WELLS.
Wells next the sea is situated five miles north by west of Walsingham, and 32 miles north-west of Norwich. It possesses a tolerably good harbour and several neat buildings, but its streets are very irregular. The church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, is a neat edifice, with a square tower. On July 15th, 1817, a gale of wind from the north produced so high a tide, that the marshes near Wells became inundated.
WINTERTON.
Winterton is an ancient village, annexed to Horsey on the south, and within eight miles north by west of Yarmouth. It is sheltered on the north-east by a bold promontory called Winterton-Ness, and well known to the mariner as the most fatal headland between Scotland and London. The church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity and All Saints, possesses a fine tower, 118 feet in height, which commands an extensive view of the ocean.
On the 27th of December, 1665, a tremendous high tide caused such alarming breaches in the sand hills at Winterton, Horsey, and Waxham, as to threaten destruction to all the valuable marsh land from thence to Yarmouth, Beccles, &c.
YARMOUTH,
Frequently termed Great Yarmouth, is the principal sea-port town in Norfolk, and 123 miles distant N.E. of London. It stands on the east bank of the river Yare (from whence it takes its name), at its confluence with the Bure, about two miles from the mouth of the haven, which is very extensive and commodious.—From the appearance of the country, and an ancient chart, supposed to have been drawn about A.D. 1000, it is evident that a broad and extensive estuary divided this part of the eastern coast, not only in the time of its most ancient inhabitants, but for a long period after the Saxon Conquest, extending its waters westward to the city of Norwich, northward to Caistor, Reedham, Herringby, and Strumpshaw, and southward to Gorleston, Burgh, Bungay, Harleston, and Haddiscoe. This large arm of the ocean forming the grand receptacle of all the eastern waters of Norfolk (as it still continues under the circumscribed form of the Yare), began to disappear after the fifth century, when the sand collecting at its entrance, was, by the action of the waters, gradually formed into an island, which ultimately extended itself to the main land, and became the peninsula on which Yarmouth is founded. Several successive disappointments, and an immense outlay of capital in endeavouring to erect substantial havens for the guidance of the river waters into the sea, had been experienced, and at length finally accomplished by the erection of those beautiful piers and noble jetty. In 1528 the work was commenced, and on the 2nd day of March, 1559, men, women, and children, to the number of one thousand, were employed, and succeeded, in the short space of two days, in causing the water to issue forth into the sea, leaving a depth of ten feet at ebb tide. In 1567, the water forced a passage down the old channel, towards the village of Corton. After this disaster, a celebrated Dutch engineer was employed, who commenced his operations by driving and hedging down large stakes and piles, to make a firm substantial foundation; this was first done on the north and afterwards on the south side of the entrance, for the purpose of forcing the ebbing of the tide to run out by a north-east channel. The next step was the erecting of piers for preventing the haven from overflowing, and preserving, at all times of the tide, a sufficient depth of water for ships to float at their moorings. The jurisdiction of the haven includes that part of the sea called Yarmouth roads, extending northward to Scratby, and southward to Corton, in Suffolk.
Inundations, Shipwrecks, &c.
In 1287, St. Nicholas’ Church was completely inundated by the sea, during a tremendous flood, that did incredible damage to the town, the greater part of which was under water.
In 1554, fifty sail of vessels was lost in one day and night, and the crews perished.