Even two months after the fateful night of the December storm surge, its destruction can still be witnessed. Smashed beach huts. Damaged pier. Damage to the walls along the esplanade. Repair work is being undertaken which has resulted in the closure of the western end of the Esplanade at Cromer. In this instance, with no access to the beach, it necessitated a diversion to the cliff tops with a little road walking through to East Runton where the next access to the beach can be found.
The main walk was done on a blustery Friday afternoon that had increasing amounts of persistent rain. A strong easterly wind resulted in getting soaked from behind with the front side remaining dry. Imagine that awful feeling of sitting down an a wet backside with water dribbling down the back of ones legs, yet bone dry on the front! By the time we had reached Sheringham the rain was becoming heavy and therefore we sought shelter in the Funky Mackerel cafe, a well recommended beach front facility.
By Sunday the weather had changed and this is when the photos were taken of the eastern prom and pier at Cromer.
One thing that pondered on my mind was just how much the cliffs had eroded over the years. Having regularly been taken on family holidays to this part of the world in the 1970's and frequently visiting the place ever since, I can recall the timber defences being constructed along the shore but the distance between these and the cliffs doesn't appear to have changed a great deal. It must have eroded significantly because each year there are more cliff falls and during the later 80's and 90's my parents static caravan had to be moved on several occasions because of the cliff becoming too close for comfort.
Whilst researching this particular post I did come across some interesting old photos of the area on Les Fishers Flickr photostream which are worth perusing. These show that not a huge amount has changed around these parts over the last century. One fascinating photo, entitled Coopers Cliff Cafe and Caravan site, East Runton, dating from 1948, depicts the coast from Woodhill looking towards Cromer. In this picture it is easy to see the terrace of cottages at Wyndham Park which shows a significant amount of land between the last house and the cliff. today there is just a small open space used for parking cars which gives an estimation of the amount of erosion that has occurred over the last 65 years.
Another fascinating item discovered whilst researching was that of the Sharmans Stone and Black Meg (see the features below). I think more investigation needs to be undertaken here which will no doubt happen on the next visit. The group of rocks that make up Black Meg is alleged to be the cargo of a ship which sank off the coast. I do know that my dad had related on many occasions that when he went snorkelling at low tide he would go and investigate an old wreck that lay off the coast of East Runton. I wonder whether this was that same old ship that divested its cargo to form this formation.
Looking at the OS map for 1838 also shows another stone off the coast of Sheringham which it denotes as Tailors Stone. I can find no information about this. Another piece of history which appears to have been long forgotten about.
Storm Damage
Back to the focus of this little walk and the damage sustained by the December 2013 Storm Surge. Going from Cromer to Sheringham, I have listed the damaged that is evident.
The beach huts on the eastern end of Cromer have taken a severe battering. Some lie upturned, some broken and some reduced to no more than matchwood. One remnant lies atop a pile of debris with a defiant 'We are rebuilding' painted upon it. Further along the prom are the listed Art Deco block and the adjacent chalet blocks all of which suffered damage although repair work here is ongoing and expected to be complete by Easter
The pier took a battering and although it has reopened there is repair work being undertaken to replace the timbers and repair the metal structure. This work is expected to be complete by Easter. Repairs to the cafe and box office have yet to be agreed.
Diggers and machinery litter the beach looking like big boys sandcastle building toys although these are in the serious business of refurbishing the sea defences with new steel piles being driven into the chalk bedrock along the face of the seawall.
The prom parapet wall has been ripped away in several sections with temporary metal fencing put in its place. The grassed embankment beside the walkway just west of the pier has some large gouges taken from it which are currently undergoing repair. The little fair on the prom has suffered damage and Starvin Marvins burger kiosk has gone. The last report I heard was on that night in December was when someone tweeted seeing it heading out to sea in the direction of Overstrand.
Forty chalets on the west prom were lost and these will not be replaced in the near future. This area is currently cordoned off preventing access to the beach beyond.
The cliffs throughout the distance from Cromer to Sheringham have suffered multiple falls with a large area of chalk being exposed at East Runton. The beach appears to be covered with a lot more pebbles and cliff debris than previous visits where sand was the predominant aspect of the beach. The fence that bordered the cliff top path between East and West Runton is now partly hanging in mid air with other parts of it in the rubble at the bottom of the cliff. A 'Danger Cliff Edge' sign lies half way down the cliff. There is a large outcrop of clay exposed at Beeston and falls in front of Beeston Bump that have blocked access behind the old timber sea defences. Access to Sheringham prom now has to be undertaken by climbing across the groynes to the first steps onto the prom, the slope to the beach being cordoned off on account of the metal railing being taken by the sea.
Many areas of the Sheringham prom metal safety rails have been either bent or ripped from their fixings by the sea. It is amazing to think of the force that needed to be exerted for this to happen. Further along the prom up towards the Lifeboat station, there is a section cordoned off whilst repairs are undertaken to the damages sea defences.
