The Pier
There has been a pier or jetty in Cromer since 1391. Letters granting the right to levy duties for repairs suggest that attempts at maintenance seem to have gone on until 1580. In 1582, Queen Elizabeth I granted the right to the inhabitants of Cromer to export wheat, barley and malt for the maintenance of their town and towards the rebuilding of the pier.
A 210 foot jetty was built in 1822 but was washed away in 1843 to be replaced, two years later, with a 240 foot structure. The last wooden jetty was built in 1846 and, described as a “plain wooden structure”, was just 70 yards long. By night, it was regulated by several bylaws: for instance, smoking was only allowed after the hour of nine o’clock when ladies would be expected to have retired for the evening. This lasted until 1890 when it too was destroyed by heavy seas so much so that it had to be dismantled and Cromer was left without a pier. The remains were sold at auction for £40.
A 500 foot iron pier, the inspired work of a London engineering firm, Douglass and Arnott, replaced the second jetty. It opened on 8 June 1901, having cost £17,000. A bandstand was erected at the head. This was extended in 1905 to form a pavilion.
Sectioned in 1940 for defence purposes, the gap was bridged with planks to allow the lifeboat station to be reached (lifeboats have been stationed here since 1923).
Over the years the pier has been damaged by storms and tidal surges many times. In February 1990, gales destroyed the amusement arcade and, on the 14th of November 1993, a 100 ton rig crashed into the pier, isolating the theatre and lifeboat station.
In 1997, the old lifeboat house and launching ramp were temporarily removed.
The pier pavilion was reopened by actor Stephen Fry on the 27th June 2004, but was damaged by a storm early in the following year.
The Lifeboats
Cromer has operated a lifeboat for 200 years. It was the first coastal town or village in Norfolk to have a lifeboat some 20 years before the RNLI was established. The lifeboat station’s coxswains and crews have won many medals and special awards for their professionalism and bravery. The first was a silver medal from the Norfolk Shipwreck Association, given to Captain Francis Pank in 1839, for saving eight people from the Achilles. The most recent were awards to Coxswain Richard Davies and a local artist the inshore lifeboat crew for rescuing a swimmer in 1999.
A local artist has created a permanent installation celebrating the town’s 24 principal lifeboats, set in the pier’s forecourt. Twenty-four granite stones, each one representing a lifeboat, are set along lines looking out to sea, pointing in the direction of rescue missions. A great compass is at the heart of the forecourt display. The lines radiate out to sea from the compass through the granite ‘standing stones’. The design is based on the compass in the HF Bailey lifeboat, which is housed in the nearby RNLI museum.
In order to find this cache you will need to visit the forecourt of the pier and find the display mentioned above
You will need to fill in the following missing details (represented in red)
A = Number of lives saved on 13th October 1993
B = The date associated with Benjamin Bond Cabbel Emulous of Middlesbrough 4th March 18B0
C = 29 lives saved from the Mount Ida of Piraeus, on which date in October 1939.
D = How many lives saved from the Welcome Home of Sheringham, in 1931
E = Helm Spray III 19?5
F = The number of vessels in Convey 559
G = ILB D43?
H = The date in January that 12 lives were saved from the Nephrite of Glasgow
N52 5A.BCD E001 1E.FGH
You are looking for a camouflaged tube a little thinner than a film pot so you will need to bring your own pen. The area can be very busy in the summer so please take when retrieving a and replacing the cache. There are several car parks in the town but all charge a fee. It is possible to park in some of the streets for 30 minutes and on the edge of the town for a longer period.
Please play the game properly and sign the log. No signey no smiley! Your log may be deleted.