Churches of the British Isles

At this time Great Yarmouth was the fourth richest town in England but the interior was destroyed during the Reformation and the priory was dissolved. In 1649 the church was divided into three for Anglicans (south aisle), Puritans (chancel), and Presbyterians (north aisle). In 1942 the church was completely gutted during a German air raid. Only the Norman tower and the walls remained. The church was rebuilt by Stephen Dykes Bower and was reconsecrated in 1961.

The Parish Church of the Holy Trinity and All Saints, Winterton-on-Sea sits on the northern side of Black Street, next to the junction with Bulmer Lane. It was built during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. With a tower that measures over forty metres in height it dominates the landscape and has served as a lookout post during times of war. Some of the soldiers who spent cold and lonely nights up there left their marks etched into the lead roof.

The church underwent a major restoration in 2014. Inside, nets from one of the last fishing boats that made a living from the beach still hang from the walls. At the back of the church is Fisherman's Corner, with a crucifix carved from ships' timbers. The feature was the idea of the Reverend Clarence Porter, rector between 1925-1932. His life was cut short when he suffered a heart attack after rescuing a choirboy from the sea. He is buried in the churchyard.

The former Winterton-on-Sea Primitive Methodist Chapel occupies the south-eastern corner of Beach Road and The Lane. It was erected in 1876, as noted above the entrance, for a cost of £650 and supplying 250 seats. The clock is also a war memorial with text around the clock face. There is some confusion in online records about precisely when the chapel was closed - seemingly somewhere around 2012 - but by 2019 it was certainly a private residence.

All photos on this page by P L Kessler.