Living and Working in Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth, known as a traditional British seaside town has seen much love from tourists looking to escape to the beach for the summer. However, it also has lots to offer and great-value property. The beach is the biggest draw with 15 miles running along the East coast uninterrupted - it is renowned for its sandy beaches and stunning seafront lovingly nicknamed the ‘Golden Mile’.

Considering a role at Great Yarmouth Charter Academy and thinking about making the move to Great Yarmouth? Let’s take a look at what is on offer in this seaside town…

HISTORY

Great Yarmouth started as a roman fishing port of major importance and became known as a town in 1086. It has continued its fishing culture to the present day, although not at the frequency it occurred previously - prosperity during the years was also due in no small part to the herring industry of the city. You can explore Great Yarmouth’s story at the popular Time and Tide Museum, situated inside an old Herring factory that is still in fantastic condition. As one of Great Yarmouth’s key industries, it became known for its “Silver Darlings” which were cured in a way developed by Dutch fishermen. The industry started to change in the 1960s and fishing was reduced in the town with the discovery of offshore oil and gas fields, at this time many tourists were also flocking to the area as the area became a hive for holidaymakers.

Great Yarmouth saw wartime action, being a significant target to the Germans in both World War I and II. It was at this time that some of the town was damaged, however much of the medieval protective wall still stood after the bombing had taken place with two-thirds surviving. 

LIFESTYLE

Great Yarmouth has two distinct times of the year, the high season in the summer and the low season throughout the winter. This gives the town a very different feeling at these different times of the year. The town is bustling and busy with people in the summer, boasting lots of holiday parks nearby offering camping, caravaning and hotels that prosper through this high season, which then quietens down once the October and November nights start to draw in.

The town centre itself has a good variety of shops with all of your essentials covered, and the Market Gates shopping centre also has a selection of shops. Locals also frequent the Gapton Hall Retail Park and Pasteur Retail Park just off the A47, located just on the edge of town towards Gorleston for a bit more variety and bigger shops than in the city centre. For supermarkets, you have a choice from a large Asda and Tesco, both near the train station, as well as Sainsbury's, Lidl and Aldi just outside the town centre, for the closest Morrison’s head to Gorleston, which also offers a few shops along the high street.

Great Yarmouth is home to one of England’s oldest and largest marketplaces, boasting 5400m of pedestrianised space and surrounded by historic buildings, architecture and shops. Opening its doors in the 1500s, it was the focal point for trade, the selling of produce and a myriad of celebrations. Renovations are now being made to construct new market stalls which will consist of 26 main stalls of different sizes, 2 kiosks and spaces for pop-up traders.

In peak season you can make the most of the attractions and seafront coming to life, have a ride at the Pleasure Beach, or take a trip down to the Hippodrome Circus which is one of the only permanent purpose-built circuses left in the country. There is a range of entertainment at the theatre as well with Gorleston Pavillion Theatre and Britannia Pier Theatre providing shows and pantomimes, however, some attractions will only be open in this high season.

TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT LINKS

Travelling to Great Yarmouth is extremely easy - the town has good transport links to the rest of the county and other parts of the UK, particularly Lowestoft, Beccles and Norwich. Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth is just a 20 minute drive, and Beccles is only 40 minutes with a bus service available taking you straight into town. Travelling from Norwich is simple too; driving or getting a bus will take 40 minutes, whilst the train only takes around 30 minutes. With bus services from Norwich every 15 minutes, and a train every hour, Norwich has no limit to transport options, and is bursting with history, great food, arts and culture.

Travelling to Norwich opens up lots of options further afield, with London Liverpool Street about 3 hours away from Great Yarmouth by train via the city. Cambridge and Ipswich are also both accessible via public transport with a stop in Norwich and can be reached in about 2 hours from Great Yarmouth.

HOUSE PRICES (RIGHTMOVE - APRIL 2024)

Properties in Great Yarmouth last year sold for an average price of £215,553. This is lower than the Norfolk average of £409,121 and offers good value for money in the county.

In Great Yarmouth, over the last year, terraced properties had an average price of £156,929. If you are looking for something detached or semi-detached then naturally the prices increase. Detached houses sold for an average of £351,064, and semi-detached houses sold for an average price of £237,668.

Nearby houses sell for slightly more than in Great Yarmouth. Caister-on-Sea has an average selling price of £241,802 and Gorleston has an average price of £231,519.