It is kept by two young women who receive from the Trinity-house an annual salary of fifty-pounds, besides perquisites, and who constantly reside on the spot, which for perfect neatness may vie with any place. From the lantern a door opens to a light iron gallery which surrounds it, and commands a sea view of many leagues.
Extending the walk a little further you get a pleasing view of the village of Overstrand. Shipping, also, is seen to much greater advantage above than below the cliffs; and those who are fond of looking down precipices may find amusement, their situation being between three and four hundred feet perpendicular above the level of the sea.
Cromer Hall, the residence of George Wyndham, Esq. is a respectable old house; there is nothing in the inside to repay curiosity, but the sequestered walks in the wood near the house are very delightful.
These plantations make a very pleasing appearance from many places; taken in front they are too formal and circumscribed, notwithstanding which they prove the greatest possible ornament to the town of Cromer, and in autumn are extremely beautiful.
Section the Second.
Going down cliff at low-water the beach to the north of the jetty presents a very pleasant walk of a mile and a half to the village of Upper Runton, where ascending by a path cut through cliffs of a very romantic form, on the edge of which stand some fishermens’ cottages, you return to Cromer by a foot path close to the sea side; the country on the right is cultivated and interspersed with hills covered with furze.
Approaching within half a mile, the town with the light-house, and hills as a background, Mr. G. Wyndham’s woods and the mill make a pretty appearance.
A little further on is the Battery, which as it belongs to Cromer should have been mentioned in the foregoing section. It occupies a very fine eminence commanding more than a semicircle and mounts four eighteen pounders, which are exercised by the Cromer Loyal Volunteer Artillery; being also well supplied with stores it affords excellent protection to the shipping upon this part of the coast which bring up under it in cases of danger. It is but justice to add, also, in many instances the corps have proved themselves extremely active in giving every assistance in their power; and by the liberal allowance of powder and ball, provided by Government, solely for practice, they are become very expert gunners.
I cannot here omit to mention the almost miraculous escape of Mr. Richard Cook, a corporal, belonging to the corps, who was blown from the cannon’s mouth while a salute was firing on the 4th of June, 1799, in honour of his Majesty’s birth-day. The gun at which he was stationed having been badly spunged, the succeeding cartridge took fire and carried him over the platform to the very edge of the cliff. This unfortunate accident happened as he was in the act of withdrawing the rammer, from the head of which (it being driven into numerous splinters) he received at least fifty wounds, most of them were very severe; notwithstanding which I am happy to say, that by the blessing of a fine constitution, he is at this time perfectly recovered without suffering even the loss of a finger or being scarcely blemished.