Residents and visitors to uncover history of Great Yarmouth borough as Guided Heritage Walks get underway

Every year between April and October, Great Yarmouth Borough Council runs a programme of fascinating Guided Heritage Walks, offering residents and visitors the opportunity to uncover various aspects of the borough's history.

Each led by an official Great Yarmouth heritage guide, there are 11 walks this year to beautiful historic buildings and other places of interest. For 2018, there are three new walks, focussing on Caister-on-Sea, Historic South Quay and entertainment on Great Yarmouth seafront. 

Alan Carr, the council's tourism manager, said: "The Great Yarmouth borough has an incredibly rich cultural history, from the quayside, to the seaside, from our Roman and medieval military buildings to the cemetery of the Great Yarmouth Minster.

"These carefully-curated walks support the council's commitment to work with partners to conserve, enhance and gain national recognition for the borough's extensive cultural heritage, furthering efforts to broaden the tourism offer and support the local economy.

"We have, once again, a wide range of walks this year, including three new walks for 2018, so there should be something for all tastes, interests and ages. I would also like to thank our expert heritage guides, who make the walks totally engaging thanks to their passion and enthusiasm for the borough's special history." 

For details about the scheduled walk dates, call Great Yarmouth Tourist Information Centre on 01493 846346 or visiting the Heritage Guided Walks site.

There are six walks running regularly:

• Sun, Sea Stars & Circus, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the circus, is a new walk, focussing on the role the holiday and entertainment industry has played in how Great Yarmouth seafront looks today.

• Quayside and Seaside at Gorleston-on-Sea explores the stories and local history of Gorleston's historic seafront, including the demise of the elegant, turreted Victorian hotel, how the pier came to be and where the lido was.

• Medieval Town Wall provides the opportunity for people to explore this Scheduled Ancient Monument, which dates from the 14th century and is the second best preserved medieval town wall in England, after York.

• Rows, Fishwives and Red Herrings tells the tale of Great Yarmouth's historic alleyways, and the people who lived and worked in them, in addition to taking in historic South Quay, the rise and fall of the herring industry and its importance in the town's growth. 

• The Finest Quay in Europe is a new walk, taking its name from a description of South Quay by 18th century writer Daniel Defoe, and explores the port's fascinating history and fine Georgian architecture.

• Gory Stories on a Wicked Walk focuses on the murders that took place in the Rows and the press gangs that would tour the town's brothels, as well as stories of the stocks and pillory, whippings and hangings.

Tickets are priced at £4.50 for adults, £2 for children (seven-16 years old) and free-of-charge for under sevens. There is no need to book as tickets are available on the day from the guide.

There are also five Special Walks taking place on special dates, some of which require pre-booking by calling the Tourist Information Centre on 01493 846346.

• Medieval Town Wall - then and now, is an opportunity to learn more about the town's historic defences and the work being undertaken today to conserve the wall for future generations. 

• Roman Revelations at a Fascinating Fort, set at the Roman fort of Burgh Castle, is a great walk for all the family, with interactive games and sketches to really bring history to life.

• Caister-on-Sea, 2000 Years of History, is a new walk and a chance to discover how Caister became a heroic lifeboat community from Roman beginnings. The walk progresses through the village to Caister Lifeboat Station.

• Pirates, Witches & Thieves of Olde Yarmouth is a special costumed walk in which some of the infamous characters of Great Yarmouth's history will tell its darker stories.

• Gravestones and Tombstones of Great Yarmouth Minster is a chance to find out some fascinating stories about the characters laid to rest in the cemetery, including sailors, merchants and circus owners.