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Caister-on-Sea

Coordinates: 52°39′04″N 1°43′59″E / 52.651°N 1.733°E / 52.651; 1.733
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Caister-on-Sea
Caister-on-Sea is located in Norfolk
Caister-on-Sea
Caister-on-Sea
Location within Norfolk
Population8,616 (2021 Census)
OS grid referenceTG512125
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGREAT YARMOUTH
Postcode districtNR30
Dialling code01493
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk
52°39′04″N 1°43′59″E / 52.651°N 1.733°E / 52.651; 1.733

Caister-on-Sea, also known colloquially as Caister, is a large village, seaside resort and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.

Caister is located 2+3⁄4 miles (5 kilometres) north of Great Yarmouth and 18 miles (29 kilometres) east of Norwich.

History

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A view of Caister Roman Site

Caister's history dates back to Roman times. In around 200 CE 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 southern side of the estuary in the latter part of the third century.

The name "Caister" derives from the Anglo-Saxon word "ceaster", meaning "Roman fort".

In the 1950s, a building near the south gate at Caister was excavated in advance of a housing development. These buildings do not appear to be 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 polite name for a brothel. The site appears to have been abandoned in the 5th century, but 150 Saxon burials have been found to the south of the enclosure.[1] The remains excavated in the 1950s are now managed by English Heritage and are open free of charge to the public as Caister Roman Site.

In the Fifteenth Century, Caister Castle was built as a residence for Sir John Fastolf. The castle has an attached Motoring Museum and is still open to visitors.

There has been an offshore lifeboat in the area since 1791.[2] 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".[3] A monument to the men lost in the disaster bearing the inscription "Caister men never turn back" stands in the village cemetery, unveiled in 1903 and was listed Grade II by Historic England in 2020.[4][5] A pub called the "Never Turn Back" is named after the incident.

The village was served by Caister-on-Sea railway station until it was closed in 1959. The nearest railway station is now Great Yarmouth, 2+1⁄2 miles (4 kilometres) to the south.[6]

Today, Caister is also host to a National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) Station.[citation needed]

Geography

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According to the 2021 census, Caister-on-Sea has a population of 8,616 people which shows a decrease from the 8,901 people recorded in the 2011 census.[7]

Amenities

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There is a Haven caravan and holiday park near the coast. The oldest holiday camp in the United Kingdom, it began as the "Caister Socialist Camp" in 1906.[8] 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 new holiday camp was opened, under the ownership of Ladbrokes, which was sold to Warners in the 1990s.

Caister FC is the village football team, who play at the King George V playing field.[citation needed]

The wind farm at Scroby Sands has thirty 2–megawatt wind turbines, 2.5 kilometres (1+1⁄2 nautical miles) offshore.

Church of the Holy Trinity

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Caister's parish church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and dates back to the Thirteenth Century. The Church of the Holy Trinity is located on Ormesby Road and has been Grade II listed since 1947.[9] The church was heavily restored in the late-Nineteenth Century and is home to East Anglia's largest Medieval font. Stained glass in the church includes a memorial to the men killed in the Caister lifeboat disaster by Paul Woodroffe as well as a depiction of Christ the Shepherd by Alfred Wilkinson. Furthermore, there is a set of royal arms that are dated from the reign of King George III, though they could be a repurposed work from the reign of King Charles I.[10]

Notable Residents

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Governance

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Caister-on-Sea is divided into the electoral wards of Caister North and Caister South for local elections and is part of the district of Great Yarmouth.

The village's national constituency is Great Yarmouth which has been represented by the Reform UK's Rupert Lowe MP since 2024.

War Memorial

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Caister-on-Sea's war memorial are several brass plaques inside Holy Trinity Church.[11] The conflicts of the Twentieth Century had an extremely heavy toll on Caister, the fallen from the First World War are listed below:[12]

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Burial
2Lt. Frederick M. B. Case 7th Bn., Norfolk Regiment 10 Aug. 1916 Bapaume Post Cemetery
F/SLt. Gerald W. Hilliard Royal Naval Air Service 8 Sep. 1915 Holy Trinity Churchyard
AS Arthur E. Turner HMS Simoom 23 Jan. 1917 Chatham Naval Memorial
Cpl. Arthur R. Rice 7th Bn., East Surrey Regiment 9 Aug. 1917 Arras Memorial
Cpl. Ambrose V. George 1st Bn., Norfolk Regiment 2 Sep. 1918 Red Cross Corner Cem.
LCpl. Ernest W. E. Hewitt 128th Coy., Royal Engineers 17 Oct. 1917 Lijssenthoek Cemetery
Gnr. George Farley 276th Bde., Royal Field Artillery 12 Sep. 1917 Vlamertinge Cemetery
OS Samuel Saunders HMS Surprise 23 Dec. 1917 Chatham Naval Memorial
Pte. Lewis W. Cubitt 7th Bn., Royal Fusiliers 3 Apr. 1918 Arras Memorial
Pte. Sidney E. Brown 2nd Bn., Lincolnshire Regiment 2 Jul. 1916 Millencourt Cemetery
Pte. Herbert C. Rice 6th Bn., Lincolnshire Rgt. 17 Sep. 1916 Thiepval Memorial
Pte. Herbert E. Haylett 7th Bn., Norfolk Regiment 30 Nov. 1917 Cambrai Memorial
Pte. George A. Knights 8th Bn., Norfolk Rgt. 22 Oct. 1917 Tyne Cot
Pte. Alexander Brown DCM 9th Bn., Norfolk Rgt. 18 Sep. 1918 Chapelle Cemetery
Pte. George W. Crow 9th Bn., Norfolk Rgt. 15 Apr. 1918 Tyne Cot
Pte. Solomon W. Rogers 9th Bn., Norfolk Rgt. 15 Apr. 1919 Tyne Cot
Pte. Harold W. Haylett 1/1st Bn., Norfolk Yeomanry 22 Jun. 1916 Suez Memorial Cemetery
Pte. Albert B. Foulger 6th Bn., Queen's Royal Regiment 9 Aug. 1918 Morlancourt Cemetery
Pte. James Stevens 2nd Bn., Royal Welch Fusiliers 4 Nov. 1918 Caudry Cemetery
Pte. Ernest E. Bullock 10th Bn., West Kent Regiment 1 Oct. 1918 Lijssenthoek Cemetery
Rfn. William G. Arbon 3rd Bn., Rifle Brigade 18 Oct. 1914 Ploegsteert Memorial
Rfn. William D. Case 20th Bn., Rifle Bde. 6 Aug. 1918 Saint-Erme Cemetery
Rfn. Bertie C. Knights 53rd Bn., Rifle Bde. 21 Nov. 1918 Holy Trinity Churchyard
Sn. James W. Amis HMS Bulwark 26 Nov. 1914 Chatham Naval Memorial
Sn. Bertie A. George HMS Hogue 22 Sep. 1914 Chatham Naval Memorial
Sn. Thomas Harrington HMS Orama 25 Jun. 1919 Holy Trinity Churchyard
Ymn. Norman F. Meal HMS Southampton 31 May 1916 Chatham Naval Memorial
Rev. Edward G. U. Robson HMS Aboukir 22 Sep. 1914 Chatham Naval Memorial
Bosn. Percy Meal HMS Champion 7 Jul. 1916 Ford Park Cemetery
Skp. William E. Shreeve Ocean Crest II 19 Nov. 1919 Tower Hill Memorial
Skp. Charles A. Green H.M. Drifter City of Liverpool 31 Jul. 1918 Chatham Naval Memorial
Skp. Alonzo Strowger H.M. Drifter Clover Bank 24 Apr. 1916 Chatham Naval Memorial
Skp. William R. Nichols H.M. Trawler Bombardier 27 Mar. 1919 Chatham Naval Memorial
Skp. Edward N. Bullock H.M. Trawler Jay 11 Aug. 1917 Chatham Naval Memorial
2hd. William J. Knights H.M. Drifter Girl Eva 2 Oct. 1916 Chatham Naval Memorial
2hd. Robert Neslen H.M. Drifter Waveney II 16 Oct. 1916 Chatham Naval Memorial
2hd. William Miller H.M. Trawler Birch 23 Aug. 1916 Chatham Naval Memorial
2hd. James Bensley H.M. Trawler Tettenhall 23 May 1917 Portsmouth Naval Memorial
Dhd. Henry Harris H.M. Drifter Clover Bank 24 Apr. 1916 Chatham Naval Memorial
Dhd. Robert Miller H.M. Drifter Present Friends 11 Oct. 1918 Holy Trinity Churchyard
Dhd. William Plane H.M. Drifter Scania 2 Aug. 1918 Chatham Naval Memorial
Dhd. George R. Green H.M. Trawler Ocean Retriever 28 Feb. 1919 Holy Trinity Churchyard
Dhd. Charles J. Brown H.M. Trawler Thomas Stratten 20 Oct. 1917 Chatham Naval Memorial
Dhd. George A. Amis H.M. Trawler Thuringia 11 Nov. 1917 Chatham Naval Memorial
Dhd. Bertie J. Symonds H.M. Trawler Veresis 25 Aug. 1918 Chatham Naval Memorial
Eng. William Burman H.M. Drifter Beneficent 1 Jun. 1916 Chatham Naval Memorial
Eng. Philip J. Chapman H.M. Drifter Clover Bank 24 Apr. 1916 Chatham Naval Memorial
Eng. William J. Gay H.M. Drifter Moss 25 Apr. 1916 Chatham Naval Memorial
Tmr. James H. Larke H.M. Drifter Clover Bank 24 Apr. 1916 Chatham Naval Memorial
Wkr. Violet Meal Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Cs. 3 Apr. 1920 Holy Trinity Cemetery

And: Walter E. Haylett. And, the following for the Second World War:

Rank Name Unit Date of Death Burial
Maj. Arthur G. Ellis Royal Norfolk Regiment 12 Oct. 1944 Overloon War Cemetery
PO Jack Playford Royal Air Force Reserve 10 Sep. 1944 Delhi War Cemetery
S-Lt. Ernest J. D. Huke HMS Dundee 15 Sep. 1940 Portsmouth Naval Memorial
CO Robert J. Buck Merchant Navy 11 May 1945 Holy Trinity Churchyard
2O Herbert H. Davison S.S. Fiscus 18 Oct. 1940 Tower Hill Memorial
LAC Clive W. F. Ironmonger No. 216 Squadron 4 Nov. 1942 Heliopolis War Cemetery
LSgn. Arthur C. Allen HMS Welshman 1 Feb. 1943 Chatham Naval Memorial
FSgt. Frank A. Fox No. 189 Squadron 2 Feb. 1945 Durnbach War Cemetery
Sgt. Clifford E. Fox No. 635 Squadron 31 Mar. 1944 Rheinberg War Cemetery
Cpl. William B. Taylor 2nd Bn., Royal Norfolk Rgt. 5 May 1944 Kohima War Cemetery
Dvr. Clifford Gillings Royal Army Service Corps 10 Aug. 1945 Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
Gnr. Hugh B. Graham 2 (Medium) Rgt., Royal Artillery 18 Nov. 1944 Florence War Cemetery
Gnr. Reginald A. Jordan 17 (Field) Rgt., R.A. 5 Oct. 1943 Sangro River War Cemetery
Pte. Edna E. Durrant Auxiliary Territorial Service 3 Jun. 1945 Holy Trinity Churchyard
Pte. Edward T. Pettingill 4th Bn., Royal Norfolk Regiment 3 Sep. 1943 Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery
Pte. Henry Dobinson MC Pioneer Corps 23 Mar. 1940 Holy Trinity Churchyard
Sn. Louis L. Smith HMS Europa, Lowestoft 12 May 1943 Holy Trinity Churchyard
Sn. Albert G. Broom H.M. Trawler Charles Boyes 25 May 1940 Lowestoft Memorial
Sn. Gordon B. Skoyles H.M. Trawler Rolls Royce 7 Dec. 1943 Holy Trinity Churchyard
Sn. Charles H. Brown H.M. Trawler Their Merit 25 Jan. 1941 Holy Trinity Churchyard
Sn. Percy R. Randle H.M. Trawler Tilbury Ness 1 Nov. 1940 Lowestoft Memorial
Sn. Reginald W. Crowe No. 60, East Oaze Lightships 1 Nov. 1940 Tower Hill Memorial
2hd. Henry G. King H.M. Trawler George Boyes 25 May 1940 Holy Trinity Churchyard
2hd. Wesley G. Green H.M. Trawler Tamarisk 12 Aug. 1940 Oye-Plage Cemetery
Fmn. Henry J. Brown Fishing Vessel Strathgairn 1 Jul. 1941 Tower Hill Memorial
Mate Cecil J. Brown Fishing Vessel Helpmate 1 Apr. 1941 Tower Hill Memorial
Mate Herbert C. F. Hayward M.V. Capable 5 Jun. 1940 Tower Hill Memorial

References

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  1. ^ A Guide to the Roman Remains in Britain by Roger Wilson (Constable)
  2. ^ BBC Online. Caister Lifeboat
  3. ^ Storey, Neil R. (1 November 2011). Little Book of Norfolk. The History Press. ISBN 9780752494609.
  4. ^ "Beauchamp Lifeboat Memorial, Caister-on-Sea, Caister-on-Sea - 1468694 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Captivating Sites Across England Listed During 2020 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Railway Passenger Stations in England, Scotland and Wales: A Chronology" by M E Quick; 2005.
  7. ^ "Caister-on-Sea (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  8. ^ Holiday camps at Seaside History. Accessed May 2008.
  9. ^ "Church of Holy Trinity, Caister-on-Sea - 1287563 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Norfolk Churches". www.norfolkchurches.co.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Caister-on-Sea War Memorials". www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
  12. ^ "Geograph:: Caister to Croxton :: War Memorials in Norfolk". www.geograph.org.uk. Retrieved 25 November 2024.

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