Norfolk

Elizabethan House Museum's Great Yarmouth heritage trail

Discover the rich maritime heritage of Great Yarmouth. Starting at the Elizabethan House Museum, visit some of the town's oldest buildings and find evidence of its intriguing history.

Near to

Elizabethan House Museum

Start point

Elizabethan House Museum, grid ref: TG523073

Trail information

View route

Print trail

Difficulty*

Accessibility**

Full trail

DistanceMiles: 1 (km: 1.6)

Duration1 hour to 3 hours

Dog friendly***

*Gentle walk following pavement. For more details, please see Terrain section.
**Route follows pavement, suitable for all abilities. For further details, please see section marked Access.
***Dogs are welcome. For more details, please see Facilities section.

Step into the past

In 1261 King Henry III granted Yarmouth the right to build a town wall and large sections of the walls, including some of the towers, still survive today. It also has the imposing monument commemorating Norfolk's hero, Admiral Lord Nelson.

Address
Elizabethan House Museum, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 2QH
Directions via Google Maps
By train
Great Yarmouth Station, ½ mile (0.8km).
On foot
Level walk from railway station along North Quay on to South Quay.
Cycling
National Cycle Network Regional Route 30, Great Yarmouth to Cromer.
By road
From A47 take town-centre signs, then follow brown historic South Quay signs. From A12 follow brown signs.
Dogs
Dogs welcome under close control and on leads only (not admitted to the various museums and attractions).
Car park
Parking at rear of Elizabethan House Museum operated by Borough Council (pay and display) Saturday and Sunday only. Other parking available along South Quay and near Blackfriar's Road.
Information point
This trail starts from the Elizabeth House Museum, a 16th-century quayside building that reflects the life and times of the families who lived here from the Tudor to Victorian ages. The house is managed by Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service.
Restaurant
Refreshments available at the small shop in Elizabethan House Museum and at the Quayside Plaza Restaurant nearby
Total stages: 7
Total stages: 7
Start point
Elizabethan House Museum, grid ref: TG523073
Stage 1
Start at the Elizabethan House Museum. From here, you can look at the outside of Greyfriar's Cloisters, and the Town Hall. On the river you'll also see the floating museum Lydia Eva, the world's last surviving steam-powered herring drifter. Built in 1930 and based in Great Yarmouth, she fished along the East Coast and North Sea for nine years before the RAF brought her in 1939, using her until 1969.
Greyfriar's Cloisters
This ruin is all that remains of Great Yarmouth's 13th-century Franciscan Friary. Inside, there are two stone-vaulted cloisters, two tomb recesses and some 14th-century wall paintings discovered in the 1960s. The friary thrived, even surviving an outbreak of the Black Death, until the dissolution of the monasteries. The cloisters are now in the care of English Heritage, who run tours here.
Stage 2
Keeping the River Yare on your right, walk along South Quay until reaching the Yare Gallery. Operated by the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust, it's a good stopping point with a free gallery in a Grade II-listed Georgian merchant's house.
Stage 3
Continue along the riverside road a short way, then take the next left onto Nottingham Way and look over Row 111 and the Old Merchant's House.
Great Yarmouth Rows
The Row Houses at Row 111 and the Old Merchant's House are rare remnants of Great Yarmouth's original distinctive 'Rows', which were a network of narrow alleyways linking Yarmouth's three main thoroughfares. Many ‘Row Houses’ were damaged by Second World War bombing or demolished during post-war clearances, but two surviving properties show what these dwellings looked like at various stages in their history. English Heritage run tours.
Stage 4
Now take the third right down Blackfriars Road, and cross the road to the Time and Tide Museum of Great Yarmouth Life. After visiting the museum if you'd like, cross back over the road, take a look at the Historic Smokehouse at Great Yarmouth Potteries and, turning left, head down Nottingham Way to the next junction.
Stage 5
Taking the next right, walk along King Street, passing York Road on the right.
Stage 6
When reaching Yarmouth Way, make a left turn to have a look at the Tolhouse Museum, and then retracing your steps to King Street turn left and continue along until reaching the Market Place.
Stage 7
Now visit Great Yarmouth Minster (the church of St Nicholas) to end the heritage trail.
Great Yarmouth Minster
This is the largest parish church in the country. In 1942 the church was completely gutted during a German air raid leaving only the Norman tower and the walls standing. The church was rebuilt by the architect – Stephen Dykes Bower, who created a wonderful light building. It has a beautiful set of stained glass windows depicting Christ's life from the Annunciation to the Ascension by Brian Thomas.
End point
St Nicholas church, Church Walk, Bradwell, Great Yarmouth, NR31 8QQ
Trail map
Elizabethan House Museum Heritage Trail Map | © GIS Maps
You made it
Share your experience

A soldier standing in front of the coastal gun battery at Dunwich Heath during the Second World war

Trail

Dunwich Heath wartime trail

Suffolk

A trail taking you on an in-depth dive into the wartime history of Dunwich Heath, stopping at locations around the site that still show evidence of the military activity.