Investigation of Sheringham
Sheringham is a seaside town, situated on the North Norfolk Coast,
approximately 44 kilometres north of the historic city and capital of
Norfolk, Norwich. Sheringham is a middle sized coastal town and lies
to the west of Cromer; near to the village of Blakeney; the small town
of Holt is to the south-west (see figure 1.0).
Sheringham is a popular tourist resort, thousands of visitors arriving
every summer. It is famous for it's long and wide sandy beaches and
pleasant summer weather.
[IMAGE]
Sheringham
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Figure 1.0: The town of Sheringham and its surroundings
In the past, Sheringham was a traditional fishing village in Norfolk.
The main industry of the town was fishing and crabbing, fishermen went
out to sea in wooden boats to then sell their catch to mainly local
residents. Sheringham never became a major trading port. A possible
reason for this might have been the absence of a large town nearby to
export the products or the lack of a sheltered harbour.
However, soon Sheringham became a popular holiday resort, now tourists
could travel easier through a new railway link to the town. Now,
tourism has become the main industry of Sheringham, and employs most
residents of the town. The rest of the population are commuters, who
travel to work by car, train or other means. Sheringham might have
attracted them because of it's geographical position.
The northern side of the town faces the North Sea, therefore the
climate is cool, especially in autumn and winter months harsh storms
can attack this coastal town. The main fetch for waves comprises quite
a large distance; the winds blow the waves from a north-north-east
direction. This is the direction of the cold northern seas and oceans,
e.g. the Norwegian Sea and the Arctic Ocean.
Such strong waves carry large amounts of energy, and easily erode away
the soft boulder clays of the coastline. Here is a list of all
processes of erosion that affect the coastlines of Sheringham: