Overstrand

This article is about the village in Norfolk. For the aircraft, see Boulton Paul Overstrand. For the municipality in South Africa, see Overstrand Local Municipality.
Overstrand

The Village sign
Overstrand
 Overstrand shown within Norfolk
Area  1.86 km2 (0.72 sq mi)
Population 952 (parish, 2001 census)
   – density  512/km2 (1,330/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTG2441
   – London  137 miles 
Civil parishOverstrand
DistrictNorth Norfolk
Shire countyNorfolk
RegionEast
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town CROMER
Postcode district NR27
Dialling code 01263
Police Norfolk
Fire Norfolk
Ambulance East of England
EU Parliament East of England
UK ParliamentNorth Norfolk
List of places
UK
England
Norfolk

Coordinates: 52°55′N 1°22′E / 52.91°N 1.36°E

Overstrand is a village (population 1,101) on the north coast of Norfolk in England, two miles east of Cromer. It was once a modest fishing station, with all or part of the fishing station being known as Beck Hythe. In the latter part of the 19th century it was catapulted into prominence, and became known as “the village of millionaires”.

History

The Church of St Martin

The London journalist and travel writer Clement Scott came to Overstrand in 1883, christened the area ‘’Poppyland’’, and wrote about the church tower on the cliff edge and its “Garden of Sleep”. While in Overstrand he stayed at the Mill House with miller Alfred Jermy and his daughter Louie, who became “the Maid of the Mill” in his articles about ‘’Poppyland’’.

Scott had many London contacts in the theatrical world, and his writings led a number of them and others from London society to come to Overstrand. Some bought land in the village and had houses built there, and for a while the village was the place to visit. A large hotel was built on the cliff edge, though this slid into the sea in the 1950s.

The Edwardian architect Sir Edwin Lutyens worked at Overstrand, designing Overstrand Hall for Charles William Mills, 2nd Baron Hillingdon, The Pleasaunce for Cyril Flower, 1st Baron Battersea and the Methodist Church.[1] The large houses of the gentry have largely passed from private ownership to other uses.

Overstrand railway station was on the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway between Cromer and North Walsham. It is now closed.

The Overstrand biplane bomber was named after the village, having been made at the Boulton & Paul aircraft factory in Norwich in the early 1930s.[2]

Notable people

In popular culture

Season 1, episode 2 of the BBC TV series "Screen Two" was called "Poppyland" (1985). Directed by John Madden, it took place in Overstrand and tells the story of Clement Scott in his travels there.

Coastal erosion

As with much of the Norfolk coast, erosion was and continues to be a major problem. Clifton Way is an experimental site; its sea defences include riprap (at £1,300 a boulder, predominantly shipped from Norway), wooden groynes, revetments, gabions and offshore reefs. The cliffs of soft boulder clay slump because of the water running through the clay, and the resulting material on the beach is removed by the succeeding high tides. Trees were replanted to attempt to restabilise the slumped cliff, but these were stolen and nothing has since been done.[4] In the neighbouring village of Sidestrand, the church was moved back from the cliff edge in the 19th century, though the tower of the church was left standing on the cliff top.

References

  1. ↑ Pevsner Architectural Guides - Norfolk 1: Norwich and the North-East, pages 632-3
  2. ↑ "Boulton Paul". Local History. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ Paul Edney Retrieved 19 February 2014
  4. ↑ Overstrand online Retrieved 29 October 2012
  1. ^ Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council, 2001"Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes."

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Overstrand.