Sheringham Museum is located in converted fishermen's cottages and washhouses in the heart of this attractive and popular North Norfolk seaside town.
The entrance to the Museum is up the alley next to Harvey's Dry Cleaners, half way along Station Road.

The railway came to Sheringham in 1887. This was a major event that led to a rapid growth and change in Sheringham, from a sleepy fishing village to a thriving tourist resort by 1900.
New hotels and shops were built, new housing estates were developed and in 1897 the new church of St Peter, seating 700, was consecrated.

The 1890's saw the sea defences extended, a new promenade built, bathing and beach facilities provided and modern facilities arrive.
Photographic and ephemeral displays trace this development taking you back to the days of bathing machines, long crinolines and the bustle of a rapidly expanding town during the first decade of the 20th Century.

 

FISHING & BOAT BUILDING Fishing is the foundation of which Lower Sheringham developed with a small, tightly knit community developing on the cliffs and launching their boats from the flint beaches. During the mid 19th Century there were over 200 boats fishing off the shore The fishermen were real characters going by nicknames like Downtide, Bounce, Squinter, Spider, Butter Balls, Bread-alone, Pongo and Teapot Sheringham became famous for its boatbuilding with Lown, Johnson and especially Emery being kept busy in building boats for Sheringham, Cromer and other fishermen further afield. Displayed in the museum are Emery's original bench and tools.

THE WEYBOURNE ELEPHANT One of the newest displays showing pieces of elephant bone that have been coming out the cliff to the west of Sheringham. Significant because no-one expected any such finds to be made here. The pieces of bone on display have been dated back some 1.5 million years!! This giant animal roamed the world at a time when what is now the Norfolk coast (although then much further north) was enjoying an almost tropical environment. Our display tells the story of this remarkable animal and traces its migratory journey from continent to continent. Linked with this is a display on the geology of the beach and information on the most common fossil you will find there.

LIFEBOATS Sheringham is the only place in the world to possess four of its original lifeboats. The Sheringham Museum Trust owns three of these : JC Madge (1904 - 1936) - pulling and sailing Foresters Centenary (1936 - 1961) - the towns first motorised lifeboat Manchester Unity of Oddfellows (1961 - 1990) an Oakley Class lifeboat, Sheringhams last offshore boat. Within the next 2 to 3 years Sheringham Museum Trust plans to have an extended Museum to house this unique collection together with our three crab boats and general lifeboat and fishing industry ephemera. Any help you can give, either in time or donations, will be greatly appreciated to enable this vital work to continue

THE WAR YEARS On 19th January 1915 Sheringham became the first place in Britain to have a bomb dropped on it. The story and part of the bomb is on display in the Museum.   Sheringham was a front line town during the 1939-45 war. Barbed wire surrounded the beaches from fear of invasion and the cliffs often reverberated from the pounding of large guns practising at the Weybourne Camp.

 

RESOURCE & RESEARCH ROOM This is currently being developed and it is hoped that family history and local studies research facilities will soon be available.

 

Our Museum is only as strong as the collection within it. The Museum Trust are, therefore, greatly indebted to all those people who have donated items which are now on display. We will always be delighted to see any photograph or item which has emanated from, or been associated with, Sheringham

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