhouse, Gorleston-on-Sea — By the Mouth of the Yare

This Christian holiday townhouse, Gorleston-on-Sea, occupies a former draper’s shop on a prominent corner of the old town, five minutes’ walk from the award-winning beach in one direction and the working dockside on the River Yare in the other. Built at the end of the nineteenth century, the house still carries the elegance of that era across its three floors, with far-reaching views to the mouth of the river and out to sea from the upper bedrooms. It sleeps up to eight across four bedrooms, making it a genuinely spacious base for a family or small group who want proper room to spread out.

That small RNLI museum, mentioned above, sits beside a station with a genuinely dramatic history. Gorleston’s lifeboat crew has served since 1866, and in 1927 lifeboats from Gorleston, Cromer, Southwold, and Lowestoft combined to rescue the crew of the stricken Dutch oil tanker Georgia, a joint operation still regarded as one of the greatest rescues in RNLI history. The station has since collected 58 medals for gallantry over nearly two centuries of service.

Burgh Castle, already listed above, is one of the best-preserved Roman monuments in Britain: a Saxon Shore fort with walls still standing up to 15 feet high on three sides, built to defend the coast against seaborne raiders. Bede records that around AD 630, King Sigeberht of the East Angles granted land inside a fort answering this description to the Irish missionary Fursey, who founded one of the earliest monasteries in southern England there. Historians can’t confirm the exact site with certainty, but Burgh Castle remains the leading candidate, giving these Roman walls a genuine claim to some of East Anglia’s earliest Christian history.

Great Yarmouth’s Minster Church of St Nicholas, a few miles north, is often described as the largest parish church in England, though a strict measurement puts it third, just behind Beverley Minster and Christchurch Priory. It was founded in 1101 by Herbert de Losinga, the first Bishop of Norwich, reportedly as penance for having bought his position from the Pope, and consecrated in 1119. German bombing in 1942 gutted the building, leaving only the Norman tower and outer walls standing, and the striking, light-filled church seen today is largely the work of architect Stephen Dykes Bower’s post-war rebuild.

Caister Castle, also mentioned above, has its own tale worth knowing: this moated, fifteenth-century tower was built in the 1430s by Sir John Fastolf, a real medieval knight and Norfolk landowner whose mixed reputation for both bravery and self-interest is widely thought to have inspired Shakespeare’s Falstaff. The unexpected pairing of a medieval tower with a working motor museum, built around a private collection of vintage cars and motorcycles, makes for a slightly eccentric but genuinely enjoyable afternoon out for visitors of any age.

The wider East of England region is worth browsing for anyone planning a longer trip, and the English Heritage page for Burgh Castle is a good place to read more before you go. Between the beach, the working dockside, and this much genuine history within a short drive, the house makes a properly interesting base for a family week away, with plenty to fill a rainy afternoon as well as a sunny one.

Perfect for:

Families wanting space, with eight beds across three floors
History lovers keen to explore Burgh Castle and Great Yarmouth Minster
Birdwatchers and walkers drawn to the Norfolk Broads close by
Clergy and church staff, who receive a 20% discount here
Anyone wanting a proper seaside week without leaving the car behind
Dog owners, with one well-behaved dog welcome for a small supplement

Location:

63 Cliff Hill, formerly a draper’s shop, is now a substantial town house on three floors, set five minutes’ walk from both the award-winning Gorleston beach and a fascinating dockside along the River Yare. The house stands on a prominent corner of old-town Gorleston with far-reaching views to the mouth of the river and sea.

The beach is known for its wide stretch of beautiful golden sand and safe esplanade.

Check out the location on Google Streetview to find the beach, docks and High Street.

How to get there:

The house is easily accessed by road on the A11 and A47 east from Norwich, which is 25 miles away. The nearest railway station is at Great Yarmouth.

Nearest Town:

Great Yarmouth is 4 miles to the north and Lowestoft 5 miles to the south.

Local Area

The property was built at the end of the nineteenth century and reflects the elegance of the era. The High Street has a range of shops, coffee bars and independent boutiques as well as larger chains such as Morrisons and Boots, all within ten minutes’ walk. There is ample free parking generally around the town.

The house is very close to restaurants and tea rooms, including the Pier Hotel and Cliff Hotel.

There are several good Fish and Chip bars and a row of beach shops at the near end of the promenade. A small RNLI lifeboat museum is 300m away. There are children’s playgrounds, a bandstand, a model boating lake, picnic areas and benches on the pier and low, grassy cliff.

Great Yarmouth has the Time and Tide Museum and the Elizabethan House Museum, which is a National Trust property. Burgh Castle and Caister Castle with its motor museum are also nearby. Further afield are the meandering waterways of the Norfolk broads, ideal for pottering and birdwatching. The historic cathedral city of Norwich is just 30 minutes by car, and the quiet coastline stretches to Cromer to the north and Southwold and Aldeburgh to the south.

Facilities

This house sleeps up to eight people and is ideal for families or small groups.

Ground floor: large entrance hall, substantial living room with dining room table to one side, and sofas and easy chairs to the other, TV; kitchen with washing machine, dishwasher and microwave; a downstairs toilet.

First floor: a broad landing leading to a substantial master bedroom with double bed and en-suite with bath and shower over. This room may double as a creche or playroom.

Second floor: three further large bedrooms with fine views to the mouth of the Yare; one twin with en-suite shower room and a family bathroom off the landing.

Hard-landscaped yard to the rear with some outside seating, gated from the road, through which the neighbours gain occasional access to their back yards.

The property has off-street parking to the rear for two cars (one large and one smaller).

Children are most welcome but regrettably this property is not ideal for people with limited mobility.

Smoking is not permitted in the house or grounds.