SHAPING THE SEASIDE

Attitudes change. When a certain Mr White asked his correspondents to submit their text for the 1845 edition of his Norfolk county directory, one of them wrote of Lower Sheringham that 'a peep down the rugged cliffs is enough to strike a stranger with horror.' Not popular with nervous outsiders, then.
Nevertheless, visitors did come. Later, the railway came, too, which in turn sparked a boom in hotel construction and the apartment rental trade. Holidays 'twixt sea and pine' began to become popular. So much so that in 1910 - and 65 years after it was felt the seascape view from the cliffs might frighten landlubbers - Ward Lock & Co (London) felt sufficiently confident of the level of interest to publish their hotel and business directory for Sheringham, Cromer and Runton.
And a hefty, handsome job it was, too, pocket-sized, stiff-covered, and packed with information. For these were, in so many ways, pre-War boom years for the blossoming community of Lower Sheringham, and you can sense the increasing level of commercial prosperity by glancing through the advertisements in the book.
For example, in 1910 the Grand and the Sheringham hotels were busily promoting themselves. On the other hand, with the right sort of brass and, presumably, the right sort of social standing,  you could choose to rent the Belvoir, near the golf course; The Grove, Church Street; or perhaps Golf Lodge, Montague Crescent (complete with its own tennis court and housemaid's pantry). If it was a rented apartment you craved then you could have tried Abbotsford, South Street; Haslemere, Victoria Street; Ives of High Street; Selwyn House, Augusta Street; or perhaps Rhododendrons, The Boulevade.
And what else could visitors enjoy in 1910? Well for a start angling, bathing, bowls (there were greens at Cliff Road, Station Hotel and Recreation Ground), cricket, croquet, golf, and lawn tennis (or tennis on the beach). They could also take a rail excursion (choice of Aylsham, Lowestoft, Norwich, Wroxham, Yarmouth, or the Broads); or perhaps a walk (to Sheringham Woods, Lion's Mouth, Pretty Corner, Beeston Priory, Roman Camp, Cromer, Overstrand or Weybourne).
Or they could buy a bicycle from Rymer, of Station Road, obtain some nails and screws from Foulger the ironmonger also in Station Road, or sort out their photographic problems with Tansley, in Augusta Street.
Incidentally, rail journey times from Sheringham to London, via the GER, were said to be 'a little under three hours,' and a first class 15-day ticket cost 27s6d.
The physical energy of these visitors seems remarkable. Given that there were so many facilities available there would surely have been little time left in the holiday schedule to actually relax and contemplate the view. Be reassured, however, that the sea air was 'bracing' while the general atmosphere of Lower Sheringham (Upper Sheringham at this time still boasted the parish church, remember), despite the building of the railway and any number of hotels, happily remained 'quaint.'
It still is.