View source for Gorleston-on-Sea

{{Short description|Town in Norfolk, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox UK place
| type                     = Town
| country                  = England
| coordinates              = {{coord|52.5757|1.7235|display=inline,title}}
| label_position           = top
| official_name            = Gorleston-on-Sea
|population_ref    ={{nowrap|24,470 (Built up area, 2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref>}}
| shire_district           = [[Great Yarmouth (borough)|Great Yarmouth]]
| region                   = East of England
| shire_county             = [[Norfolk]]
| constituency_westminster = [[Great Yarmouth (UK Parliament constituency)|Great Yarmouth]]
| post_town                = GREAT YARMOUTH
| postcode_district        = NR31
| postcode_area            = NR
| dial_code                = 01493
| os_grid_reference        = TG520040
| static_image_name        = Gorleston Lighthouse - geograph.org.uk - 7529528.jpg
| static_image_caption     = Gorleston Lighthouse
}}

'''Gorleston-on-Sea''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|g|ɔːr|l|s|t|ə|n}}), historically and colloquially known as '''Gorleston''', is a seaside town in the [[borough of Great Yarmouth]] in [[Norfolk]], England.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-06-01 |title=A-Z of Norfolk nostalgia: A history of Gorleston in pictures |url=https://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/21022980.a-z-norfolk-nostalgia-history-gorleston-pictures/ |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=Great Yarmouth Mercury |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Gorleston on Sea |url=https://www.visitnorfolk.co.uk/destination/gorleston-on-sea |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=Visit Norfolk |language=en-GB}}</ref> It lies to the South of [[Great Yarmouth]], on the opposite side of the mouth of the [[River Yare]]. Historically in [[Suffolk]], it was a [[Port|port town]] at the time of the [[Domesday Book]] in 1086. It was incorporated into Great Yarmouth in 1836. Gorleston's port became a centre of fishing for [[herring]] along with [[Salt evaporation pond|salt pans]] used for the production of salt to preserve the fish. In [[Edwardian era|Edwardian]] times the fishing industry rapidly declined and the town's role changed to that of a [[seaside resort]].

==History==
The place-name 'Gorleston' is first attested in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086, where it appears as ''Gorlestuna''. It appears as ''Gurlestona'' in the [[Pipe Rolls]] of 1130. The first element may be related to the word 'girl', and is probably a personal name. The name could mean "girls' town or settlement", or a variant similar to [[Girlington]] in [[West Yorkshire]].<ref>[[Eilert Ekwall]], ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names'', p.201.</ref>

[[Historic counties of England|Historically]], the town was in the county of [[Suffolk]]. In the [[Middle Ages]] it had two manors, and a small manor called Bacons. The medieval church of St. Andrew stands in the town and by historical association gives its name to the [[Gorleston Psalter]], an important example of 14th-century [[East Anglia]]n [[illuminated manuscript|illuminated art]] that is now in the [[British Library]] in London. At the northern tip of the parish an area known as Southtown (also known as South Town or Little Yarmouth) grew as a suburb to Great Yarmouth, facing it across the Yare.<ref name="Suckling">{{cite book |last1=Suckling |first1=Alfred |title=The History and Antiquities of the County of Suffolk |date=1846 |publisher=W. S. Crowell |location=Ipswich |pages=360–380 |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/suffolk-history-antiquities/vol1/pp360-380}}</ref>

[[Gorleston Barracks]] were established in 1853.<ref name=EH>{{NHLE|num= 1245811 |desc= Southtown Road Workshop Range|access-date=17 October 2016}}</ref> There were to be three railway stations in the town on the [[Yarmouth-Lowestoft Line]]. The stations on the line were [[Gorleston-on-Sea railway station|Gorleston-on-Sea]], [[Gorleston North railway station|Gorleston North]] and [[Gorleston Links railway station|Gorleston Links]] which all closed between 1942 and 1970. The closest railway stations are now [[Lowestoft railway station|Lowestoft]] and [[Great Yarmouth railway station|Great Yarmouth]].

In the [[Great Storm of 1987]], Gorleston-on-Sea experienced the highest wind speed recorded in the UK on that day, which was {{convert|122|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.

The town is meticulously described in the novel ''Gorleston'' by Henry Sutton (Sceptre, 1995) and in Philip Leslie's novels ''The History of Us'' (Legend Press, 2009) and ''What Remains'' (December House, 2013). Both Sutton and Leslie employ the actual names of roads and retail outlets in their work.

In 2018 a newly built [[Wetherspoon|Wetherspoons]] pub, The William Adams, opened on Gorleston High Street. [[William Adams (lifesaver)|William Adams]] made his first rescue at the age of 11 and went on to save some 140 lives in total. The decision to name the pub after this local hero was determined by a public vote. The building is on the old site of GT Motors, formerly the site of the town's [[Methodist]] chapel, dating from 1807.<ref>https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pub-histories/the-william-adams-great-yarmouth/ The William Adams - a JD Wetherspoon pub history</ref> Gorleston-on-Sea's Pier Hotel and beach feature as a key location in [[Danny Boyle]]'s 2019 film ''[[Yesterday (2019 film)|Yesterday]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.pierhotelgorleston.co.uk/yesterday.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190713135755/http://www.pierhotelgorleston.co.uk/yesterday.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 13 July 2019 |title= Pier Hotel Gorleston |access-date= 13 July 2019 }}</ref>

===Administrative history===
Gorleston was an [[ancient parish]] in Suffolk. Southtown was brought within Great Yarmouth's borough boundaries in 1668, whilst remaining part of the parish of Gorleston.<ref name=Suckling/> The rest of the parish was added to the constituency of Great Yarmouth in 1832 under the [[Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |date=1832 |page=353 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Uq0uAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA300 |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref> Great Yarmouth's [[municipal borough]] boundaries were adjusted to match the constituency from 1 January 1836 under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]], since when Gorleston has been administered as part of Great Yarmouth.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Statutes of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland |page=459 |url=https://archive.org/details/statutesunitedk35britgoog/page/458/mode/2up?q=yarmouth |access-date=23 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10179944|title=Relationships and changes Gorleston AP/CP through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=5 February 2023}}</ref> The borough of Great Yarmouth straddled Norfolk and Suffolk between 1668 and 1891, with the original town north of the [[River Yare]] being in Norfolk and Gorleston south of the Yare being in Suffolk. The borough was placed entirely in Norfolk in 1891, although as a [[county borough]] Great Yarmouth provided its own county-level services, independent from [[Norfolk County Council]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Local Government Board's Provisional Orders Confirmation (No. 13) Act 1890 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/53-54/202/pdfs/ukla_18900202_en.pdf |website=legislation.gov.uk |publisher=The National Archives |access-date=23 August 2023 |page=13}}</ref>

Gorleston continued to form a [[civil parish]] within the borough of Great Yarmouth until 1974, although as an [[urban parish]] it had no separate parish council. In 1951 the parish had a population of 24,984.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10179944/cube/TOT_POP|title=Population statistics Gorleston AP/CP through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=5 February 2023}}</ref> On 1 April 1974 the civil parish was abolished.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/great%20yarmouth.html|title=Great Yarmouth Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=5 February 2023}}</ref>

==Education==
There are a number of [[primary school]]s in the area serving Gorleston and the wider locality. [[Secondary school]]s include [[Cliff Park Ormiston Academy]], [[Lynn Grove Academy]] and [[Ormiston Venture Academy]].

[[East Norfolk Sixth Form College]] is located in Gorleston. It is a major [[sixth form]] provider in Norfolk, attracting students from a wide area.

===East Anglian School for Deaf and Blind Children===
The East Anglian School for Deaf and Blind Children (for deaf children and for blind children) was established in Gorleston in 1912 and based there until it closed in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|title=East Anglian School for the Deaf and Blind|url=http://norfolkdeafhistory.org.uk/images/history/history8.gif|website=Norfolk Deaf History|access-date=9 April 2015|format=GIF image|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419083410/http://norfolkdeafhistory.org.uk/images/history/history8.gif|archive-date=19 April 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> During the [[Second World War]] the school was [[Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|evacuated]] to [[Aberpergwm House]] in [[Glynneath]], Wales.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gosse|first1=Peter|title=EAS moved to Wales During the War 1940–1945|url=http://norfolkdeafhistory.org.uk/database/images/DH0178.pdf|website=Norfolk Deaf History|access-date=9 April 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419081711/http://norfolkdeafhistory.org.uk/database/images/DH0178.pdf|archive-date=19 April 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The headmaster's house in Gorleston was severely damaged by bombing in 1941.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Clapham|first1=Lucy|title=Blue plaque marks the spot of important Gorleston landmark|url=http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/blue_plaque_marks_the_spot_of_important_gorleston_landmark_1_1737146|access-date=15 November 2014|work=East Anglian Daily Press|date=10 December 2012|archive-date=29 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129011547/http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/blue_plaque_marks_the_spot_of_important_gorleston_landmark_1_1737146|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Religious buildings==
[[File:Gorleston St Andrew's church - geograph.org.uk - 2208752.jpg|thumb|St Andrew's Church, Gorleston]]
The medieval church of St. Andrew stands in the town and by historical association gives its name to the [[Gorleston Psalter]], an important example of 14th century [[East Anglia]]n [[illuminated manuscript|illuminated art]]. At the northern tip of the parish an area known as Southtown (also known as South Town or Little Yarmouth) grew as a suburb to Great Yarmouth, facing it across the Yare.<ref name="Suckling"/> Thus church is a Grade II* [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1096807|desc=Church of St Andrew |accessdate=15 May 2025}}</ref>

St Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, built in 1938–39, was [[Eric Gill]]'s only complete work of architecture.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

==Attractions==
[[File:Gorleston Beach - geograph.org.uk - 950974.jpg|thumb|Gorleston Beach, pictured in 2008, is the town's main attraction]]
The town's main attraction is its sandy Edwardian beach, featuring traditional seaside gardens and a [[Model yachting|model boat]] pond. In 2023, [[Tripadvisor|TripAdvisor]] reviewers voted the beach the best in Britain and 12th best in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-28 |title=Norfolk beach named one of best in Europe |url=https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/23351778.gorleston-on-sea-tripadvisors-top-25-beaches-europe/ |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=Eastern Daily Press |language=en}}</ref> The coastline also includes a [[Gorleston (Range Rear) Lighthouse|lighthouse]], [[RNLI|lifeboat station]] and [[Gorleston South Pier Lighthouse|coastwatch station]],<ref name="RNLI">[http://www.rnli.org.uk/rnli_near_you/east/stations/GreatYarmouthandGorlestonNorfolk/history RNLI history of Great Yarmouth & Gorleston lifeboat station] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108130505/http://www.rnli.org.uk/rnli_near_you/east/stations/greatyarmouthandgorlestonnorfolk/history|date=8 January 2009}}.</ref> whilst the [[Gorleston Pavilion|Gorleston Pavilion Theatre]] is located opposite the pier.

Other local facilities include [[James Paget University Hospital]], a library and a golf club.

==Notable people==
* [[William Adams (lifesaver)|William Adams]] (1864–1913) highly decorated lifesaver and swimming instructor.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-13 |title='This is beyond my wildest dreams' – family's pride as new Wetherspoon pub opens in Gorleston |url=http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/20729789.this-beyond-wildest-dreams---familys-pride-new-wetherspoon-pub-opens-gorleston/ |access-date=2025-04-21 |website=Eastern Daily Press |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Georgie Aldous]] (born 1998) British [[social activist]],<ref name="Metro-2017">{{Cite web |date=2017-01-17 |title=This male beauty blogger is campaigning to get more British guys in makeup ads |url=https://metro.co.uk/2017/01/17/this-male-beauty-blogger-is-campaigning-to-get-more-british-guys-in-makeup-adverts-6385635/ |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref> [[Model (person)|model]]<ref name="Eastern Daily Press-2017">{{Cite web |date=2017-06-02 |title=Male beauty influencer and YouTube star Georgie Aldous from Gorleston is first man in makeup to feature in New Look fashion campaign |url=https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/20835199.male-beauty-influencer-youtube-star-georgie-aldous-gorleston-first-man-makeup-feature-new-look-fashion-campaign/ |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=Eastern Daily Press |language=en}}</ref> and [[influencer]]<ref>{{Cite news |title='Make-up was my coping mechanism after coming out' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-norfolk-51063789 |access-date=2024-12-15 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
* [[Jessica-Jane Applegate]] (born 1996) Paralympic swimmer and gold medalist
* [[Rowland Fisher]] (1885–1969) painter, mainly known for his seascapes<ref>[http://www.hatfieldhines.com/false/rowland-fisher/    Hatfield Hines Galleries website, Rowland Fisher, 1885–1969] retrieved January 2018</ref>
* [[William Fleming (lifeboatman)|William Fleming]] (1865–1954) highly decorated [[Lifeboat (rescue)|lifeboatman]]<ref>[http://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/your-great-yarmouth/letters/blue-plaque-to-honour-gorleston-lifeboat-coxswain-1-5236251   Great Yarmouth Mercury, 14 October, 2017, Blue plaque to honour Gorleston lifeboat coxswain] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117011906/http://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/your-great-yarmouth/letters/blue-plaque-to-honour-gorleston-lifeboat-coxswain-1-5236251 |date=17 January 2018 }} retrieved January 2018</ref>
*[[John Fuller, Baron Fuller]] (born 1968), British life peer<ref>{{cite web | title=Political Peerages 2024 | website=GOV.UK | date=2024-02-09 | url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/political-peerages-2024 | ref={{sfnref | GOV.UK | 2024}} | access-date=2024-03-10}}</ref> created Baron Fuller, of Gorleston-on-Sea in the County of Norfolk by Letters Patent on 8 March 2024<ref>{{cite web | title=LANGLEY SCHOOL (1960) LIMITED people | website=GOV.UK | date=6 Dec 2019 | url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00656498/officers | ref={{sfnref | GOV.UK | 2019}} | access-date=13 Mar 2024}}</ref> and took his seat in the House of Lords on 12 March 2024.<ref>{{cite web | last=Grimmer | first=Dan | title=Gorleston gets a new peer... as council leader becomes a Lord | website=Great Yarmouth Mercury | date=12 Mar 2024 | url=https://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/24178359.south-norfolk-leader-becomes-lord-fuller-gorleston-on-sea/ | access-date=13 Mar 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Introduction: Lord Fuller | website=Hansard | date=12 Mar 2024 | url=https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2024-03-12/debates/791E1B18-F3B2-42A6-B7CB-DBB6C286C0CF/IntroductionLordFuller | ref={{sfnref | Hansard | 2024}} | access-date=13 Mar 2024}}</ref>
*  [[Stanley Fuller|Stanley Charles Fuller]] (1907–1988) Norfolk's first Olympic Athlete, who competed at the [[1932_Summer_Olympics|1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Olympedia – Stanley Fuller | website=Olympedia – Main Page | date=1907-10-13 | url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69062 | ref={{sfnref | Olympedia – Main Page | 1907}} | access-date=2024-03-10}}</ref>
* [[Paul Gibbs (footballer)|Paul Derek Gibbs]] (born 1972) former footballer with approx. 200 club caps<ref>[http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=2841 SoccerBase Database] retrieved January 2018</ref>
* [[Peter Green (musician)|Peter Green]] (1946–2020) English blues rock guitarist and the founder of [[Fleetwood Mac]]. Green lived in Gorleston for a brief period in the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite book| last = Celmins| first = Martin| title = Peter Green: Founder of Fleetwood Mac – Revised and Updated Edition| year = 2022| publisher = Omnibus Press| page = 280| isbn = 978-1-913172-54-1}}</ref>
* [[Ralph Jones (soldier)|Ralph Jones]]  (1900–1944) Gorleston-born Australian soldier who was posthumously awarded the [[George Cross]] for gallantry<ref name=adb>{{Australian Dictionary of Biography|last= Gordon |first=  Harry |year=1996|id=A140664b|title= Jones, Ralph (1900–1944)  |accessdate=9 August 2022 }}</ref>
* [[Maurice Kaufmann]] (1927–1997) actor on stage, film and TV, married to [[Honor Blackman]] 1961–1975<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0442332/   IMDb Database] retrieved January 2018</ref>
* [[Myleene Klass]] (born 1978) TV presenter, musician, former member of pop group [[Hear'Say]]<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0458325/   IMDb Database] retrieved January 2018</ref>
* [[Gregg Lowe]] (born 1986) actor<ref name="greatyarmouthmercury">{{cite web|url=http://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/clinically-dead-x-men-actor-revived-at-end-of-marathon-1-4309634|title=Clinically dead X-Men actor revived at end of marathon|first=Liz|last=Coates|website=greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk|access-date=14 August 2017|archive-date=14 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814215441/http://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/clinically-dead-x-men-actor-revived-at-end-of-marathon-1-4309634|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3171633/   IMDb Database] retrieved January 2018</ref>
* [[George William Manby]] (1765–1854) inventor of a life-saving mortar for [[shipwreck]]s, blue plaque on his house at 86 High Road.
* Campbell Archibald Mellon (1876–1955) painter and founder member of the Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Society of Artists<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.macconnal-mason.com/artist-detail/240452/campbell-archibald-mellon | title=Campbell Archibald Mellon (1876–1955) &#124; Artist &#124; Macconnal-Mason }}</ref>
* [[Sammy Morgan (footballer)|Sammy Morgan]] (born 1946) former professional footballer, making over 260 appearances<ref>[https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/gorlestonfc/a/history-8202.html?page=2    Gorleston F.C website, Previous managers] retrieved January 2018</ref>
* [[Kate Norgate]] (1853–1935) eminent historian and author. Norgate lived in Gorleston from 1921 until her death<ref name="Adams">{{cite work|last=Adams|first=Stewart|date=2024|title=Kate Norgate (1853 to 1935) – Historian|publisher=Published in Yarmouth Archaeology in October 2024. Yarmouth Archaeology is the annual publication of the Great Yarmouth Local History & Archaeological Society}}</ref>
* [[Kip Sabian]] (born 1992) professional wrestler, currently signed by American promotion, [[All Elite Wrestling]]<ref name="wos">{{cite web|url=https://woswrestling.co.uk/staff/kip-sabian-wos/|title=Kip Sabian – World of Sport wrestling|date=28 June 2018 |publisher=World of Sport wrestling|access-date=March 11, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Peter Simpson (footballer, born 1945)|Peter Simpson]] (born 1945) former professional footballer with 370 appearances for [[Arsenal F.C.]]<ref>[http://www.nasljerseys.com/Players/S/Simpson.Peter.htm    North American Soccer League Players, Peter Simpson] retrieved January 2018</ref>
* [[Hannah Spearritt]] (born 1981) actress and former member of pop group [[S Club 7]]<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817339/   IMDb Database] retrieved January 2018</ref>
* [[Henry Sutton (novelist)|Henry Edward Sutton]] (born 1963) Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the [[University of East Anglia]] and award-winning crime novelist<ref>[https://www.uea.ac.uk/literature/people/profile/henry-sutton Henry Sutton, Biography, University of East Anglia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116194850/https://www.uea.ac.uk/literature/people/profile/henry-sutton |date=16 January 2018 }} retrieved January 2018</ref>

==See also==
*[[Gorleston F.C.]], a [[non-League football]] club who ground-share with Great Yarmouth Town FC at Wellesley.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gorlestonfc.com/news/club-statement-2023-24?id=432151|title=Gorleston Football Club , Club Statement 2023/24|website=www.gorlestonfc.com}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Norfolk Record Office Information Leaflet 33: Great Yarmouth, (Norwich: Norfolk Record Office, 2006)

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.greatyarmouthlocalhistoryandarchaeology.com/_files/ugd/ce90a7_243d2d98f4264578b10046140d705857.pdf   Blue Plaques in Gorleston]
* [http://www.great-yarmouth.co.uk/ Great Yarmouth – The Golden Mile]
* [https://www.histclo.com/act/out/sea/resort/eng/g/esrt-gorlt.html Gorelston  ]

{{Norfolk}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Gorleston-on-Sea| ]]
[[Category:Areas of Great Yarmouth]]
[[Category:Towns in Norfolk]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Norfolk]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in England]]
[[Category:Tourism in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of Norfolk]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea]]
[[Category:Marinas in England]]
[[Category:Ports of the Staple]]