Personal Recollections from Gt. Yarmouth's Past

Personal Recollections from Great Yarmouth's Past

These recollections were gathered from past and present residents of the town and highlight just what a varied and extensive railway network there once was. Just imagine the huge numbers of visitors pouring into the town's three main stations and making their various ways to the holiday camps along the coast or to one of the B&Bs near the sea-front. Or the express trains with direct and fast services to London and the Midlands. Today's rail connections are a shadow of their former self but let's just reflect on how things once were.
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Recollection

Text

Audio

MP3

Win

Holiday crowds and fish wharves - A graphical portrayal of the arrival of the holiday crowds and the atmosphere on the quayside.
Recollections of Diana Harrold.

Railways to Bungay and Beccles - A trip along the lines from South Town station to the Waveney Valley.
Recollections of Richard Kerridge.

Living at South Town Station - Recollections of the living accommodation at South Town and memories of holidays in the town.
Recollections of Ann O'Brien.

Swimming under Breydon Viaduct! - A childhood story from around 1925 explaining the events surrounding a dare to swim the River Yare.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Arthur Lark (born 1911).
(Audio recording duration - 4min 38sec)

Slippery fish on the quays - A personal recollection from the 1920's telling of collecting discarded herring on Yarmouth's quays.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Arthur Lark (born 1911).
(Audio recording duration - 1min 41sec)

Shut the gate! - A tale from the marshes recalling what happened when the gates were left open from the sheep field adjacent to Berney Arms Station.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Arthur Lark (born 1911).
(Audio recording duration - 3min 55sec)

Sea spray on the footplate - A story from a Yarmouth bus driver from the period shortly after the closure of the M&GN line from Beach Station.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Sydney Rackham.
(Audio recording duration - 2min 33sec)

Tales from South Town Station - Recollections about the staff and some of the incidents that happened at South Town Station during the war years.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Sydney Rackham.
(Audio recording duration - 5min 47sec)

Bookstall incident at South Town Station - A tale of destruction about the time a train went through the buffer stops at South Town Station and demolished the W.H.Smith bookstall together with some memories of the circus train and the horse cabs waiting outside.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Sydney Rackham.
(Audio recording duration - 3min 51sec)

Yarmouth railway characters - A brief memory of a few more of the railway characters that used to work on the railways in and around Great Yarmouth.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Sydney Rackham.
(Audio recording duration - 1min 35sec)

Bus troubles on Haven Bridge - From the days when Haven bridge was decked in wood this memory explained what happened when the surface got just a bit too slippery.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Sydney Rackham.
(Audio recording duration - 3min 57sec)

Accidents on the railway - Unforeseen incidents on the railway were not uncommon and these memories highlight two such occurrences which happened on the Yarmouth to Lowestoft line.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Sydney Rackham.
(Audio recording duration - 2min 20sec)

Lost lines around Yarmouth - Reflections on some of the old stations and railway lines around Great Yarmouth, focussing on the Great Eastern line to Beccles and the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint line to Lowestoft.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Sydney Rackham.
(Audio recording duration - 2min 38sec)

Incident at St.Olaves - This story describes what happened when a particular engine driver couldn't resist the temptation to drive flat-out with a fast express through St.Olaves station.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Sydney Rackham.
(Audio recording duration - 3min 14sec)

Secret mission on the M&GN - During the final years of the M&GN there was much rivalry between the bus companies and the railway. This story from an ex bus driver describes what went on to gather information on the "opposition".
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Sydney Rackham.
(Audio recording duration - 4min 29sec)

Last night at Potter Heigham - Short recollections from one of the last two porters at Potter Heigham station telling of the final night of operation and the Scottish fisher girls on their way to Yarmouth.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Francis Wicks (born 1915).
(Audio recording duration - 2min 6sec)

Holidaymakers to Potter Heigham - More recollections of the M&GN line from Yarmouth Beach, highlighting the extent of the holiday traffic and the use made by locals to go to Stalham market or Yarmouth for their shopping.
Transcribed from a recorded interview with Francis Wicks (born 1915).
(Audio recording duration - 4min 15sec)

The audio recordings can be played using RealPlayer (MP3 files) or Windows Media Player. These can be downloaded using the following links if required.

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